Ball State Suffers Loss In 2008 International Bowl

TORONTO -- In the 2008 International Bowl witnessed by 31,455 fans, the Rutgers offense led by Ray Rice ? the nation's third leading rusher -- proved to be as good as advertised. The Scarlet Knights' tallied a 52-30 win over Ball State in the Cardinals' first bowl appearance since the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.

“We gave up some big plays,” says Ball State head coach Brady Hoke. “But, I am proud of our team and our group of seniors for doing such a great job of getting us to this point in our season.”

The Cardinals put together a solid effort, but could not stop the offensive attack for Rutgers. After the Scarlet Knights raced to a 14-0 lead, Ball State could manage only three first-half field goals to fall behind 24-9 at the half. Ball State's Ian McGarvey managed field goals of 37, 24 and 32 yards, setting his career record for field goals in a single game.

Rice scored from one yard out with 2:42 to play in the third stanza to give Rutgers a 38-16 lead. The touchdown was his fourth of the game and gave him 279 yards in the contest.

“When a guy like Ray Rice rushes for that many yards, you've got to do a better job of tackling him,” said Hoke.

With 9:43 to play in the third quarter, Nate Davis connected with Dante Love on a 10-yard touchdown pass to pull the Cardinals within 31-16. It was the 46^th touchdown pass of Davis' career, while Love was making his 17th career TD reception. But it was not enough to keep up with the Rutgers offense.

The Scarlet Knights took the opening kickoff and six plays later scored on its first possession on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Mike Teel to Tim Brown to take a 7-0 lead. On the first possession of the second half, Rice raced 90 yards for a score and put the Scarlet Knights ahead 31-9.

Ball State's offense was highlighted by the play of Davis and Love. Davis completed 25-of-49 passes for 291 yards, while Love had 13 catches for 169 yards.

The Cardinals ended the 2007 season with a 7-6 overall record, the Mid-American Conference West Division Co-Championship and the program's first bowl game in 11 seasons. Ball State will open the 2008 season Thurs., Aug. 28, at Scheumann Stadium vs. Northeastern. Order your season tickets for the 2008 campaign by calling 1.888.BSU.TICKET or online at www.ballstatesports.com.

First Quarter Scoring Summary:

Rutgers: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:31 -- Rutgers 7, Ball State 0

Rutgers: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:21 -- Rutgers 14, Ball State 0

Ball State: 5 plays, 9 yards, 1:28 -- Rutgers 14, Ball State 3

Second Quarter Scoring Summary:

Rutgers: 12 plays, 48 yards, 4:14 ? Rutgers 17, Ball State 3

Ball State: 13 plays, 73 yards, 4:26 ? Rutgers 17, Ball State 6

Rutgers: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:06 ? Rutgers 24, Ball State 6

Ball State: 5 plays, 37 yards, :31 -- Rutgers 24, Ball State 9

Third Quarter Scoring Summary:

Rutgers: 3 plays, 98 yards, 3:35 ? Rutgers 31, Ball State 9

Ball State: 5 plays, 78 yards, 1:25 ? Rutgers 31, Ball State 16

Rutgers: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:17 -- Rutgers 38, Ball State 16

Fourth Quarter Scoring Summary:

Ball State: 10 plays, 83 yards, 3:20 ? Rutgers 38, Ball State 23

Rutgers: 1 play, 35 yards, 6 seconds ? Rutgers 45, Ball State 23

Rutgers: 3 plays, 55 yards, 1:41 ? Rutgers 52, Ball State 23

Ball State: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:08 ? Rutgers 52, Ball State 30

Team Stats

Nate Davis

Players Mentioned

Nate Davis

Dante Love

Ian McGarvey

Players Mentioned

Nate Davis

Dante Love

Ian McGarvey