TOLEDO, Ohio — On fourth and one from the Ball State 14-yard line in a tie game, Toledo elected to go for the first down instead of kicking a field goal to take the lead.
Anyone could have guessed who was getting the ball on the play — running back David Fluellen, the No. 3 rusher in the Mid-American Conference. And that’s exactly the play that was called. Fluellen went right up the middle, but he didn’t get the first down to keep the Rockets’ offense on the field.
And it cost No. 23 Toledo (8-2, 5-1 MAC) the game, as Ball State (7-3, 4-2 MAC) would march down field to score the game-winning touchdown to win 34-27.
The win improves Ball State’s winning streak to four games and snapped Toledo’s eight-game winning streak. But for Ball State, the seventh win guarantees the Cardinals will be playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2008.
It was also the first win for Ball State over a ranked opponent since 2001.
“That was huge, that’s what won the game for us,” linebacker Tony Martin said. “We were pretty sure they were going to run the ball so we dialed it up. Coach [Jay] Bateman had a great play call and we stopped them.”
Ball State’s defense ran off the field and celebrated the turnover on downs. And it came down to the offense to get into a position to score and win the game. It started with three straight runs by Jahwan Edwards and after a 17-yard run, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. He became the first running back for Ball State to rush for more than 1,000 yards sinceMiQuale Lewis did in 2008.
As Ball State continued to move down field, it also forced Toledo to use its remaining timeouts, which proved critical later in the game.
But when Edwards scored with 1:43 left in the game, it left enough time for Toledo to get the ball back and attempt to tie the game.
“We were trying to take as much time off the clock as we could,” coach Pete Lembo said. “We were thinking more runs than throws, but obviously we spit that one.”
Even with the time remaining, Toledo couldn’t even get into Ball State’s side of the field. After quarterback Terrance Owens’ pass on fourth down fell to the ground, the celebration was on for Ball State.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Lembo said. “They just hang in there and keep battling.”
The team overcame quarterback Keith Wenning’s three interceptions, which he countered with three touchdowns — two of them to Jamill Smith. It also was able to overcome 212 rushing yards from Fluellen.
“We contained [Toledo] enough,” Lembo said. “We got off the field enough and we were still able to have a good day offensively despite the turnovers.”
After beating a ranked opponent on national television, it’s extremely hard to imagine Ball State will sit at home during the bowl season.
“I’m no expert on bowls, but it’s hard to believe we’re not a strong candidate to play somewhere,” Lembo said.
