Bloomington, Ind. - Just past midnight into Sunday morning, Jamill Smith stood in the south side of the Memorial Stadium field as a group of reporters converged on him.
With only his helmet removed from his full uniform, Smith's charcoal black dreadlocks draped alongside his head. A wide red headband was wrapped around his head, holding his hair behind his face.
Six bold white words split onto two lines were imprinted on the front of it.
"Pain is temporary. Pride is forever."
In a way, the phrase embodied Ball State's play in the final minutes of its 41-39 win over Indiana.
In only four minutes, the Hoosiers erased a 13-point deficient late in the fourth quarter and took a 39-38 lead, leaving the Cardinals with only 49 seconds to score.
Ball State's chances looked bleak. And after leading for almost the entire second half, it was hard to imagine a more painful way to lose, especially against Indiana.
Pride took over from there for Ball State.
Quarterback Keith Wenning quickly drove the Ball State offense downfield before kicker Steven Schott hit a last-second 42-yard field goal to seal a win.
As players and coaches stormed the field in celebration, it was easy to see this win meant more for Ball State than a typical victory.
After the game, Wenning said he didn't want to say there was "hatred" or "dislike" between the two schools. It was more of a rivalry.
Smith disagreed. For him, it was a personal victory.
"I don't like Indiana, to be honest; I hate them," Smith said. "But they just think they're better than us, so we just came out here and played to the best of our abilities."
The win gave Ball State its third straight win over Indiana. The first two in the streak came with a 42-20 win in 2008 and 27-20 win in the 2011 season opener.
Smith compared Ball State's recent dominance over Indiana to a sibling rivalry.
"Indiana, they're supposed to be our big brothers," he said. "You know, I feel when you beat your big brother up for the first time, it's the best feeling in the world."
Smith's analogy spread into the interactions between Ball State and Indiana players on the field. He said trash talk between both sides lasted throughout the game.
By the time Schott's final field goal went through, the talk between both teams ended.
"I can't say it on this microphone, but it always happens," Smith said. "You just move on, just make a play and then they'll shut up."
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