Halloween's 24-10 win over the University of Massachusetts gave Ball State its most complete game since September’s loss at Northwestern. The offense put together a combination of production through the air and on the ground, while the defense held the opposition to just 10 points.
“It was a really good team win today,” head coach Pete Lembo said. “All three phases chipped in and did their part, but especially the defense doing a really nice job, obviously, keeping them to the point total that we did.”
The offense put up 427 yards on the day and the defense allowed 448 yards, while containing the Minutemen to 10 points.
UMass’ offense put up 27 points on No. 6 Notre Dame in South Bend and compiled 35 points against No. 20 Toledo. Holding the explosive offense to 10 is one of the best defensive performances of the season, senior linebacker Ben Ingle agreed.
“It’s very encouraging to see that today,” Ingle said. “Everyone stuck together, everyone chipped in and played a part.”
Junior safety Martez Hester, who has been a part of a struggling secondary over the past month, said this was one of the better games defensively as well.
“There were highs and lows in the game, but this was one of the closest games we’ve had to a complete game," Hester said.
Third down, an area which the offense has been struggling with all season, the Cardinals were 9-14, good for a 64 percent conversion percentage.
The efficiency on third down led to better offensive production and more big plays from freshman quarterback Riley Neal.
“We did a couple things to help [Neal] in terms of some protections where he could sit in there a little bit more,” Lembo said. “We’ve gotta be realistic, we’ve got a really good, young quarterback here, but this is big for him. So, we’ve just got to be very patient, and we’ve gotta be very aware of what he can handle."
Neal finished the day 20-32 for 275 yards and a touchdown. However, he did have two turnovers, one interception and one fumble in the red zone.
A big play that sprung Ball State to it’s first victory in six weeks was sophomore Darian Green’s 85-yard kickoff return at the beginning of the second half. The play brought the offense to UMass’ 15-yard line, which led to Riley Neal’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Williams that gave them a 17-3 lead in the third quarter.
This was the second consecutive week a big special teams return led to immediate points in favor of Ball State.
“I knew it was vital to set the tempo for the half,” Green said. “Me and the guys on that unit had a mission to go out there and set the tempo, because we knew if we set the tempo for the half, we would be good.”
Ball State’s win snaps its five-game losing streak, tied for the longest since Pete Lembo has been the head coach for them.
“I think for these guys, it’s great. It’s why we're here,” Lembo said. “They are a very resilient bunch and they’re a very close-knit bunch, and they do what they do because they believe in what they are doing.”
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