Meltdown in Muncie
Greg Burghardt
MUNCIE, Ind. — The chances for the CMU football team went down with quarterback Jeff Perry Saturday.
As the junior writhed in pain with an injured knee following an incomplete pass late in the third quarter, the Chippewas saw their quick-rising momentum deflated.
“It may have hurt us a bit,” said senior defensive tackle Matt Wohlgemuth. “It kind of blew the wind out of our sails.”
Central (2-2, 0-1 MAC) was in the midst of staging a comeback prior to Perry’s injury. After falling behind 17-7, CMU stopped Ball State (2-2, 1-0) and then engineered a five-minute drive, culminating on a Perry three-yard touchdown run.
However, in the wake of an incomplete pass to Justin Harper late in the third quarter, Perry left the game and was relieved by senior Derrick Vickers.
From there, the momentum turned.
After a Brian Brandt punt that pinned BSU deep in its own territory, the Cardinals staged an 84-yard drive, capped off by a three-yard pass from Talmadge Hill to Dante Ridgeway. The Cardinals then led 24-14.
“That drive was huge,” said BSU coach Brady Hoke. “It kept our defense off the field. Our defense plays a lot better from the sidelines.”
Vickers could not get the offensive going the rest of the way, and Ball State’s rushing game wore down the Chippewas throughout.
A key to Ball State’s victory was its ability to stop CMU’s rushing game, holding the Chippewas to 147 yards. Senior Terrence Jackson led the way with 78 yards.
“They did a good job against our rushing,” said coach Mike DeBord. “It was better than we’ve seen all season. Michigan didn’t hold us to that little.”
For the third consecutive week, Central struggled with a mobile quarterback, as Hill used his athleticism to complete 24-of-36 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
CMU 14
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Ball State | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
Scoring Summary
2nd 10:19 BSU- Brian Jackson 43-yd FG.
8:55 CMU- Jeff Perry 72-yd pass to Jacob Brown (Gruzwalski kick).
6:16 BSU- Talmadge Hill 24-yd pass to Dante Ridgeway (Jackson kick).
0:39 BSU- Hill 14-yd pass to Ridgeway (Jackson kick).
3rd 5:23 CMU- Perry 3-yd run (Gruzwalski kick).
4th 9:30 BSU- Hill 3-yd pass to Ridgeway (Jackson kick).
0:31 BSU- Jackson 38-yd FG.
Passing Stats
CMU: Jeff Perry 7-17-118-1-1; Derrick Vickers 3-9-24-0-0; BSU: Talmadge Hill 24-36-215-0-3.
Rushing Stats
CMU: Terrence Jackson 19-78; Jerry Seymour 7-29; Kenan Lawhorne 1-10; Jeff Perry 8-30; BSU: Scott Blair 19-127; Charles Wynn 16-51; Talmadge Hill 8-44.
Receiving Stats
CMU: Justin Harper 3-42; Jacob Brown 2-79; Tory Humphery 1-11; Willie Hill 1-8; Kenan Lawhorne 1-2; Adam Supianoski 1-1; BSU: Dante Ridgeway 10-103; Ryan Hahaj 4-23; Larry Bostic 3-30; Bryan Williamson 2-38; Charles Wynn 2-10; Scott Blair 2-2.
Tackles
CMU: Anthony Tyus 13; James King 10; William Brookshire 10; Dan Bazuin 10; Eddie Hillery 9.
“It’s tough,” DeBord said. “I’d rather defend a dropback passer than a guy who can run around.”
Hill’s favorite target was Ridgeway, who snagged 10 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 157 yards in a victory against the Chippewas last season.
“They didn’t know what I was running,” Ridgeway said. “I used my ability to get open and they blew some coverages.”
The Chippewas struggled on third down situations, only converting five-of-17 opportunities.
“It was a game of third downs,” DeBord said. “We didn’t take advantage of the situations we had and we didn’t make plays.”
Central was outgained 421-263 in total yardage.
The status of Perry, who missed the three seasons with knee injuries, is unknown. CMU is off next week before playing at Bowling Green Oct. 4.
Vickers has started the better part of three seasons, and has a 7-13 career record.
“We’ll see how serious his knee is,” DeBord said. “If we have to, we can win with Vickers.”˚
