Ball State football came from behind in its third consecutive game to defeat Connecticut 25-21 at Scheumann Stadium Oct. 15. The Cardinals did not lead until 2:40 in the fourth quarter when sophomore runningback Carson Steele converted his third touchdown.
The first quarter ended 7-7 but Ball State’s offense struggled to get into a groove the entire first half, converting only a field goal in the second quarter while the Huskies moved freely for the most part.
Immediately following graduate student Ben VonGunten’s field goal, Connecticut moved the ball down the field and scored with just 58 seconds left in the half.
Coming out of the locker room the Cardinals defense started to pick it up starting with an interception from redshirt junior inside linebacker Cole Pearce off a tipped pass. The only points scored in the third quarter were courtesy of VonGunten who made it 21-13 with 10:34 left in the quarter.
The contest was decided in the fourth quarter as Steele continued filling out his stat sheet as senior widereceiver Yo’Heinz Tyler left for the locker room with what head coach Mike Neu described as a “Chest Contusion.”
Steele would punch it in for the touchdown at 7:24 and, after another defensive stop, would rush for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter. Steele finished the game with 179 yards on 32 attempts and three touchdowns.
After one final defensive stop for the Cardfinals, redshirt junior quarterback John Paddock, who threw for 147 yards, would take the knee to complete the comeback.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ZachCarter85.
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