Ball State University Athletics
Cardinals suffer 32-18 setback to Ohio Tuesday night
November 16, 2022 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. - - A seven-yard touchdown pass from John Paddock to Brady Hunt midway through the fourth quarter brought the Ball State football team within one score Tuesday night in #MACtion.
Unfortunately, the Bobcats (8-3; 6-1 Mid-American Conference) were able to counter with a pair of late field goals to hand the Cardinals (5-6; 3-4 MAC) a 32-18 loss on senior night at Scheumann Stadium.
"Obviously a disappointing loss in the final game at Scheumann Stadium for a group of 20 seniors that I have so much love and respect for," head coach Mike Neu said. "It was a tough way to end it for them. We played against a good football team in Ohio. You can't lose the turnover battle the way that we did and expect to win the ball game."Â
Ball State was able to jump on the board first, thanks to a 27-yard field goal from Ben VonGunten with 6:44 remaining in the first quarter. However, Ohio countered with a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, capitalizing on a pair of BSU turnovers, to take a 17-3 edge into the half.
Sophomore Carson Steele led the offense early, rushing for 96 yards on 14 carries for a 6.9 yards-per-rush average, including another highlight reel hurdle of a defender. He would fall just shy of his sixth consecutive 100-yard game, however, as he was forced to leave the game before the half due to injury.
On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals defense came up with a big stop late in the second half, forcing a fumble of its own at the seven-yard line to halt a possible Ohio scoring drive with 18 seconds left in the half.
Ball State's defense came up big once again on the opening drive of the second half, keeping the Bobcats off the board despite reaching the BSU 35-yard line. However, a 34-yard punt pinned the BSU offense at its own one and Ohio managed a safety on the next play.
Without Steele in the second half, the Cardinals turned to the passing game, with Paddock connecting with Tanner Koziol for a 10-yard score with 1:13 remaining in the third. Paddock then found Hunt in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 19-11.
After an Ohio touchdown, Paddock connected with Hunt for the seven-yard score, cutting the lead to 26-18. Unfortunately, the Bobcats added field goals of 37 and 23 yards to ice the game.
Paddock would finish the game 29-for-48 with 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns, finding Hunt for career highs of nine receptions and 90 yards.
Jayshon Jackson added six catches for 67 yards, while Koziol finished the game with five receptions and 52 yards.
On the defense, Jaquan Amos led the Cardinals with 11 tackles, including one for loss, while Clayton Coll registered 10 tackles. BSU would also register a pair of sacks, with Kyle King recording one and Coll and Sidney Houston combining for the other.
On the Ohio side of the ball, Sieh Bangura ran for a career-high 148 total yards and a pair of scores, while quarterback Kurtis Rourke went 12-for-16 for 169 yards and one touchdown before an injury forced him out right before the half.
The Ball State football team closes the 2022 regular season next Tuesday with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Miami. With a win, the Cardinals would become bowl eligible for the third straight season
"We've got to regroup here," Neu added. "We have one more opportunity left next Tuesday night and I believe in this team. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. We are not going to quit on each other. We are going to keep fighting; we are going to come back in here tomorrow and make the most of the time we have to focus all of our effort and energy to finish the season off with a win."Â
