When a defense holds an opponent to 2-for-12 on third down conversions, it usually results in a win. While Ball State's defense played well enough to give the team a win over Northern Illinois Saturday, the offense couldn't execute well enough to seal it.
In the 35-23 loss to Northern Illinois, Ball State was 4-for-7 in red zone conversions, but two of the conversions were field goals instead of touchdowns. Ball State coach Pete Lembo said Northern Illinois wasn't doing anything differently when his offense got into the red zone; it was just a matter of the top pass defense in the Mid-American Conference making plays.
"They've got good players that stepped up and made plays for them," Lembo said. "They feel really good that their people match up well against whoever they're going to play."
Ball State appeared to have scored first on a 67-yard pass from Keith Wenning to Willie Snead, but a holding penalty on lineman Cameron Lowry negated the play. The following Northern Illinois possession led to a 29-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jordan Lynch.
The Cardinals responded by getting its first of two trips to the red zone, but it was probably a disappointing red zone trip for the offense. Following a 44-yard reception from freshman wide receiver KeVonn Mabon to the Northern Illinois 3-yard line, Ball State couldn't find the end zone after three straight runs by Horactio Banks.
Instead of tying the game at seven, Northern Illinois still led 7-3. In the second quarter Ball State had another red zone trip, getting to the 10-yard line before it was forced to settle for another field goal.
"We have to execute better," Lembo said. "But obviously [Northern Illinois] has something to say about that. It's a little bit harder to get open against a really good defensive back. There's a little less margin for error when you're going up against a really good defense."
It wasn't until the third red zone trip that Ball State was able to find the end zone. An eight-play drive ended when Wenning hit Snead for a 12-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Huskies' lead to 14-13 with just over three minutes left in the first half.
The ensuing kickoff was fumbled and recovered by Ball State at Northern Illinois' 23. But instead of moving forward, Ball State lost three yards and settled for another field goal.
After the game, Wenning said he was frustrated by the number of field goals and the lack of touchdowns his offense produced in the first half and eventually the game.
"Just finishing drives," he said. "We left a lot of points out on the field. As an offense you can't do that. I thought our defense played really well and gave us chances. We just didn't get the job done."
The second half was the same result for the Cardinal's offense but was made worse when the usually reliable kicker Steven Schott missed two field goals while his team had a slim lead.
Northern Illinois used a 54-yard touchdown pass from Lynch to Akeem Daniels and a 71-yard touchdown run from Lynch to take the lead and pull away from Ball State for good. Up until that point, Ball State's defense had been solid in holding Northern Illinois to 14 points through halftime and most of the third quarter.
"[The defense] certainly got us enough stops today," Lembo said. "We got off the field some on third down and caused some turnovers. I thought they played enough for us to win."
The loss puts Ball State at 3-3 overall for the second consecutive season, but also moves the team to 1-2 in the MAC. But Lembo said after the game he was pleased with how his team competed throughout the game; it was just a lack of execution that kept his team from getting the win.
Ball State will have a week to prepare for the Homecoming game against Western Michigan and to stay with the top teams in the MAC West. In the post game news conference, Lembo was quick to note his team was still in a rebuilding process and didn't seem worried about being back at .500.
"I feel good about our kids," he said. "I feel good that they're going to continue to fight. We'll put this behind us and try to learn from it and keep moving forward."
Read More
Ball State football’s blowout loss to Ohio summarizes failed season
By Kyle Smedley / 11 hours agoAfter the Bobcats’ 42-21 routing, the Cardinals finished the season with their worst record since 2017.
Ball State football pushes through outside noise ahead of Black Friday game against Ohio
By Kyle Smedley / YesterdayThe Cardinals are setback by injuries and early transfer portal entries heading into the final game of the season against the Bobcats.
