Football escapes with 24-21 victory against Ball State on Homecoming
With 1:37 left to play in the game Saturday, Ball State had a chance to deliver Central Michigan its third straight loss. Then Amari Coleman sealed the victory for the Chippewas.
With the Cardinal's down 24-21 and inside CMU's redzone, BSU’s quarterback Riley Neal dropped back and threw a jump ball into the end zone. Coleman reached up and intercepted the pass to secure CMU's 24-21 victory on Homecoming.
“I just tried to highpoint it and catch the ball,” Coleman said. “The wind was blowing the other way, so the wind kind of took it.”
On Tuesday, Coleman was in a walking boot and was unsure of his status for Saturday’s matchup, but during the game, it was clear he was healthy enough to compete.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak and put the Chippewas' record at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference.
After losing back-to-back games, including a blowout loss to rival Western Michigan last weekend, the Chippewas were eager to prove they were still a conference contender.
“We had that bad taste in our mouth and we wanted to get rid of it,” said senior quarterback Cooper Rush. “We couldn’t wait for today. It felt good to come out on the right end.”
After taking a 17-7 lead into halftime, the Chippewas offensive line struggled in the second half, giving up five sacks to a Ball State defense that was ranked in the top-10 in sacks nationally.
The Cardinals cut CMU’s lead to 17-14 in the third quarter after quarterback Riley Neal connected with Damon Hazelton Jr. for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
With CMU needing a spark, Coleman's fellow starting cornerback Josh Cox returned an interception 34 yards to extend the Chippewas' lead to 24-14 at the 13:45 mark of the fourth quarter.
“I know they ran the play a lot on film, but I didn’t see it at all in the game,” Cox said. “As soon as I saw it I just jumped it. I left my guy and made a play.”
Despite the play by Cox, Ball State responded with a quick two-minute scoring drive as running back James Gilbert muscled his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score which cut CMU’s lead to 24-21.
The Chippewas failed to run the clock out on the ensuing possession and were forced to punt the ball to the Cardinals for one final drive.
Ball State completed three passes and were inside CMU’s territory when Neal lofted a pass into the end zone that was a bit short of his intended receiver. That allowed Coleman to leap up and snatch the win for CMU.
Cox, who was on the other side of the field when Coleman caught the game-clinching interception, said he was happy for his fellow defensive back.
“I was happy for him,” Cox said. “We knew it was coming. It just happened that way and I’m happy he got it. I didn’t want it to happen any other way.”
Both Cox and Coleman have returned interceptions for touchdowns this season, something they wanted to improve on coming into the season.
“Everyone was dogging us out for not having that many picks last year,” Cox said. “That was our key focus (this season), getting our hands on the ball.”
Despite giving up five sacks, the Chippewas were able to rack up 422 yards of total offense.
Rush comleted 21 of his 32 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown. He moved into seventh place all-time in career passing yards in MAC history.
Junior running back Devon Spalding ended the game with 157 rushing yards and one touchdown on 23 carries, including a 52-yard rush which allowed CMU to run out the clock after Coleman's interception.
The Chippewas takes on Northern Illinois next Saturday.
“We’re still in the thick of (the conference race),” Bonamego said. “It’s early. We just have to keep our focus on the next opponent.”
