Ball State University
6-1
Buffalo
5-1
MAC CHAMPIONS!!!
December 18, 2020 | Football
Ball State takes down nationally-ranked Buffalo for first league title since 1996
DETROIT - Resilience. Toughness. Togetherness. Every superlative and description available for a championship team, Ball State earned it. The Cardinals are conference champions.Â
The team rallied around the mantra "Detroit or Bust." The Cardinals made that a reality. And when they got there, they delivered a primetime performance against a nationally-ranked team featuring the nation's top-ranked offense, outgunning MAC East champion Buffalo 38-28 Friday night at Ford Field.Â
"The credit goes to our young men," head coach Mike Neu said. "I told the guys before we left the hotel that this might be the only chance they get to play in a game like this. We earned ourselves a MAC Championship. I might not ever leave Ford Field tonight."
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Onward now you Cardinals! pic.twitter.com/NrOmJHEKq8
— Ball State Football (@BallStateFB) December 19, 2020
The Cardinals (6-1) exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, building a lead good enough to last. Trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, Drew Plitt scored on 4th & goal from the 1 to tie the game and the Cardinals took off from there. Buffalo (5-1) matched and went up 21-14, but the Cardinals ripped off 21 straight points over a span of 5:07 to build a 35-21 lead.
Plitt tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Justin Hall to tie the game at 21, and after a stop on defense, Ball State took the lead. Plitt found a wide open Jalen McGaughy for a 56-yard score and Ball State would never trail again. One of the biggest plays came minutes later on a strip sack by Jimmy Daw. The ball ended up in the hands of Christian Albright, who ran 34 yards on the fumble return. That gave Ball State a 35-21 lead at halftime.
Leading by double digits, the game slowed in the second half. Ball State was able to stymie Buffalo and almost completely halt the Bulls' vaunted rushing attack. The Cardinals held a 166-134 advantage on the ground over Buffalo, a team that came into the game averaging 344 rushing yards per game.
"Our defense does not get enough credit. They rose to the challenge," Neu said. "They were leading the country in rushing and scoring. It was talked about over and over. In our building, we preached how you can't beat getting 11 hats to the football. I love our defense. I would take them over anybody in the country. I'm proud of the job Tyler Stockton and the defensive staff has done. Our guys responded to the challenge."
Drew Plitt was named Offensive Player of the Game after throwing for 263 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score. Daw (defensive) and Nathan Snyder (special teams) were the other players of the game. In addition to the impactful strip sack, Daw had three tackles for loss and blocked a field goal in the second quarter when the game appeared to be a shootout on both sides. Snyder punted six times for an average of 45.2 yards, including a 54-yarder.
"I'm speechless," Plitt said. "Back in 2016, we said we would be the ones to change the program. There were some tough times. We stuck through it and here we are now - champions."
Tye Evans rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries and Hall added 55 yards on the ground. Tyler led the Cardinals with 91 yards on six receptions and the first-quarter touchdown. Dating back to last season, Tyler has nine touchdowns in his last eight games. Buffalo's Antonio Nunn caught 13 passes for 182 yards.
Ball State should learn its bowl destination this weekend. Ticket availability will vary depending on the bowl assignment.Â
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Team Stats
BALL 0, UB 7
UB - Patterson,Jaret 3 yd run (McNulty,Alex kick), 6 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:56
BALL 7, UB 7
BALL - TYLER, Yo'Heinz 10 yd pass from PLITT, Drew (KNIGHT, Jack kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:12
BALL 7, UB 14
UB - Wilson,Trevor 24 yd pass from Vantrease,Kyle (McNulty,Alex kick) 8 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:59
BALL 14, UB 14
BALL - PLITT, Drew 1 yd run (LEWIS, Jacob kick), 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 3:03
BALL 14, UB 21
UB - Vantrease,Kyle 1 yd run (McNulty,Alex kick), 3 plays, 76 yards, TOP 1:11
BALL 21, UB 21
BALL - HALL, Justin 9 yd pass from PLITT, Drew (LEWIS, Jacob kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:36
BALL 28, UB 21
BALL - MCGAUGHY, Jalen 56 yd pass from PLITT, Drew (LEWIS, Jacob kick) 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 2:42
BALL 35, UB 21
BALL - ALBRIGHT, C. 34 yd fumble recovery (LEWIS, Jacob kick)
BALL 38, UB 21
BALL - LEWIS, Jacob 21 yd field goal 16 plays, 76 yards, TOP 5:45
BALL 38, UB 28
UB - Marks,Kevin 67 yd run (McNulty,Alex kick), 2 plays, 78 yards, TOP 0:25
