The Cardinals had lost five of their last six football games heading into Saturday, so calling their homecoming contest against Mid-American Conference (MAC) rival Northern Illinois a must-win was not hyperbole. In fact, Ball State had the same conference record (1-2) as the Huskies, so a victory would have done the red and black wonders with less than half the season remaining. 

Northern Illinois was a 12.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM, but those working for the sportsbook must not have accounted for MAC-tion. Ball State not only covered the spread in the Battle for the Bronze Stalk, but retained the trophy in a 25-23 victory. 

Here’s how it happened.

Same Ol’ Offense

Despite the Cardinal offense trying numerous trick plays, Ball State’s offense was largely familiar in the first half. Even the abundance of deceptive plays has become predictable, despite some of them working. 

For example, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cam Pickett ran a double reverse for 34 yards to kick off the second quarter. However, later on that drive, Ball State tried a trick play in which the entire offensive line dropped on their stomachs while redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza flared out to the left side of the pocket. 

The offensive line climbed back to its collective feet, only for Semonza to throw an incomplete pass to senior running back Braedon Sloan. Ball State faced first-and-goal from its 10-yard line, and that play stopped the Cardinals on fourth-and-goal from their seven. 

Sure, sophomore kicker Jackson Courville hit a 24-yard field goal to further extend Ball State’s lead to 10-7, but a good argument could be made to say the Cardinals should have finished that drive with a touchdown. 

Ball State spread the love in the run game during the first half, but Semonza’s favorite target was once again junior Tanner Koziol. On the first drive of the game, the California play-caller hit the six-foot, seven-inch tight end on a three-yard fade route for a touchdown. 

Late in the second quarter, Koziol reeled in another score off a six-yard pass from Semonza. Semonza finished the first half with 117 passing yards, and 38 of them went to Koziol on five receptions. After the first half, six of Semonza’s 15 passing touchdowns on the year were to Koziol. 

1 Step Forward, 1 Step Back 

Ball State’s defense was all too familiar as well, even if the Cardinals forced two turnovers in the first half, each positive drive was followed with a negative. 

The defense looked dependable for most of the first quarter until an old ghost haunted the Cardinals in the form of a missed tackle that led to a 34-yard rushing touchdown from Northern Illinois senior Antario Brown.

The red and black upped its energy in the second quarter leading 10-7 when graduate student “Sniper” George Udo picked off Northern Illinois redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Holst. 

But, the Cardinal offense couldn’t follow it up with points. Later in the second quarter, graduate student defensive end Riley Tolsma forced a fumble and senior linebacker Keionte Newson recovered. 

The True Cardinal No. 1 went ballistic in celebration, and this time Ball State followed up with the second in the pair of touchdowns between Semonza and Koziol. However, it took the Huskies just six plays to score a 54-yard touchdown on the following drive to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 19-14. 

It seemed that every time Ball State took a step forward in the first half, it took another step back in the process. And still, the Cardinals did just enough to ensure a lead heading into halftime. 

Another Classic MAC-tion Finish

The third quarter was an uneventful one, dominated by a 10-minute Ball State drive that resulted in no score. Heading into the fourth, the Huskies still trailed 19-14. 

However, the Cardinals’ first drive of the fourth quarter resulted in the longest field goal of Courville’s career – a 50-yarder. Ball State held an eight-point lead, but once again, the defense allowed Northern Illinois to score after a nearly nine-minute drive. 

It was Brown once again, this time rushing for a six-yard score. When the Huskies tried a two-point conversion, Thompson dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone that would have tied the game. 

Instead, Ball State got the ball back with about five minutes left and leading by two. Northern Illinois proved why it is the top-ranked defense in the MAC when the Huskies held the Cardinals to just one first down and forced a punt. 

When Northern Illinois took over on offense, Tolsma tipped Hampton's pass, leading to an interception by Cardinal linebacker Joey Stemler. The Ball State sideline exploded, cementing a huge moment for a team that led 22-20 with less than three minutes remaining.

However, Northern Illinois redshirt freshman safety Santana Banner blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt from Courville to give the Huskies another chance to win the game with 1:50 remaining. And they took the lead for the first time Saturday when senior Kanon Woodill drilled a 47-yard field goal to put Northern Illinois in front 23-22 with 15 seconds left. 

Semonza hit senior wide receiver Malcolm Gillie for a 34-yard pass, then found Koziol for five yards to set up Courville for a 52-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left to play. It all came down to the kicker, who had his most recent attempt blocked. 

Courville just snuck his kick through the goalpost for a career-long field goal, which won the game for Ball State 25-23. The Cardinals rushed the field as they improved their MAC record to 2-2 while Northern Illinois slipped to 1-3 in conference play. 

Ball State next takes on Miami (OH) Tuesday, Nov. 5 in an evening contest from Scheumann Stadium in Muncie. 

Contact Kyle Smedley via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.

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