Ball State University
3-7 , 2-4
Toledo
5-4 , 3-2
Cardinals Pick off Five Passes, Can’t Take Advantage at Toledo
October 31, 2018 | Football
Backup quarterback Drew Plitt throws for 340 yards in first start of season
There were the five interceptions – the most picks for the Cardinals in 48 years. There was Drew Plitt looking comfortable and throwing for a career-high 340 yards, as he started in place of the injured Riley Neal. There was Riley Miller going over 100 yards receiving and catching a touchdown for the fifth time in six games.
But a frantic opening seven-plus minutes left Ball State (3-7, 2-4 MAC) with a 21-0 deficit that was too much to overcome. The Cardinals settled in and played some good football at times but ultimately fell 45-13.
"The guys fought and competed for four quarters. But at the end of the day, we got ourselves in a hole really early, 21 points right out of the gate," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "We fought back and battled, but we didn't capitalize when we created some of those turnovers and had a chance to maybe get some momentum back."
Toledo (5-4, 3-2) scored on its opening possession after a promising BSU drive ended in a fumble. That was the first of 10 combined turnovers (five each) between the teams.
The Cardinals went three-and-out on their second possession, and the Rockets added a second touchdown just three plays later. And only three plays after that, Plitt was hit hard from the blind side, forcing a fumble that traveled nearly 20 yards back to the goal line. Tuzar Skipper recovered it and fell into the end zone to give the Rockets a 21-0 lead with 7:43 still showing on the first-quarter clock.
With all the back-and-forth, the Cardinals had a remarkable six full possessions in the first quarter alone. A seventh stretched into the second quarter and led to their first touchdown, an 18-yard hookup between Plitt and Miller.
.@dp_TheTruth ?? @rifri11 gets @BallStateFB on the board!
— Ball State Sports Link (@bsusportslink) November 1, 2018
Cardinals trail 21-7 early in the 2nd quarter.#ItsTime #BallState #WeFly pic.twitter.com/T3WvFYkj6x
But every further opportunity Ball State had to cut deeper into the lead was thwarted. The Cardinals had the ball in Toledo territory on seven of their final eight possessions but were only able to score on one of them – a Malik Dunner touchdown run late in the third quarter that made it a 31-13 game (BSU missed a two-point attempt).
Ball State intercepted Toledo quarterback Eli Peters four times and also picked off a pass thrown by UT receiver Desmond Phillips. Brandon Martin, Antonio Phillips, Josh Miller, Bryce Cosby and Amechi Uzodinma all picked off passes. It was the most interceptions for the Cardinals since picking off Evansville a school-record six times way back in 1970.
"I was proud of the turnovers we created and the ball skills and some of the plays those guys made," Neu said. "But at the end of the day, we had three fumbles and two interceptions."
Peters also threw for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Bryant Koback rushed for a pair of scores for Toledo.
Plitt completed 29 of 47 passes in his first start of the year. He found Justin Hall 10 times for 82 yards and Miller five times for 101. Redshirt freshman Will Jones carried 12 times for 49 yards in the most extensive action of his career on a night when the Cardinals played without both James Gilbert and Caleb Huntley.
"Drew really competed," Neu said. "I thought there were a lot of positive things about his performance to build on. I thought he gave himself a lot of confidence. He was in command and had a good understanding of what we were doing. He hung in the pocket some during some stressful looks and made some impressive throws, but we have to protect him better."
Dear @SportsCenter,
— #MACtion (@MACSports) November 1, 2018
We are just gonna leave this AJ Uzodinma INT right here... #SCTop10 #MACtion pic.twitter.com/U7j1eLZIiq
In addition to his interception, Martin also registered a career-high 14 tackles, the most by a Ball State player this season. Fred Schroeder finished with a career-best eight stops, shifting over to nose tackle in place of an injured Chris Crumb.
After playing three games in the span of 12 days, Ball State will now catch a breather with its upcoming bye week. The Cardinals will return to action Tuesday, Nov. 13 with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Western Michigan on ESPN2 in their final home game of the season.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
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Team Stats
BALL 0, TOLEDO 7
TOLEDO - KOBACK, Bryant 19 yd run (VEST, Jameson kick), 7 plays, 69 yards, TOP 2:17
BALL 0, TOLEDO 14
TOLEDO - THOMPKINS, Art 1 yd run (VEST, Jameson kick), 3 plays, 77 yards, TOP 0:45
BALL 0, TOLEDO 21
TOLEDO - SKIPPER, Tuzar 0 yd fumble recovery (VEST, Jameson kick)
BALL 7, TOLEDO 21
BALL - MILLER, Riley 18 yd pass from PLITT, Drew (HAGEE, Morgan kick) 5 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:00
BALL 7, TOLEDO 28
TOLEDO - KOBACK, Bryant 3 yd run (VEST, Jameson kick), 10 plays, 81 yards, TOP 3:34
BALL 7, TOLEDO 31
TOLEDO - VEST, Jameson 29 yd field goal 11 plays, 84 yards, TOP 5:02
BALL 13, TOLEDO 31
BALL - DUNNER, Malik 11 yd run (PLITT, Drew passfailed), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:06
BALL 13, TOLEDO 38
TOLEDO - THOMPSON, Cody 23 yd pass from PETERS, Eli (VEST, Jameson kick) 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:21
BALL 13, TOLEDO 45
TOLEDO - MITCHELL, Bryce 41 yd pass from PETERS, Eli (VEST, Jameson kick) 8 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:41
