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2008
Ball State routs Western Michigan to go to 12-0
2008-11-25
While it’s highly doubtful that they’ll get a BCS bowl bid, #15 Ball State finished their regular season undefeated on Tuesday night by routing Western Michigan 45-22. Next up, they’ll play in the MAC championship game on December 5th against Eastern Division champions Buffalo.
Running back MiQuale Lewis ran for 120 yards on 32 carries and scored 3 touchdowns, including his 20th of the year which broke a school record. QB Nate Davis put up 273 yards on 17 of 25 passing with 1 TD pass and one rushing TD. Trey Lewis added a touchdown on a 35 yard interception return to blow the game open late in the third quarter.
Ball State went up 14-0 in the first quarter, but Western Michigan answered tying the game at 14-14 early in the 2nd. That’s when Lewis and Davis took over, and Ball State ran off 24 unanswered points to stake the Cardinals to a 38-14 lead heading into the final quarter. Western Michigan scored early in the fourth to cut the lead to 38-21 but MiQuale Lewis ran for his final touchdown with just under five minutes to play to put the game on ice.
It has been a year of superlatives for Ball State as they’ve marched to their undefeated record. They’ve gone unbeaten for only the 2nd time in school history—the last time was an 8-0 mark in 1949. They finished undefeated in the MAC for the first time since 1978 and will be going to a bowl game in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.
The Cardinals’ opponents in the MAC championship game, the Buffalo Bulls, have a game remaining on Friday against 3-8 Kent State. The Bulls will enter the game 7-4 overall and are -9 home favorites over the Golden Flashes. The MAC Championship game will be played indoors at Detroit’s Ford Field, a venue that in theory should favor the superior speed and athleticism of Ball State.
Despite the loss, Western Michigan also had a very successful season finishing 9-3 overall which included an upset of Big 10 opponent Illinois in early November and are likely to get a minor bowl bid of their own.
