Chippewas lose heartbreaker to Ball State on last-minute field goal
Sophomore wide receiver Tony Poljan falls onto the 1 yard line against Ball State on Oct. 13 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
On Ball State’s final possession of the game, kicker Morgan Hagee stepped up and delivered a game-winning 36-yard field goal to take a 24-23 lead.
The Chippewas (1-6, 0-3) Mid-American Conference were unable to make a comeback, and head coach John Bonamego’s team took a 24-23 loss despite being in dire need of a win in the Mid-American Conference.
Before the game-winning field goal, CMU junior kicker Ryan Tice hit a 47-yard field goal to take the lead after Ball State quarterback Riley Neal reached the end zone to give Ball State a 21-20 lead over CMU with eight minutes remaining.
“We didn’t finish the way we started,” Bonamego said. “We just came up short. It’s tough right now, but we have another game next week.”
Only taking down FCS Maine on Sept. 22, Central Michigan’s drought of losses to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) has increased to 323 days – dating back to a Nov. 24 victory against Northern Illinois in the final regular season game of the 2017 campaign.
The Cardinals (3-4, 2-1 MAC) were ahead 7-6 at one point in the game, but a connection from CMU quarterback Tommy Lazzaro to backup quarterback Tony Pojan changed the momentum and score.
Down by one-point near the end of the first half, Lazzaro noticed receiver Tony Poljan on a fade route near the left side of the end zone. Poljan turned, secured the ball and kept his feet in-bounds for a 13-7 edge.
On the first play of Ball State’s ensuing drive, CMU defensive end Mitch Stanitzek stripped the ball clean and it was recovered by Mike Danna at the 20-yard line. Moments later, Lazzaro scored up the middle for a 20-7 lead at halftime.
CMU had not converted a 50-yard field goal since David Harman did so in 2012. At least not until Ryan Tice connected on one from 53 yards out to give the Chippewas a 3-0 lead with 7:59 remaining in the first quarter.
On the second to last play of the first quarter, Lazzaro found a hole provided by the offensive line and scampered for 31 yards to the Ball State 14. Despite finding the red zone, CMU was forced to go with Tice.
The junior buried a 26-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter for a 6-0 edge. Tice has made 8-of-9 field goals this season and is 5-of-6 from 40-49 yards and 1-for-1 from 50 or more yards.
“He’s been a great addition to our team,” Bonamego said of Tice, who transferred to CMU just before its first game against Kentucky.
On fourth-and-goal from the CMU 1-yard line, Neal plunged up the middle and broke the plane of the end zone for a touchdown, giving Ball State a 7-6 edge with 8:33 to go in the first half.
A missed field goal by Ball State kicker Morgan Hagee with 8:27 left in the third quarter gave the ball back to the Chippewas, but Neal compensated life to his team to start the fourth with a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Riley Miller.
Neal finished 19-of-26 through the air for 183 yards and one touchdown. He had two touchdowns on 55 yards rushing. For CMU, Lazzaro was 11-of-22 for 127 yards and one touchdown, adding 25 carries for 110 yards and a score.
The score from Neal to Miller cut CMU’s lead to six points, and the Cardinals continued to roll at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, ending the game with a 37-yard field goal by Hagee.
The Chippewas remain winless in the MAC and will face Western Michigan at 3 p.m. on Oct. 20 from Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
“The team is playing better,” Bonamego said. “We are just too inconsistent right now. They are a lot closer than people might give us credit for. We are a better team than our record reflects.”
