YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Christmas isn't for several more weeks, butthat didn't stop Ball State from being in a giving mood Saturday atEastern Michigan.
Eastern Michigan had to move just 26 yards for its first threetouchdowns, and the Eagles scored the game's first 31 points enroute to a 38-14 rout of the Cardinals, the second win in as manytries for interim coach Al Lavan.
The Cardinals (4-7, 3-4) committed three turnovers and alsoallowed a punt block, all of which led to EMU (3-8, 2-5) scores, indropping their third consecutive game.
"I was very surprised how we played today," Ball State coachBrady Hoke said, "because I really thought we had a good week ofpractice, and I really thought they were focused."
Instead, it was the Eagles that came out that way.
"We played a team that was very inspired, did a nice job, andthat's a credit to their staff," Hoke said. "We didn't do a goodenough job as coaches of getting this football team ready."
"They probably were more enthusiastic than we were," offensiveguard Travis Barclay said. "From my standpoint, it felt like wewere ready to go. It's kind of hard to tell right away, but I guessin a sense, (the intensity) is probably not where it needs tobe."
The two teams seemed destined to just trade punts all day in thefirst quarter, and on the sixth one Eastern's Nelson Drew brokethrough and denied Philip Ems' kick access to the air, and TrumaineRiley fell on the ball at the Ball State 1-yard line. After theCards stopped Sherrell on first down, Ken Bohnet opened the secondquarter with a quarterback sneak for a 7-0 lead.
"It ended up being an overload but within the protection itshould have been taken care of. He came around (up the middle), andmechanics of the punter were a little too long."
Another exchange of punts followed. Ryan Hahaj fielded the EMUboot cleanly, but was quickly stripped of the ball, and KeyvonBarbee recovered at the Cardinals 20. Four plays later, Sherrellplunged in from a yard out, making it 14-0 with 5:29.
"Special teams, from the beginning, is what killed us,"linebacker Lorenzo Scott said. "We can't give them field positionlike that. Special teams is all about changing field position. Ourcoaches have said that just because we're punting doesn't mean it'sa bad thing."
Talmadge Hill threw interceptions on Ball State's first twopossessions of the second half. The Cardinals defense held for afield goal on the first one, but Eagle linebacker returned thesecond pick 40 yards to the 5-yard line. Sherrell bulled in foranother 1-yard score and Eastern led 24-0.
Sherrell added two more touchdowns, another 1-yard plunge and an8-yard trot. The first of those came the play after he ripped off a46-yarder on third-and-one, despite the Cardinals stacking all 11defenders in the box. He finished with 230 yards after carrying fora school-record 43 times.
"You try to dig yourself out, but sometimes it feels like you'resinking deeper," Barclay said.
Ball State's Andy Roesch replaced Hill and threw touchdowns of1-yard to Dante Ridgeway and 20 yards to Hahaj. Roesch completed 22of 41 passes for 236 yards.
With one game on the season, a home contest against a rankedBowling Green team, Hoke is confident his team can dig deeper totake on the Falcons.
"I think any competitor would," Hoke said. "I would be shockedif they didn't."
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