Cardiac Cardinals use second-half surge to take down UConn

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Cardiac Cardinals did it again. Trailing by 11 at halftime, Ball State completed a double-digit comeback for the third consecutive week to defeat UConn, 25-21, Saturday afternoon at Scheumann Stadium.

The Cardinals (4-3) also overcame deficits of 21 vs. Northern Illinois (Oct. 1) and 10 at Central Michigan (Oct. 8) in their last two games.

"Obviously, this is a recipe, formula or whatever you want to call it that we've utilized the last couple of weeks," head coach Mike Neu said. "More than anything, I'm just proud of our football team. It speaks volumes about their heart, their character, their fight, their toughness and their resilience to come back out and our defense pitches a shutout and offense to come back, grind and figure out a way to put some points on the board.

"My hat is off to our players. They deserve credit for the fight, for the attitude and finding a way to win. It was an awesome team effort."

UConn (3-5) opened the game by scoring touchdowns on three of its five first-half possessions, racking up 149 yards on the ground and 121 yards by going 12-of-12 through the air.

Carson Steele, who had a career game on the ground, barreled in from a yard out to cap a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the first quarter. Ben VonGunten added a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter to complete the scoring as the Huskies took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.

An opportunistic defense and a heavy dose of Steele guided Ball State in the second half.

Mirroring its previous comeback against NIU, the Cardinals got a big play from their defense on the third play of the second half as a tipped pass by Jaquan Amos was intercepted by Cole Pearce at the 50-yard line. VonGunten would drill a 38-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game at 21-13.

In the fourth quarter, Steele took over. The sophomore totaled 102 yards on 13 carries, including a pair of scores.

The scoring began following a forced fumble by Tavion Woodard that was recovered by Amechi Uzodinma II inside UConn territory. Steele had three carries for 24 yards within the next four plays and found pay dirt from two yards out. Ball State failed its two-point conversion attempt and trailed by just two at 21-19.

The Cardinals then forced a 3-and-out on defense, setting up the offense for a crucial drive that began at their own 41-yard line.

Steele had four carries for 50 yards, including a highlight-reel 17-yard run as he dove over the pylon to make it 25-21 in favor of Ball State.

The Cardinals then forced the Huskies to turn it over on downs and, after a first down run, took a couple of knees to seal the win.

In total, Steele had a career-high 179 rushing yards on 32 carries and three scores.

The Ball State defense held UConn to just 53 yards on 30 plays in the second half and induced a pair of turnovers.

Jordan Riley led the defense with a game-high 13 tackles, while Clayton Coll added 12, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Pearce had eight stops with a sack and an interception, while Woodard had seven tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.

Jayshon Jackson led the charge on the outside with eight catches for 71 yards. Brady Hunt added five receptions for 25 yards.

The Cardinals stay at home next weekend for Homecoming against Eastern Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET inside Scheumann Stadium.

Cardiac Cardinals use second-half surge to take down UConn

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Team Stats

John Paddock

Players Mentioned

Jaquan Amos

Clayton Coll

Brady Hunt

Jayshon Jackson

Cole Pearce

Jordan Riley

Carson Steele

Amechi Uzodinma II

Ben VonGunten

Tavion Woodard