The weather on the field at UB Stadium on Saturday was sunny and chilly, perfect for a hard nosed football game. However the nearly 15,000 fans that attended homecoming instead watched the Bulls lose their fourth straight game as they suffered their first home loss of the season against Ball State, 55-25.
The game was supposed to be a competitive Mid-American Conference shootout between two teams with lackluster defenses. One that odd makers had Buffalo (1-4 overall, 0-3 MAC) listed as only four-point underdogs to the Cardinals (2-4 overall, 2-1 MAC).
The Bulls faltered from the gate though as Ball State began the game with a six-play, 65-yard drive on the ground, which was capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by BSU running back MiQuale Lewis.
On the Bulls first attempt on offense, they were unable to find a rhythm, as sophomore quarterback Drew Willy was sacked for a 10-yard loss on the first offensive play. After forcing the Bulls to a three-and-out, the Bulls punt attempt was blocked and picked up by Ball State for a touchdown. After only five minutes of play the Cardinals already had a 14-0 lead.
"They executed at the beginning of the game better then we did," said Bulls head coach Turner Gill. "We need to find ways to come out better. We need to start to find ways on how to make positive things happen."
The Bulls defense, which faced personnel changes this past week, again was unable to stop the run game. The Cardinals racked up 232 yards on the ground on 42 attempts. Ball State starting running back B.J. Hill piled up 127 yards on the ground and his back-up Lewis added 99 yards to the Cardinal ground attack.
It was the fifth time this season that the Bulls gave up over 200 yards of rushing against an opponent. The Bulls also struggled covering the pass against a Ball State team that was ranked second nationally in scoring offense heading into the game. The Cardinals' offense threw for 262 yards. BSU finished the game with a combined 494 yards and six touchdowns.
"I anticipate all teams to run the ball against us until we prove we can stop it," Gill said. "As a coach I know you need to be able to stop the run."
The Bulls' offense took a while to get points of its own on the scoreboard. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that they recorded a touchdown. Willy connected with sophomore wide receiver Ernest Jackson for a 20-yard pass, but at that point the scoreboard read 45-17.
Willy threw for a career high 321 yards on 40 attempts. However, he also suffered his first interception of the year in the second quarter.
"I did some good things but there were many things that I can do better," Willy said. "We are going to look at the film and as an offense we need to start faster."
Willy and his counterpart, Ball State quarterback Nate Davis, came into the game as the last two starting quarterbacks without an interception this season. Davis also threw an interception later in the game that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown by junior safety Kareem Byrom.
Another bright spot for the Bulls was the play of senior kicker Adam Tanalski, who headed into the game without a single field goal attempt for the Bulls. He replaced freshmen kicker Taylor Packwood who has struggled this season.
During the second quarter, Tanalski nailed a 42-yard field goal, the first kick of over 40 yards attempted by the Bulls this season. The special teams play also looked good in the third quarter when the Bulls recovered an onside kick from Packwood.
"It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, it's all about what you're doing today," Gill said. "On any given day, you can be beaten."
The Bulls next face off against Miami (OH) at UB Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. Miami is currently 0-6 but has only lost one game in conference. The Redhawks are currently higher in the MAC East standings than the Bulls, who now have three MAC defeats.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
