Tuesday, November 2
Akron, Ohio
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
31
at
25
Akron
Football Tops Akron in Midweek #MACtion Opener
November 02, 2021 | Football
AKRON, Ohio - A steady diet of Justin Hall and Carson Steele early helped the Ball State football team build a 21-10 lead at half, while a late fourth-quarter fumble recovery by Bryce Cosby in the end zone secured a 31-25 victory over Akron in Tuesday night #MACtion at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.
"That was a big win for us," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "I'm proud of our guys, especially the defense making a play when it mattered the most. I haven't seen the tape yet, but I guess Bryce (Cosby) came up with the fumble recovery in the end zone. I'm proud of our guys for competing.
"Once we got the ball back after the fumble, I'm really proud of the offense live. We knew we needed a first down. With the way those guys surged up front, we got the first down. Carson Steele did a good job of taking care of it."
Hall scored the game's first two touchdowns to give the Cardinals (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) a 14-3 edge 10 seconds into the second quarter. The first came on a 25-yard rush with 5:54 left in the opening quarter, while his second was a 13-yard reception on the first play of the second quarter.
It was the eighth career multiple touchdown game for Hall, and the fourth time he has scored at least one receiving and one rushing touchdown in the same game. Hall finished the contest with 73 receiving and 30 rushing yards.
The Zips (2-7, 1-4 MAC) would follow with a touchdown on the ensuing possession to cut Ball State's lead to 14-10 with 12:52 remaining in the first half. The teams would then trade punts on the next three possessions, before Akron gained a little momentum and was driving to take the lead.
However, with fourth and five from the Ball State 39, the Cardinals were able stop the Zips inches short of the line to gain to stop the threat. BSU then drove 65 yards the opposite direction to pull ahead 21-10 on Steele's first career receiving touchdown.
The true freshman running back finished the opening half with 71 rushing yards to go along with his five-yard touchdown reception. Overall, Steele logged a career-high 154 yards on the ground for his second career 100-yard rushing game.
After forcing a Zips three-and-out to open the second half, the Cardinals put together a 16-play, 74-yard drive which lasted nearly seven minutes to pull ahead 28-10. Yo'Heinz Tyler brought in a nine-yard pass from Drew Plitt for the score, and his fifth touchdown in the last five games.
Plitt finished the game 18-for-31 for 185 yards and three touchdowns. It was his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown pass and the 11th time in his career he has thrown for at least three scores.
While the Zips scored a pair of quick fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut the Ball State advantage to 28-25 with 9:57 remaining, a 15-yard late hit out of bounds on a 24-yard kickoff return from Hall shifted the momentum back to Ball State.
Two plays later, a 32-yard rush from Steele moved the Cardinals to the Akron 26 and helped set up a 31-yard field goal from Jake Chanove which put BSU back ahead 31-25.
The Zips would make one last push to try to steal the victory, but an 11-yard rush up the middle by Akron quarterback Zach Gibson ended with a fumble in the end zone which Cosby recovered with 1:32 left to seal the victory. It was the game's only turnover.
Rushes of 16, seven and four yards by Steele followed, before Plitt was able to take a pair of kneel downs to end the game.
In addition to his fumble recovery, Cosby led all players with 11 tackles, including three solo. Overall, the Ball State defense logged three sacks and seven tackles for loss in the victory.
"That's a great win for us," Neu added. "It's the first time we've won a #MACtion game on the road since 2012. I'm proud of our guys for that. We're going to enjoy this bus ride back home. We've got one extra day to prepare and all of our focus will be on Northern Illinois."
The Ball State football team returns to action Wednesday, Nov. 10 with a 6 or 7 p.m. CT kickoff against MAC leader Northern Illinois. The Huskies enter their midweek #MACtion opener at Kent State tomorrow with a 6-2 (4-0 MAC) record.
"That was a big win for us," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "I'm proud of our guys, especially the defense making a play when it mattered the most. I haven't seen the tape yet, but I guess Bryce (Cosby) came up with the fumble recovery in the end zone. I'm proud of our guys for competing.
"Once we got the ball back after the fumble, I'm really proud of the offense live. We knew we needed a first down. With the way those guys surged up front, we got the first down. Carson Steele did a good job of taking care of it."
Hall scored the game's first two touchdowns to give the Cardinals (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) a 14-3 edge 10 seconds into the second quarter. The first came on a 25-yard rush with 5:54 left in the opening quarter, while his second was a 13-yard reception on the first play of the second quarter.
It was the eighth career multiple touchdown game for Hall, and the fourth time he has scored at least one receiving and one rushing touchdown in the same game. Hall finished the contest with 73 receiving and 30 rushing yards.
The Zips (2-7, 1-4 MAC) would follow with a touchdown on the ensuing possession to cut Ball State's lead to 14-10 with 12:52 remaining in the first half. The teams would then trade punts on the next three possessions, before Akron gained a little momentum and was driving to take the lead.
However, with fourth and five from the Ball State 39, the Cardinals were able stop the Zips inches short of the line to gain to stop the threat. BSU then drove 65 yards the opposite direction to pull ahead 21-10 on Steele's first career receiving touchdown.
The true freshman running back finished the opening half with 71 rushing yards to go along with his five-yard touchdown reception. Overall, Steele logged a career-high 154 yards on the ground for his second career 100-yard rushing game.
After forcing a Zips three-and-out to open the second half, the Cardinals put together a 16-play, 74-yard drive which lasted nearly seven minutes to pull ahead 28-10. Yo'Heinz Tyler brought in a nine-yard pass from Drew Plitt for the score, and his fifth touchdown in the last five games.
Plitt finished the game 18-for-31 for 185 yards and three touchdowns. It was his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown pass and the 11th time in his career he has thrown for at least three scores.
While the Zips scored a pair of quick fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut the Ball State advantage to 28-25 with 9:57 remaining, a 15-yard late hit out of bounds on a 24-yard kickoff return from Hall shifted the momentum back to Ball State.
Two plays later, a 32-yard rush from Steele moved the Cardinals to the Akron 26 and helped set up a 31-yard field goal from Jake Chanove which put BSU back ahead 31-25.
The Zips would make one last push to try to steal the victory, but an 11-yard rush up the middle by Akron quarterback Zach Gibson ended with a fumble in the end zone which Cosby recovered with 1:32 left to seal the victory. It was the game's only turnover.
Rushes of 16, seven and four yards by Steele followed, before Plitt was able to take a pair of kneel downs to end the game.
In addition to his fumble recovery, Cosby led all players with 11 tackles, including three solo. Overall, the Ball State defense logged three sacks and seven tackles for loss in the victory.
"That's a great win for us," Neu added. "It's the first time we've won a #MACtion game on the road since 2012. I'm proud of our guys for that. We're going to enjoy this bus ride back home. We've got one extra day to prepare and all of our focus will be on Northern Illinois."
The Ball State football team returns to action Wednesday, Nov. 10 with a 6 or 7 p.m. CT kickoff against MAC leader Northern Illinois. The Huskies enter their midweek #MACtion opener at Kent State tomorrow with a 6-2 (4-0 MAC) record.
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