Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Indiana State football team used an attacking style of play to recover from an early deficit and made a fourth quarter defensive stand as time expired to earn a thrilling 27-20 road victory over Ball State in front of 15,860 fans inside Scheumann Stadium. The win returns to Blue Key Victory Bell to Terre Haute for the first time since 1987.
Indiana State improved to 2-1 on the season while Ball State fell to 1-2. Each time the two programs have met since 1940, the Blue Key Victory Bell goes to the victory. While today's meeting was the first since 2003, it proved to be Indiana State's first victory over the Cardinals since 1987 and its first in Muncie since 1982. Additionally, it marked Indiana State's first win over a FBS program since a 2011 victory at Western Kentucky and its first over a Mid-American Conference program since a 2001 win at Eastern Michigan.
The Sycamores were led by the courageous play of senior quarterback Mike Perish who went 25-of-43 passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns. He made a great majority of his pass completions facing an aggressive pass rush from the Cardinals. For the second consecutive week, Gary Owens was Perish's top target with seven reception for 107 yards. Kyani Harris caught three passes for 57 yards and the winning 28-yard touchdown with just under four minutes remaining.
A.J. Johnson added one catch for 25 yards -- a touchdown and Issac Beverstock made a two-yard touchdown reception.
Defensively, Connor Underwood tallied 12 total tackles, including two and a half for a loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks. He added a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. The Sycamore defense had a pair of quarterback sacks and made six tackles for a loss in the contest.
The two teams finished with exactly 361 yards of total offense but the difference in the game was a late second half turnover -- the only one of the game. The Sycamore special teams -- specifically Connor Underwood -- recovered a fumble and ISU used the turnover to score with four seconds before the half to regain a 17-14 edge.
The fumble by Ball State just before the half made the Sycamores plus-seven on the year in the turnover department and have now outscored their opponents 41-0 in points off turnovers.
Indiana State scored on their opening drive as the Mike Perish found Gary Owens three times and moved all the way down to the Ball State 24-yard line. Eric Heidorn booted a 42-yard field goal at the 11:15 mark of the first quarter for a quick 3-0 lead.
A 61-yard kickoff return from Ball State set the Cardinals up in Sycamore territory on their first drive and Jahwan Edwards scored from one-yard out as BSU surged ahead 7-3 at the 8:46 mark.
Two teams locked horns in a defensive battled as each team punted twice before Ball State went ahead early in the second quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ozzie Mann to Jordan Houge with 9:31 remaining before the half for a 14-3 advantage.
The Sycamores responded in a big way with four consecutive plays of more than 10 yards, including a 25-yard strike from Perish to AJ Johnson with 7:51 remaining in the second quarter to draw Indiana State to within 14-10.
Indiana State's defense would bend but not break as Ball State would drive inside the 40-yard line twice late in the quarter and each time resulted in the Sycamores being pinned inside their own five-yard line. Osborn Umeh fumbled the snap with just over one minute on the clock but got away a 47-yard punt. Also fumbling on the play was Ball State's Aaron Hepp, whose miscue was recovered by Connor Underwood and suddenly the Sycamores found themselves in Ball State territory.
Quickly, the Sycamores faced fourth down, but Buck Logan raced around right end for 14 yards to keep the drive alive. Perish then found Sampson Levingston for 14 yards to move the ball inside the 30-yard line and the Sycamores called a timeout with 13 seconds left. A pass attempt from Perish to Gary Owens was incomplete, but Ball State was flagged for pass interference which gave the ball to the Sycamores at the two-yard line. From there, Perish found Issac Beverstock for a two-yard play-action touchdown pass and after the extra point from Heidorn, the Sycamores owned a 17-14 lead at the half.
After the half, the Indiana State defense forced a three-and-out. Ball State's Kyle Schmidt was able to muster a 28-yard punt and the Sycamores took over at the BSU 43-yard line. Facing third down, Perish found Levingston for a key 25-yard catch which moved the ball down to the 15-yard line. That would be as far the Sycamores would get on the drive and Heidorn came in to boot a 38-yard field goal with 10:57 remaining in the third quarter to extend the lead out to 20-14.
Ball State drove deep into Sycamore territory twice late in third quarter, but came with just a 40-yard and 25-yard field goal as the team's entered the fourth quarter knotted at 20 points each. Facing third down just before the end of the third, Perish found Gary Owens for a 23-yard gain which got the Sycamores out of a hole at their own one-yard line.
The drive would stall and Umeh pinned the Cardinals deep in their own territory. Facing third-and-11, Connor Underwood came up with a quarterback sack to stop Ball State and gave the Sycamores the ball at their own 36-yard line after a punt. Indiana State went to work with the ball in the fourth quarter, converting a first down with a pass from Perish to Jamar Brown to reach the 50. Then Perish found Gary Owens for a wild over the shoulder catch for 29 yards which moved the ball near the red zone.
After a holding call and a short gain, Perish found Kyanni Harris over the middle to move the ball to the BSU 15-yard line. The game would remain tied at 20 as Heidorn was not able to convert the 33-yard field goal attempt with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Indiana State defense continued their strong effort by forcing getting the football back on a quarterback back from Conlan Cassidy and Underwood which forced a Ball State punt. The Sycamores took over after a short punt at their own 37-yard line with 7:05 left in regulation.
Buck Logan led off the drive with a six-yard run up the middle, and after a 10-yard loss and delay of game penalty, moved the ball back to the 46-yard line to face a fourth-and-one situation. After a timeout, Logan raced for nine yards to the Ball State 45-yard line to keep the drive alive. Perish then found Levingston for a 17-yard gain and now the Sycamores were in business at the 28-yard line. The winning play came next with a 28-yard scoring strike from Perish to Kyani Harris with 3:50 on the clock for the 27-20 lead.
The Indiana State defense got a stop and took over at their own 15-yard line with 2:17 to go. Ball State was forced to use a pair of timeouts before Indiana State punted back to the Cardinals with 1:57 to go and Ball State needing to move the ball 51 yards to tie the game. Ball State drove all the way down to the eight yard line in 11 plays and on the final play of the game, Ozzie Mann rushed for six yards but was met by Connor Underwood and Kendall Walker as time expired and the Sycamores rushed the field and took home the Victory Bell for the first time in 27 years.
Following an open week, Indiana State returns to Memorial Stadium to face off against Liberty on Saturday, September 27. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET).
