Ball State Drops Heartbreaker at Northern Illinois

DEKALB, Ill. - In a pivotal Mid-American Conference showdown at West Division leader Northern Illinois, Ball State took a 29-27 advantage on a 48-yard field goal from Jacob Lewis with 1:42 remaining.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals (5-5, 3-3 MAC) left the Huskies (7-3, 5-1 MAC) just enough time to drive down to the 12-yard line and connect on a game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired Wednesday night at Brigham Field at Huskies Stadium. The kick allowed NIU to escape with a 30-29 victory and end Ball State's bid to repeat as MAC Champions.

"Obviously, it's disappointing to lose a game on the road, especially knowing what was at stake," Cardinals head coach Mike Neu said. "I'm hurting for those guys in the locker room. We've got two games at home left. It's going to be a tough bus ride home, but we've got to stay together and fight for each other with the time that we have left.

"In the first half, we had missed opportunities and left plays out on the field that would've resulted in points, and probably touchdowns. But we didn't make those plays when we needed them. That's the hard part to swallow. We did a good job early creating turnovers, but we just didn't capitalize when we had some early momentum in the game."

Despite the game-winning drive, it was strong defensive and special teams play which gave the Cardinals some much-needed sparks in the contest. Up first was the defense, which forced a pair of first quarter turnovers to help BSU build a 10-0 edge.

Brandon Martin got things going with his first interception of the season, giving Ball State the ball at its own 45-yard line. That, along with runs of 13 yards from Carson Steele and 17 yards from Justin Hall, helped set up Lewis' first field goal of the contest from 43 yards out.

Two plays after the kickoff, Ball State's Malcolm Lee recovered a fumble which was forced by Brett Anderson II to give the guests first-and-10 at the NIU 42-yard line. After a 25-yard catch from Jalen McGaughy and back-to-back one-yard runs by Will Jones, quarterback Drew Plitt would connect with Jayshon Jackson for a 15-yard touchdown.

Thanks to those two turnovers, Ball State would finish the game with a 2-0 edge in the category. BSU also limited NIU to a 5-for-14 effort on third-down conversions in the game. Jaylin Thomas would lead Ball State's defensive effort with 15 tackles, including three solo. Bryce Cosby and Martin each added 10 tackles.

After being held scoreless in the first quarter, NIU would break onto the board early in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown run at the 12:41 mark. With the score 10-7, the Cardinals were able to respond quickly, with a six-play, 76-yard drive of its own which lasted just 1:47.

Steele ran for 61 of the 76 yards, including a 49-yard scamper to get the ball to the NIU seven. Hall followed with a seven-yard carry, scoring his first of two rushing touchdowns in the game to give him at least one touchdown in each of BSU's last five contests.

Steele led Ball State's rushing attack with 109 total yards on 21 carries. Hall was second on the squad with 79 rushing yards to go along with 27 receiving yards. Throw in 23-yard punt return yards and Hall finished the contest with 129 all-purpose yards to move atop the Ball State record book in the category at 5,353. He moved past Dante Love's (2005-08) career mark of 5,337.

While NIU would get the next 10 points, tying the score heading into halftime, it was a huge Ball State special teams play which set the tone early in the second half.

With the Huskies punting the ball from its own 15 yard line after going three-and-out on its opening possession, Hassan Littles broke through to block the punt out of the end zone for a safety. Ball State then marched the ball down the field after the free kick on a 10-play, 72-yard, 4:31 drive capped by Hall's second rushing touchdown to make the score 26-17.

This one went for two yards, while another big play in the drive was a 25-yard run by Plitt which moved BSU deep within NIU territory. It was Plitt's lone rush of the contest, and he also finished the night 11-for-26 passing with 126 total yards.

The Huskies answered with the next 10 points, starting with a 38-yard field goal with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter. Northern Illinois would go on to take its first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, utilizing a 14-play drive which spanned 7:22 and 69 yards to pull ahead 27-26 with 2:42 remaining.

The ensuing NIU kickoff would go out of bounds, giving Ball State excellent field position at the 35. Catches of 19 yards and 15 yards from Plitt to Hall would get Ball State to the NIU 31, setting up Lewis' 48-yard go-ahead kick with 1:42 remaining.

Unfortunately, it was just enough time to allow Northern Illinois to get into field goal range for the game-winning score.

Ball State returns home for its final two games of the regular season, starting next Wednesday (Nov. 17) with a 7 p.m. ET showdown vs. Central Michigan. The Cardinals can still become bowl eligible with a win in either contest, with the last being a Tuesday, Nov. 23 matchup with Buffalo.

"We've got bowl eligibility still lying ahead of us and we want to end the season on a positive note, especially for all of the seniors that have given so much to our program," Neu added.

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Team Stats

Drew Plitt

Players Mentioned

Brett Anderson II

Bryce Cosby

Justin Hall

Jayshon Jackson

Will Jones

Malcolm Lee

Jacob Lewis

Hassan Littles

Brandon Martin

Jalen McGaughy

Drew Plitt

Carson Steele

Jaylin Thomas

Players Mentioned

Brett Anderson II

Bryce Cosby

Justin Hall

Jayshon Jackson

Will Jones

Malcolm Lee

Jacob Lewis

Hassan Littles

Brandon Martin

Jalen McGaughy

Drew Plitt

Carson Steele

Jaylin Thomas