Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
3-6 , 2-3
Ohio
5-3 , 3-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Ohio | 0 | 31 | 21 | 0 | 52 |
Ohio Ground Game Keeps Cardinals off Balance
October 25, 2018 | Football
Riley Miller catches fourth touchdown in past five games for BSU
Ball State (3-6, 2-3 MAC) struck first with a Riley Neal to Riley Miller touchdown pass after a Christian Albright interception set the offense up near midfield. But the Bobcats kept the Cardinals from scoring again until the final three minutes.
"We lost to a good football team," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "We didn't have an answer for what they were doing to us offensively. We had a few good things going in the first half, but we had a turnover, lost momentum, got ourselves down by two scores and could never get the momentum switched back."
A.J. Ouellette (135 yards) and Maleek Irons (102) both surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground for Ohio (5-3, 3-1 MAC). Starting quarterback Nathan Rourke added 77 yards of his own as he successfully directed a heavy option attack. All three players ran for two touchdowns, while Rourke also threw one.
James Gilbert led Ball State with 52 yards on nine carries, while Justin Hall caught four passes for 42 yards. Neal completed 7 of 15 passes and exited late in the second quarter when he was banged up. Drew Plitt finished the game at quarterback and ran for a late touchdown after engineering a 75-yard drive.
"All I cared about at halftime was coming out in the second half and trying to have a one-play-at-a-time approach," Neu said. "Leave everything you had on the field, no negative vibes, no negative energy on the sideline. I looked around and I saw a lot of guys competing, a lot of young guys competing and fighting."
Ball State has another short week upcoming, with a visit to Toledo on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 in the Cardinals' third game in 12 days.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
BALL 7, OHIO 0
BALL - MILLER, Riley 18 yd pass from NEAL, Riley (HAGEE, Morgan kick) 7 plays, 52 yards, TOP 2:34
BALL 7, OHIO 7
OHIO - IRONS, M. 6 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 8 plays, 70 yards, TOP 4:06
BALL 7, OHIO 10
OHIO - ZERVOS, L. 23 yd field goal 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 3:59
BALL 7, OHIO 17
OHIO - OUELLETTE, A. 9 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 1:46
BALL 7, OHIO 24
OHIO - ROURKE, N. 2 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 8 plays, 56 yards, TOP 4:25
BALL 7, OHIO 31
OHIO - MEYER, A. 21 yd pass from ROURKE, N. (ZERVOS, L. kick) 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:31
BALL 7, OHIO 38
OHIO - ROURKE, N. 3 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 10 plays, 74 yards, TOP 5:12
BALL 7, OHIO 45
OHIO - OUELLETTE, A. 44 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 2 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:45
BALL 7, OHIO 52
OHIO - IRONS, M. 1 yd run (ZERVOS, L. kick), 4 plays, 11 yards, TOP 2:08
BALL 14, OHIO 52
BALL - PLITT, Drew 8 yd run (HAGEE, Morgan kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:15