Saturday, October 26
3:30 p.m.
Ball State University
3-5 , 2-2
25
vs
23
Northern Illinois
4-4 , 1-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
NIU
7
7
0
9
23
Ball St.
7
12
0
6
25
The Bronze Stalk Stays In Muncie Thanks to Courville’s 52-Yard Field Goal
October 26, 2024 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. — Jackson Courville booted a career-long, 52-yard field goal as time expired Saturday afternoon to lift Ball State to a dramatic, 25-23 victory over Northern Illinois before a crowd of 15,318 in the Cardinals' 97th homecoming game. The Ball State sophomore made four field goals, including fourth-quarter kicks from 50 and 52 yards.
Courville's fourth field goal of the game, his second game-winner in two seasons against the Huskies, sent the Cardinals (3-5, 2-2 MAC) to their second straight conference win while beating NIU (4-4, 1-3 MAC) for the third straight season. Ball State retained possession of its Bronze Stalk Trophy with a third straight win over NIU that reflects Ball State's longest win streak in the rivalry series.
Courville's deciding kick was actually his fifth attempt of the day, and the fourth helped the Huskies stage what was nearly a dramatic finish of their own.
With Ball State clinging to a 22-20 lead following NIU's missed two-point conversion and Kadin Semonza's pooch punt, the Cardinals' defense readied for a critical stop with just two-and-a-half minutes remaining. The Huskies took possession at their 21-yard line and the homecoming crowd was treated to what appeared to be a game-saving interception on a second-down pass tipped by Riley Tolsma and corralled by Joey Stemler.
Stemler's interception gave the Cardinals that critical stop, but four plays later, the Huskies blocked Courville's 33-yard attempt that would have given Ball State a five-point advantage with 1:53 to go. Instead, NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton engineered a 50-yard two-minute drill that culminated in Kanon Woodill's 47-yard field, dousing the homecoming spirit throughout Scheumann Stadium.
Semonza and the Cardinals' offensive unit came back on the field for its final possession at their own 26, and went 34 yards on their first play with a deep ball to Malcolm Gillie. From the NIU 40 with only seven seconds on the clock, Semonza connected with his favorite target, Tanner Koziol, for a quick 5-yard gain as Ball State called timeout to set the stage for Courville.
Courville entered the game 0-of-4 from 50 yards or longer, but the snap from Tucker Dunn and the hold by Brian Cooey Jr., were true. The longest kick of Courville's career sparked celebration in the crowd thirsty for a win and students began storming the field before officials regained control and put 0:02 back on the clock. After a kickoff, NIU staged a final play with laterals that finally landed on the turf and allowed the homecoming party to commence.
The late flurry of scoring followed a scoreless third period by both teams, the first of the season in any game by the Cardinals. Courville booted a then-career-long 50-yarder to stake Ball State to a 22-14 advantage with 8:52 remaining in the contest.
NIU's subsequent drive was halted near midfield on a third-down incompletion, but allowed to continue following a Ball State taunting penalty in the defensive backfield. Two plays after, the Huskies collected another first down on a pass interference penalty and Antario Brown's 6-yard TD run moments later nearly knotted the score. The Huskies' two-point conversation failed though, and the scene was set for the game's final moments.
Ball State controlled the game's tempo by dominating the possession battle, nearly 35 minutes to 25 by the Huskies. The Cardinals earned three turnovers, to none by NIU, and Ball State finished 10-of-18 on third down against a Huskies team that led the country in third-down defense.
The Cardinals took advantage of multiple takeaways by the defense for the first time since a season-opening win over Missouri State. Besides Stemler's interception, George Udo made a dazzling sideline interception and later in the second period, Keionte Newson recovered a fumble to keep the Cardinals' offense on the field.
But the Cardinals didn't capitalize on the scoreboard. The best example was Ball State's 16-play, 10-minute drive in the third period that stalled after a third-down sack that carried Ball State out of field goal range.
When the offense was turning the clock, tight end Tanner Koziol continued his assault on the Ball State record book, catching exactly nine passes for the fifth time this season. He gained 78 yards and scored two touchdowns in what was his first game with multiple TDs since the Cardinals' 2022 win over the Huskies. By game's end, the nation's sixth-leading receiver had moved into third place in Ball State single-season history with 64 catches by a tight end, and fifth with 580 yards.
Ball State scored first by turning the opening kickoff into a 10-play touchdown drive, with Koziol making a 3-yard, over-the-shoulder catch from Semonza. The Cardinals tacked on a pair of Courville field goals following an NIU touchdown, and added another Semonza-to-Koziol score for a 19-7 advantage after Courville's PAT bounced off the upright.
The Cardinals held a 19-14 halftime advantage after the Huskies got a 54-yard touchdown pass from Hampton to a streaking Cam Thompson with 1:12 before intermission.
Ball State resumes its schedule when the Mid-American Conference welcomes its annual #MAC-tion midweek schedule during November. Ball State welcomes Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which also is election night in America.
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Courville's fourth field goal of the game, his second game-winner in two seasons against the Huskies, sent the Cardinals (3-5, 2-2 MAC) to their second straight conference win while beating NIU (4-4, 1-3 MAC) for the third straight season. Ball State retained possession of its Bronze Stalk Trophy with a third straight win over NIU that reflects Ball State's longest win streak in the rivalry series.
Courville's deciding kick was actually his fifth attempt of the day, and the fourth helped the Huskies stage what was nearly a dramatic finish of their own.
With Ball State clinging to a 22-20 lead following NIU's missed two-point conversion and Kadin Semonza's pooch punt, the Cardinals' defense readied for a critical stop with just two-and-a-half minutes remaining. The Huskies took possession at their 21-yard line and the homecoming crowd was treated to what appeared to be a game-saving interception on a second-down pass tipped by Riley Tolsma and corralled by Joey Stemler.
Stemler's interception gave the Cardinals that critical stop, but four plays later, the Huskies blocked Courville's 33-yard attempt that would have given Ball State a five-point advantage with 1:53 to go. Instead, NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton engineered a 50-yard two-minute drill that culminated in Kanon Woodill's 47-yard field, dousing the homecoming spirit throughout Scheumann Stadium.
Semonza and the Cardinals' offensive unit came back on the field for its final possession at their own 26, and went 34 yards on their first play with a deep ball to Malcolm Gillie. From the NIU 40 with only seven seconds on the clock, Semonza connected with his favorite target, Tanner Koziol, for a quick 5-yard gain as Ball State called timeout to set the stage for Courville.
Courville entered the game 0-of-4 from 50 yards or longer, but the snap from Tucker Dunn and the hold by Brian Cooey Jr., were true. The longest kick of Courville's career sparked celebration in the crowd thirsty for a win and students began storming the field before officials regained control and put 0:02 back on the clock. After a kickoff, NIU staged a final play with laterals that finally landed on the turf and allowed the homecoming party to commence.
The late flurry of scoring followed a scoreless third period by both teams, the first of the season in any game by the Cardinals. Courville booted a then-career-long 50-yarder to stake Ball State to a 22-14 advantage with 8:52 remaining in the contest.
NIU's subsequent drive was halted near midfield on a third-down incompletion, but allowed to continue following a Ball State taunting penalty in the defensive backfield. Two plays after, the Huskies collected another first down on a pass interference penalty and Antario Brown's 6-yard TD run moments later nearly knotted the score. The Huskies' two-point conversation failed though, and the scene was set for the game's final moments.
Ball State controlled the game's tempo by dominating the possession battle, nearly 35 minutes to 25 by the Huskies. The Cardinals earned three turnovers, to none by NIU, and Ball State finished 10-of-18 on third down against a Huskies team that led the country in third-down defense.
The Cardinals took advantage of multiple takeaways by the defense for the first time since a season-opening win over Missouri State. Besides Stemler's interception, George Udo made a dazzling sideline interception and later in the second period, Keionte Newson recovered a fumble to keep the Cardinals' offense on the field.
But the Cardinals didn't capitalize on the scoreboard. The best example was Ball State's 16-play, 10-minute drive in the third period that stalled after a third-down sack that carried Ball State out of field goal range.
When the offense was turning the clock, tight end Tanner Koziol continued his assault on the Ball State record book, catching exactly nine passes for the fifth time this season. He gained 78 yards and scored two touchdowns in what was his first game with multiple TDs since the Cardinals' 2022 win over the Huskies. By game's end, the nation's sixth-leading receiver had moved into third place in Ball State single-season history with 64 catches by a tight end, and fifth with 580 yards.
Ball State scored first by turning the opening kickoff into a 10-play touchdown drive, with Koziol making a 3-yard, over-the-shoulder catch from Semonza. The Cardinals tacked on a pair of Courville field goals following an NIU touchdown, and added another Semonza-to-Koziol score for a 19-7 advantage after Courville's PAT bounced off the upright.
The Cardinals held a 19-14 halftime advantage after the Huskies got a 54-yard touchdown pass from Hampton to a streaking Cam Thompson with 1:12 before intermission.
Ball State resumes its schedule when the Mid-American Conference welcomes its annual #MAC-tion midweek schedule during November. Ball State welcomes Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which also is election night in America.
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Team Stats
NIU
BSU
Total Yards
374
392
Pass Yards
232
222
Rushing Yards
142
170
Penalty Yards
30
50
1st Downs
22
21
3rd Downs
6
10
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
25:10
34:50
1st Quarter
NIU 0, BSU 7
BSU - Koziol,Tanner 3 yd pass from Semonza,Kadin (Courville,Jackson kick) 10 plays, 62 yards, TOP 04:27
NIU 7, BSU 7
NIU - Brown,Antario 34 yd run (Woodill,Kanon kick), 7 plays, 90 yards, TOP 04:08
2nd Quarter
NIU 7, BSU 10
BSU - Courville,Jackson 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:05
NIU 7, BSU 13
BSU - Courville,Jackson 47 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 01:30
NIU 7, BSU 19
BSU - Koziol,Tanner 6 yd pass from Semonza,Kadin () 12 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:45
NIU 14, BSU 19
NIU - Thompson,Cam 54 yd pass from Hampton,Ethan (Woodill,Kanon kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:39
4th Quarter
NIU 14, BSU 22
BSU - Courville,Jackson 50 yd field goal 10 plays, 22 yards, TOP 04:33
NIU 20, BSU 22
NIU - Brown,Antario 6 yd run (), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:54
NIU 23, BSU 22
NIU - Woodill,Kanon 47 yd field goal 12 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:36
NIU 23, BSU 25
BSU - Courville,Jackson 52 yd field goal 3 plays, 39 yards, TOP 00:11
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
2
YDS
211
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
11
INT
0
Players Mentioned
P
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K
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LS
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WR
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TE
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LB
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LB
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DL
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DB
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