ATHENS, Ohio – After scoring just six points in its last two games, Ball State's offense finally came back to life in its 23-20 victory over Ohio (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday. Though the offense didn't find its rhythm until the second quarter, Ball State (4-3, 2-1) had 372 total offensive yards for the game.
All of Ball State's touchdowns came on the ground, one from sophomore quarterback Keith Wenning and the other from freshman running back Jahwan Edwards. After the past two games, Edwards said it was nice to finally get the ball moving again.
"We do it in practice, we've just got to get a rhythm," Edwards said. "We've to be consistent. That's a big thing [coach Pete Lembo] is big on. We've got to find our swagger."
During pre-game warm-ups, the wind gusts at Peden Stadium made it difficult for Ball State to practice its passing game. Edwards even had trouble catching swing passes because of the wind. But he knew the wind conditions meant he was going to get the ball often in the game.
He had 93 of his 125 total rushing yards in the first half and 28 of those yards came from his touchdown run in the second quarter. The touchdown run was longest run of his young career.
Edwards took a handoff to the right side, got into the secondary where he made the safety miss and out ran the defenders to the end zone.
"The plays before that I got chopped two times," he said. "They ended up giving me the ball again. I saw the gap, made someone miss and was able to get in."
Because the Cardinals went with the running game so often, the passing game opened up for Wenning and his wide receivers. Junior Connor Ryan and senior Briggs Orsbon both had a team-high of five catches. Ryan and Orsbon finished with 54 and 47 receiving yards, respectively.
"We rotate those receivers through and based on what the defense is giving us that's going to dictate who's going to get more catches," Lembo said. "The way it worked out today [Ryan] was in there when we were able to take those quick outs. He's been pretty reliable."
Freshman Willie Snead also had four catches for 49 yards in the game.
The win against Ohio will give Ball State momentum when it hosts Central Michigan next Saturday, but Edwards said the team won't be take it easy for the next game.
"We're not going to dwell on this game," he said. "We've got plenty more games to go."
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