Ball State University
4-3 , 2-1
Eastern Michigan
4-3 , 1-2
Ball State Wins Third in a Row, Defeats Eastern Michigan
October 16, 2021 | Football
Cardinals earn 38-31 result in road contest with Eagles
Ball State (4-3, 2-1) netted 433 yards of total offense vs. the Eagles (4-3, 1-2) – 233 through the air and 200 on the ground – and went 9 of 13 on third downs.
"Kevin Lynch called a tremendous game today," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "I was very proud of him and it was a great game plan. Our guys really respond. To be able to do that on the ground today, having 40 carries over 200 yards on four scores, that says a lot.
"I'm just proud of the guys. We had good balance, we took our shots when we needed to take our shots, but our guys really stepped up and just executed at a high level."
Carson Steele led the way on the ground with a career-high 138 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown. Will Jones added 47 yards on 12 carries and found pay dirt once. Justin Hall had a pair of rushing scores on jet sweeps and totaled 19 yards on five carries.
Drew Plitt led the aerial attack after completing 27 of 35 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Jayshon Jackson also completed a 26-yard pass to Steele on the first play of the game.
In total, nine different players caught a pass, led by Hall's 10 grabs for 58 yards. Jackson reeled in five passes for 57 yards, while Yo'Heinz Tyler had five catches for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Bryce Cosby once again led the way with 10 tackles, including 1.0 sack. Clayton Coll and Amechi Uzodinma II had eight stops each, while Brett Anderson II added seven tackles.
Malcolm Lee and J.T. Wahee each recorded an interception and combined for 11 tackles.
After beginning the year 1-3, the Cardinals have reeled off three wins in a row and now control their own destiny in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
"We always believed," Neu said. "A lot of people have a lot to say about us early in the season. Our guys just kept battling. That says a lot about their mental toughness and just continuing to work hard and believe in each other, just tune out the noise and play hard, control what you can control - three in a row, and we've beaten some good football teams."
Ball State returns to the gridiron Oct. 23 when it hosts Miami for its annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET inside Scheumann Stadium.
Team Stats
BSU 7, EMU 0
BSU - Hall,Justin 1 yd run (Chanove,Jake kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:45
BSU 14, EMU 0
BSU - Jones,Will 1 yd run (Chanove,Jake kick), 13 plays, 68 yards, TOP 05:10
BSU 14, EMU 7
EMU - Boone,Darius 2 yd run (Ryland,Chad kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:10
BSU 17, EMU 7
BSU - Lewis,Jacob 49 yd field goal 7 plays, 18 yards, TOP 01:55
BSU 17, EMU 14
EMU - Boone,Darius 1 yd run (Ryland,Chad kick), 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:31
BSU 24, EMU 14
BSU - Tyler,Yo'Heinz 11 yd pass from Plitt,Drew (Chanove,Jake kick) 9 plays, 72 yards, TOP 04:43
BSU 24, EMU 17
EMU - Ryland,Chad 32 yd field goal 13 plays, 60 yards, TOP 06:12
BSU 31, EMU 17
BSU - Hall,Justin 2 yd run (Chanove,Jake kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:36
BSU 31, EMU 24
EMU - Drummond,Dylan 41 yd pass from Bryant,Ben (Ryland,Chad kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:48
BSU 38, EMU 24
BSU - Steele,Carson 7 yd run (Chanove,Jake kick), 11 plays, 67 yards, TOP 06:06
BSU 38, EMU 31
EMU - Evans,Samson 2 yd run (Ryland,Chad kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:04
