Rushing attack leads Ball State to 37-26 win over Eastern Michigan
By RYAN NAYLOR
ISL Correspondent
MUNCIE, Ind. ” It doesn’t get much bigger than a prime-time home opener in front of a national television audience — unless that game happens to be against a conference rival. The Ball State Cardinals were up to the task, using a dominant running game to defeat Mid-American Conference foe Eastern Michigan 37-26 on Thursday night.
Jahwan Edwards ran for a career-high 200 yards and tied a career best with three touchdowns. Overall, the Cardinals ran for 329 yards on 55 carries.
Ball State head coach Pete Lembo was all smiles as he talked about his team’s running game.
The offensive line really came together in the second half, he said. “I was very happy with our running game, especially in the third quarter. We were committed to running in the second half and felt like we matched up well from the start. Sometimes with the run game you have to be patient, it’s like hitting a rock with a sledge hammer, you just have to keep pounding away until something happens.
The Cardinals set a school record with 36 first downs and ran 96 total plays, the third-most in school history.
The passing game was solid, too. Junior receiver Jamill Smith posted a career-high 119 yards on seven catches.
Ball State jumped out to an early lead as Cardinal quarterback Keith Wenning led a 10-play 80 yard scoring drive highlighted by a 7-yard touchdown run by Edwards.
Ball State kicker Steven Schott extended the lead to 10 with a career best 52-yard field goal late in the first quarter.
The lead dissolved quickly in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 13-all.
Two plays into Ball State’s first drive of the second half, the Cardinals got what they needed. Edwards took a handoff and broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run, and the Cardinals never looked back.
The Ball State defense, which allowed 500 yards a game last year, held the Eagles to 383 total yards, including 226 after three quarters.
Tonight we had 11 guys flying to the football, not just one or two guyswe had a lot of assisted tackles, everyone contributed,” middle linebacker Travis Freeman said. “That’s how a great defense is created.
The schedule toughens quickly. The Cardinals head to Clemson next Saturday, then travel to Bloomington on Sept. 15th for a game with Indiana before returning to Scheumann Stadium to battle South Florida.
