The Difference Is The Defense
December 16, 2020 | Football
Ball State Championship Week is presented by Northwest Bank and Community Hospital of Anderson
Teams don't find the success Ball State has this season without making defensive stops when they are most needed. In a conference that includes three of the nation's top 10 scoring teams, scoring is the easy part. It's the team that gets the key stop that ultimately makes it to Detroit. Here are the key stops made by Ball State on defense this year that helped move the the Cardinals into the league title game.
RELATED: The 5 Turning Points In Each Football Win
3 & Out With A Tie Game At Miami
Although the Cards fell short in the final play of this game, a late defensive stop when the game was tied showed this Ball State team would be different. With 1:08 on the clock and the game tied at 31, a sack by Anthony Ekpe highlighted a forced 3-and-out that gave BSU the ball back for a game-winning drive. Minutes before that, with Miami leading BSU 31-28, the Cards earned a stop that set up a game-tying drive. Christian Albright made a tackle and provided coverage on the key plays that ultimately gave Ball State a chance to keep pace with the defending league champion.Â
A Stop And A Special Teams Play vs. Eastern
Early fourth quarter, Cardinals leading 28-24 with Eastern at midfield. Brandon Martin and Jordan Williams make a stop on 3rd-and-5, setting up EMU to go for it on fourth down. This time, Jack Sape makes the play, stuffing a run that would set up another field goal for the Cards to take a 31-24 lead. Later, with the game tied at 31, the Cards would pound the ball with Caleb Huntley for the winning touchdown.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Building A Cushion Early Against NIU
Leading 20-14 after three quarters, the Cardinals got a stop in the fourth quarter against Northern Illinois that paid off at the end of the game. NIU had the ball in BSU territory to start the quarter but the Cardinals forced a 3-and-out to get the ball back. The offense drove right down the field and Drew Plitt found Yo-Heinz Tyler for a touchdown and he connected with Antwan Davis on a 2-point conversion to put Ball State ahead 28-14. The Cards would go on to win 31-25, and having that 14-point cushion thanks to that stop in the fourth quarter was all the insurance Ball State would need.
Strip Sack To Clinch A Win At Toledo
Ball State went into Toledo and led most of the day, building a 27-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toledo staged an impressive comeback, and found itself with the ball at midfield trailing 27-24 in the final minute of the game. With 14 seconds left, Ekpe got to Toledo's quarterback for a strip sack, with Albright recovering the fumble. Victory formation was next for the Cardinals, who collected their first win at Toledo since 2012.
Putting Central Away Early
Ball State's win at Central Michigan didn't come down to any late heroics, but a 3-and-out in the first half set the tone and allowed the Cardinals to build a comfortable lead. Ball State led 10-7 when Plitt ran for a touchdown to put BSU up by 10 points. The Cards then suffocated Central Michigan's next possession, pushing the home team back 10 yards with a tackle for loss by Chris Agyemang and a sack by Martin. Central then punted to the Cardinals, who scored on an 8-play drive just minutes later to go up 24-7 and put the game away.
Taking The Ball Away From Western
One of the biggest plays of the season was an interception by a defensive lineman. With Western Michigan leading 27-13 and driving the ball again late in the third quarter, Albright got his hand on a pass and it deflected to Agyemang, who rumbled down to the WMU 30-yard line. That set up a Plitt TD pass to Tyler that got Ball State to within 27-19. Ball State forced another 3-and-out on the next possession and scored with 12:42 left in the game to tie it at 27. Later, a stop on 3rd-and-1 by Jimmy Daw set up a Western Michigan field goal, which was missed and allowed Ball State to get the ball back and win the game.Â
Each game this season has featured heroics from the defense, which improved by 12 percent in scoring defense compared to last season. Linebacker Brandon Martin was voted the MAC Defensive Player of the Year while Ekpe and Bryce Cosby were named first team all-conference. Albright and Antonio Phillips were second team All-MAC and Jaylin Thomas was a third-team honoree. Also, defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton was a nominee for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant coach in the nation.Â
Ball State will attempt to keep the defensive magic going Friday night against the nation's top-scoring team in Buffalo. The MAC Championship game is at 7:30 in Detroit on ESPN. Find out how you can join the Cardinals next season by CLICKING HERE.Â
RELATED: The 5 Turning Points In Each Football Win
3 & Out With A Tie Game At Miami
Although the Cards fell short in the final play of this game, a late defensive stop when the game was tied showed this Ball State team would be different. With 1:08 on the clock and the game tied at 31, a sack by Anthony Ekpe highlighted a forced 3-and-out that gave BSU the ball back for a game-winning drive. Minutes before that, with Miami leading BSU 31-28, the Cards earned a stop that set up a game-tying drive. Christian Albright made a tackle and provided coverage on the key plays that ultimately gave Ball State a chance to keep pace with the defending league champion.Â
A Stop And A Special Teams Play vs. Eastern
Early fourth quarter, Cardinals leading 28-24 with Eastern at midfield. Brandon Martin and Jordan Williams make a stop on 3rd-and-5, setting up EMU to go for it on fourth down. This time, Jack Sape makes the play, stuffing a run that would set up another field goal for the Cards to take a 31-24 lead. Later, with the game tied at 31, the Cards would pound the ball with Caleb Huntley for the winning touchdown.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Building A Cushion Early Against NIU
Leading 20-14 after three quarters, the Cardinals got a stop in the fourth quarter against Northern Illinois that paid off at the end of the game. NIU had the ball in BSU territory to start the quarter but the Cardinals forced a 3-and-out to get the ball back. The offense drove right down the field and Drew Plitt found Yo-Heinz Tyler for a touchdown and he connected with Antwan Davis on a 2-point conversion to put Ball State ahead 28-14. The Cards would go on to win 31-25, and having that 14-point cushion thanks to that stop in the fourth quarter was all the insurance Ball State would need.
Strip Sack To Clinch A Win At Toledo
Ball State went into Toledo and led most of the day, building a 27-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toledo staged an impressive comeback, and found itself with the ball at midfield trailing 27-24 in the final minute of the game. With 14 seconds left, Ekpe got to Toledo's quarterback for a strip sack, with Albright recovering the fumble. Victory formation was next for the Cardinals, who collected their first win at Toledo since 2012.
Putting Central Away Early
Ball State's win at Central Michigan didn't come down to any late heroics, but a 3-and-out in the first half set the tone and allowed the Cardinals to build a comfortable lead. Ball State led 10-7 when Plitt ran for a touchdown to put BSU up by 10 points. The Cards then suffocated Central Michigan's next possession, pushing the home team back 10 yards with a tackle for loss by Chris Agyemang and a sack by Martin. Central then punted to the Cardinals, who scored on an 8-play drive just minutes later to go up 24-7 and put the game away.
Taking The Ball Away From Western
One of the biggest plays of the season was an interception by a defensive lineman. With Western Michigan leading 27-13 and driving the ball again late in the third quarter, Albright got his hand on a pass and it deflected to Agyemang, who rumbled down to the WMU 30-yard line. That set up a Plitt TD pass to Tyler that got Ball State to within 27-19. Ball State forced another 3-and-out on the next possession and scored with 12:42 left in the game to tie it at 27. Later, a stop on 3rd-and-1 by Jimmy Daw set up a Western Michigan field goal, which was missed and allowed Ball State to get the ball back and win the game.Â
Each game this season has featured heroics from the defense, which improved by 12 percent in scoring defense compared to last season. Linebacker Brandon Martin was voted the MAC Defensive Player of the Year while Ekpe and Bryce Cosby were named first team all-conference. Albright and Antonio Phillips were second team All-MAC and Jaylin Thomas was a third-team honoree. Also, defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton was a nominee for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant coach in the nation.Â
Ball State will attempt to keep the defensive magic going Friday night against the nation's top-scoring team in Buffalo. The MAC Championship game is at 7:30 in Detroit on ESPN. Find out how you can join the Cardinals next season by CLICKING HERE.Â
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