Chippewas survive fourth-quarter scare, escape Ball State with victory
MUNCIE, Ind. — With the game on the line, the Chippewas sent a malicious blitz heavy through the line of scrimmage and forced Ball State freshman quarterback Riley Neal to panic.
Neal scurried toward the far sideline, and heaved a fourth-down pass down the field. As the ball bounced off the AstroTurf, the Central Michigan sideline erupted and the Chippewas celebrated a 23-21 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday at Scheumann Stadium.
The victory was the first for CMU in Muncie, Indiana since 2009 and improved the Chippewas to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play this season. The loss also snapped a five-game losing streak to Ball State.
"It wasn't pretty, but we'll take it," said Head Coach John Bonamego. "Our defensive effort down the stretch was great. We made plays when we needed to make them."
An interception by Ball State safety Dedrick Cromartie after junior Anthony Rice juggled a pass gave the Cardinals the ball inside their own 20-yard line with two minutes remaining, trailing by two points.
But two consecutive aggressive blitz calls by CMU Defensive Coordinator Greg Colby on third and fourth down sealed the victory for the visitors.
"I wouldn't have second-guessed that call a bit," Bonamego said. "It's a freshman quarterback on fourth-and-long. Why sit back and play coverage? So we blitzed back-to-back."
CMU opened the second half with a nine-play, 56-yard drive orchestrated by junior quarterback Cooper Rush, who found senior wideout Jesse Kroll from four yards out to give the Chippewas a 17-14 lead. It was Kroll's first catch of the day.
"We showed our resolve," Rush said. "We say 'Win ugly, we don't care.' We're just happy we pulled it out."
Rush finished the game 30-of-38 passing for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Teammate and fellow Lansing Area native Brian Eavey bulked CMU's lead up at the end of its next drive with a career-long 47-yard field goal to put CMU up 20-14 with 10 minutes remaining.
But Ball State kick returner KeVonn Mabon brought the ensuing kickoff back 89-yards to give the Cardinals the 21-20 lead. Rush led CMU on another scoring drive to get Eavey in range for his third and final field goal of the game, a 34-yard lead-grabbing boot.
"I was practicing 50 yarders earlier," Eavey joked after the game. "I just did what I do in practice and it worked out."
CMU committed 10 penalties in the loss, many of which killed offensive drives late in the first half.
Junior running back Martez Walker played his best game of the season, carrying the ball 19 times for 86 yards including a career-long 46-yard dash early in the first half. He tacked on four catches for 52 yards receiving.
"It's nice to know you can come out ahead in a close game," Bonamego said. "It feels good to get a win on the road."
Stay with Central Michigan Life for more coverage on today's game.
