KENT, Ohio - When quarterback Keith Wenning saw Kent State's defense wasn't letting up on defending the running game, he knew he was going to have to carry Ball State through the air.
He finished the game with 445 passing yards and five touchdowns, both career highs for the quarterback in his 27th start. His numbers weren't enough to get Ball State the win, falling 45-43. Wenning had no secret to why he had nearly 450 yards but said his receivers did their part in making themselves targets.
"The receivers just got open," Wenning said. "They just made it easy for me to get them the ball."
Ball State played catch up virtually throughout the entire game against Kent State. The largest deficit the Cardinals faced was after running back Trayion Durham scored from one-yard out with 9:21 left in the game, the lead was extended to 42-29. Kent State's run-heavy offense enjoyed another solid game, totaling 166 yards on 4.6 yards per rush and two touchdowns.
On the other side, Ball State finished well below its average of over 200 rushing yards per game with just 112 yards on 2.9 yards per rush. Running back Jahwan Edwards led the team with 40 yards on 15 carries and Horactio Banks totaled 36 yards on 10 carries.
Ball State coach Pete Lembo said he felt his team's 38 rushing attempts were enough to win the game, but when the results weren't coming, his team needed to find a way to get the win.
"They're a very good defensive front," Lembo said. "They cause a lot of havoc and get a lot of penetration."
He said he anticipated Kent State would try to take away what his team has been doing best this season - running the ball - and did well at stopping it. Kent State beat Buffalo on Sept. 19 in similar fashion by limiting the running game.
"[Kent State players] were well prepared," Lembo said. "They came out and gave us their best shot after 10 days to prepare."
And since the run game was taken away, Wenning proved he has the capability to lead Ball State through the air when it's needed. After Durham's touchdown in the fourth quarter, Wenning manufactured an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Willie Snead. Ball State's defense forced a quick interception on Kent State's next series and two plays later, Wenning threw his second touchdown pass of the game to wide receiver Connor Ryan from six-yards out.
"We just do what we always do," Wenning said. "We just run our offense and when we're on point, that's how it is."
Wenning's favorite target in the loss was Snead, who finished with 216 receiving yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. He's had increases in his receptions and yardage in every game this season and his 537 yards is eighth-most in the country.
"[Snead's] a great receiver, but I'm going to give the ball to whoever has the best match up and who's open," Wenning said. "It doesn't matter who it is as long as they're open."
The loss is disappointing because it was a Mid-American Conference game, but more importantly because of the mental mistakes Ball State had throughout the game. It could be attributed to having come off the win against South Florida the previous week, but Wenning knew his team had to come out focused Saturday.
"It's really disappointing," he said. "We needed this win to prove to us that we're not going to get too hyped on just one win and that we can move on. But we didn't get the job done."
Ball State's two-game win streak was snapped Saturday and will have to move on past a loss from a game they took a late lead. It'll be different from the previous two Mondays where the team was coming off wins against BCS programs. But Lembo and his team have prided itself on being able to move onto the next task.
And that next task is a home game against Northern Illinois, who Ball State could be wanting a little bit of revenge from after last year's last-second loss.
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