 Ohio’s dream season has quickly turned into a nightmare. The Bobcats suffered their second straight loss, falling to the Ball State Cardinals 23-20 at Peden Stadium Saturday.
Marred with crucial turnovers and missed opportunities, Ohio allowed Ball State to control the flow of the game as the Cardinals had the ball for 37:16 to the Bobcats 22:44
“We weren’t sustaining drives on offense. Add that to allowing your opponent to sustain drives, and they will have the clock on their side,” head coach Frank Solich said afterward.
The first half was a painful one for a Bobcat offense that was able to scratch out 131 yards. High winds, combined with miscommunications on offense, led to Tyler Tettleton registering just 32 yards passing in the first half.
After a scoreless first quarter, Ball State broke the ice with a 38-yard field goal just after the start of the second period. Ohio answered with its first big play of the day, a 37-yard pass from Phil Bates to LaVon Brazill on a reverse pass. The 70-yard drive was one of the few sustained offensive possessions all day for Ohio.
Brazill had a big day, hauling in eight passes for 157 yard and two touchdowns, including a 74-yard score on a one-handed catch and run. His seventh catch of the day moved him into first all-time at Ohio in career receptions. Despite the accomplishment, he was still disappointed at the game’s outcome.
“It felt good to be one of the top receivers at Ohio University, but I would have liked to win the game,” he said.
“He’s been a special guy in the program and his numbers obviously indicate that,” Solich said.
Late in the half, the Cardinals made their push. An 81-yard drive gave them a 10-7 lead late in the second quarter with less than a minute remaining.
On the ensuing drive, Tyler Tettleton threw a pass that deflected off of a helmet and into the hands of Travis Freeman, who ran it to the Ohio 8 yard line. The big play led to a field goal as time expired in the half, giving Ball State a 13-7 lead.
The game opened up more after intermission. Ohio scored on the first drive of the half when Tettleton hooked up with Donte Harden. The extra point was blocked by Jeffery Garrett and nearly returned for two points by Jason Pinkston, who was brought down by holder Paul Hershey at the last moment.
The teams exchanged scores later in the quarter, moving the score to 20-20. An early drive in the fourth quarter by Ball State resulted in a field goal to make it 23-20.
Although the Bobcats got timely holds by the defense, the offense had trouble taking advantage of those stops. Cardinals punter Scott Kovanda pinned the Bobcats inside their 5-yard line three times in the final quarter.
“We said all year our specialists were the most consistent part of our team, and they certaintly stepped up under some tough conditions today,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said.
Taking the ball over on their own 1-yard line with 8:06 remaining, the Bobcats began piecing together an epic drive that could have determined the outcome of the game. After making it 63 yards, however, it was derailed. Donte Harden put the ball on the turf, and it was snatched up by the Ball State defense.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Harden said. “Four minutes left in the fourth quarter, it’s not supposed to happen.”
“If you don’t take care of the ball, someone is going to take it,” Solich said. “That’s what happens in football.”
Ohio got one more shot, taking over on its own 5-yard line. Ohio made it to the Ball State 24 before facing a fourth-and-two with 41 seconds remaining. Solich turned to reliable kicker Matt Weller to send the game to overtime. His attempt flew wide to the left, locking up the victory for the Cardinals.
Although Weller missed, Solich doesn’t regret the decision.
“When you have a kicker that is as good as it gets in the MAC, that is an opportunity you give him,” he said.
The Bobcats, who were once the team to beat in the MAC East, are now backed against a wall. With such little room for error, they must fix their mistakes now according to Solich.
“We need to make sure we stick together and look at this in a manner that we all need to do better, offensively, defensively and specials.”
Ohio will look to apply fixes as they hit the road against Akron next week. Ball State will return to MAC play against Central Michigan in Muncie.
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