Ball State football falls out of bowl game contention with their 51-48 loss to Buffalo.
The Cardinals are now 3-7 and move to 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with the loss.
Here are three takeaways from the Cardinals' loss.
First quarter perfection.
Ball State and Buffalo started the game perfectly. Both teams scored on their opening possession to kick off the action.
The Bulls started with a slow and methodical drive that saw senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna rush it in from three yards out. The drive lasted 16 plays and ate up 7:13 off the clock.
The Cardinals responded by stringing together a drive of their own. Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza, Ball State responded with a seven-play 81-yard drive that only took 3:08.
Semonza rolled out to his left and found junior wide receiver Justin Bowick for a 23-yard touchdown pass to even the score 7-7.
The Cardinals stopped Buffalo on their second drive in the first quarter and took over with minutes left in the frame. A Semonza 53-yard rush set Ball State up in the red zone quick and the Cardinals were down to the two-yard line when the first quarter expired.
Ball State found the end zone on the first play of the second quarter with Semonza hitting junior Tanner Koziol for a two-yard touchdown.
The Cardinals' first two possessions resulted in 14 points, giving them a 14-7 lead.
First drives have often been a strong suit for the Cardinals, and the continuous ability to reach the end zone quickly sets a real tone for the game.
Bowick and Semonza are in a league of their own.
Bowick had eight catches, 171 yards and one touchdown against Miami (OH) in the RedBird Rivalry last week. Today, the junior had seven catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns.
In the first half alone, Bowick had four catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Semonza started his game 12-for-14 with three touchdowns but threw a costly interception to end the second half to let Buffalo score with seconds remaining. He ended the half by being 14-for-17 with 169 yards.
Bowick’s connection with Semonza has been apparent since he returned to action against Vanderbilt and his deep threat allows the Ball State offense to play many different styles. The Cardinals can run it, pass it short and medium to Koziol, or hit Bowick wherever he goes.
Bowick also has great route-rushing abilities. He was able to create five to ten yards of separation in his first touchdown and sliced up the secondary for a 53-yard pass that set up the second score for Ball State.
Bowick’s second touchdown was an absolute dart from Semonza from 22 yards out. Bowick was able to lay out and get his feet in bounds to give Ball State a crucial touchdown heading into halftime. His score gave Ball State a 28-17 lead.
Semonza ended his night going 25-for-37 with 327 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
The final drive leads to unsuccessful overtime.
The Cardinals had the ball all tied up with Buffalo 45-45 and were just yards away from the preferred field goal range for sophomore kicker Jackson Courville.
The first play was an incomplete pass to Koziol that just missed him.
The second play was to senior wide receiver Malcolm Gillie, which was incomplete. The third play was to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cam Pickett who was unable to bring the ball in. The Cardinals tossed up two 50/50 balls that were well in front of the preferred field goal range instead of calling plays to inch closer to a game-ending field goal.
The Cardinals' first play in overtime was a pitch back to senior running back Braedon Sloan who was looking for a pass. No doubt an interesting and risky call in a do-or-die situation. The next two failed to gain traction and forced Ball State to take a field goal in OT.
In the end, Ball State was unable to stop the Bulls, losing the game 51-48.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X@ElijahPoe4.
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