Football Starts Strong; Tops Army 28-16

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The first two times the Ball State football team touched the ball in Saturday's non-conference tilt versus Army it turned into touchdowns.

The strong start over the first 4:34 of the game helped the Cardinals (2-3) set the tone early and earn a hard-fought 28-16 victory over the previously undefeated Black Knights (4-1) in front of a crowd of 13,713 at Scheumann Stadium.

"What a great win; that was fun," head coach Mike Neu said. "First and foremost, thank you to the fans. Thank you for being here, thank you for a great atmosphere, thank you for sticking with us and thank you for supporting our players."

Even more impressive than the quick scores; the team's effort on defense as BSU limited the nation's second-best rushing offense to just 213 yards. Army entered the contest averaging 344.5 yards per game on the ground.

Ball State also forced a pair of Black Knights interceptions, Army's first two picks thrown of the season, and made a pivotal stop on fourth-and-goal from the two yard line late in the fourth quarter to squash any comeback attempt.

It all started with the Cardinals' biggest play of the season to date, a 99-yard game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown by fifth-year senior wide receiver Justin Hall. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Hall's illustrious career and BSU's first since Malik Dunner took one back for 100 yards at Western Michigan on Nov. 5, 2019.

"It starts with special teams," Neu added. "For Justin Hall and the kickoff return unit to get it started with a touchdown like that right out of the gate established great momentum and excitement. After that, I can't say enough about our defense and the way they played. When you're playing against a team like Army it's a totally different animal than what you ever prepare for. You know you're going to play a lot of minutes; you're going to be tired, you're going to be tested mentally. My hat is off to our defense for a phenomenal, phenomenal game."

Things looked even better for the Cardinals moments later as a huge fourth down defensive stop by redshirt junior inside linebacker Cole Pearce and junior defensive lineman Joshua Tarango on a 4th-and-2 gave BSU the back on the Black Knights 44-yard line.

Cue fifth-year senior quarterback Drew Plitt who found a streaking junior wide receiver Jayshon Jackson down the right sideline for a 44-yard touchdown on BSU's first offensive play of the game.

After another solid defensive stand, the Cardinals extended its lead to 21-0 courtesy of a two-yard touchdown rush by true freshman running back Carson Steele. It was Steele's fourth touchdown run in five games this season and capped a 10-play, 57-yard scoring drive that spanned 3:30.

Finding itself in an unfamiliar position, trailing for the first time this season and by the most points in a game since a 38-12 loss to Tulane on Nov. 14, 2020, Army started to regain its form on its next two possessions.

The Black Knights, who entered the game leading the nation in time of possession (40:29), would go on to strike for touchdown drives of 75 and 80 yards to pull within 21-14 at the half.

After 35 first-half points, it was defensive domination in the second 30 minutes, led by a pair of interceptions by the Ball State defense. The first pick came courtesy of graduate transfer safety Trenton Hatfield with 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The second, a fourth-quarter pick by fifth-year senior safety Bryce Cosby which gave Ball State the ball on the Army 45-yard line and set up the Cardinals' fourth touchdown of the day.

The fourth touchdown, which gave the hosts a 28-14 edge, came courtesy of an 18-yard connection between Plitt and senior wideout Yo'Heinz Tyler. It was Tyler's first touchdown of the season and helped Plitt complete the game 17-for-28 for 233 yards and two TDs.

The Cardinals defense would come up big one more time as Cosby stuffed a fourth-and-goal play from the two yard line with 3:15 left in the contest. Cosby finished the game with five tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception.

While Army was able to add a safety on the ensuing Ball State possession, giving the game its final score of 28-16, the Cardinals forced another turnover on downs to give BSU the ball back and setup a couple Plitt kneel downs to end the game.

Overall, Pearce led the defense with 14 tackles, while junior inside linebacker Clayton Coll was close behind with 12.

Next up for the Ball State football team, a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday, Oct. 9 for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff versus Western Michigan.

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Team Stats

Drew Plitt

Players Mentioned

Clayton Coll

Bryce Cosby

Justin Hall

Trenton Hatfield

Jayshon Jackson

Cole Pearce

Drew Plitt

Carson Steele

Joshua Tarango

Yo'Heinz Tyler

Players Mentioned

Clayton Coll

Bryce Cosby

Justin Hall

Trenton Hatfield

Jayshon Jackson

Cole Pearce

Drew Plitt

Carson Steele

Joshua Tarango

Yo'Heinz Tyler