DEKALB, Ill. – The clock read eight seconds, the black sky lit by the lights of Huskie Stadium and the fireworks exploding above it. On the field, the celebration was beginning.
Northern Illinois had just driven 63 yards in 96 seconds to set up a game-winning, 34-yard field goal by Matt Sims, taking a 41-38 lead and ending Ball State's upset bid and hope for a Mid-American Conference championship all at once.
The Cardinals would have one last chance on a lateral play in the game's final six seconds, but barring a miracle, the game was over. The fireworks operator was confident enough that Pete Lembo's playbook was out of magic to keep shooting off fireworks as the game lurched toward conclusion.
He was right. When Northern Illinois corralled Ball State's final, errant lateral, the game was over and the celebration began again in earnest on the Huskies' half of the field.
On the Cardinals' sideline, there was just pain. Ball State (6-5) blew a 17-point lead in the third quarter and a three-point lead in the fourth quarter. After Northern Illinois tied the game at 38 with 2:46 to play, it had been unable to put itself in position for a game-winning kick of its own.
"It definitely hurts," quarterback Keith Wenning said. "There are a lot of people in that locker room that worked their butt off and prepared for this game like no other."
Ball State had started the game as well as it could have hoped. It scored first on a three-yard run by Wenning and took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 92-yard fumble recovery by safety Josh Howard.
But Northern Illinois' high-powered offense was undeterred. No matter what Ball State's offense did, Northern Illinois was ready with an answer.
After the Huskies dug themselves a two-touchdown hole in the first quarter, they scored back-to-back touchdowns to start the second quarter. Trailing by 17 early in the fourth quarter, they scored 21-straight points to take the lead.
Lembo said he never felt comfortable with any of Ball State's leads because of Northern Illinois' offense, which entered the game ranked ninth in the nation.
"The caliber of athletes they have speaks for themselves," Lembo said. "We have to play next to perfect to beat people like that."
The Cardinals appeared to make the crucial play that would have given them the program's biggest win since 2008 late in the fourth quarter. Safety Sean Baker intercepted a pass deep in Huskies' territory and returned it for a touchdown. But linebacker Tony Martin was called for roughing the passer, negating the Ball State touchdown, which would have given the Cardinals a 10-point lead in the game's final minutes. Martin appeared to hit quarterback Chandler Harnish just after he released the pass, which is often ruled legal. But referee Shawn Smith threw the flag.
Lembo declined to comment on any of the officials' calls.
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