2006 Akron Zips Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Nov. 24
Ball State 30 ... Kent State 6
After a sluggish start for both sides, Larry Bostic ran for
two touchdowns, Brian Jackson hit two field goals, and Terry Moss caught a
30-yard touchdown pass as Ball State took a 27-0 lead going into the fourth
quarter before Kent State finally got on the board with a nine-yard touchdown
catch from Marcus Smith. Jackson sealed the scoring with a 22-yard Jackson field
goal.
Player of the
game ... Ball State RB Larry Bostic ran 31 times for 123 yards
and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Kent State- Passing: Julian
Edelman, 19-35, 181 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Julian Edelman, 21-95 Receiving:
Marcus Hill, 6-53, 1 TD Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 16-28,
268 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Larry Bostic, 31-123, 2 TD Receiving:
Darius Hill, 5-116 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Ball State knew it could throw with Nate Davis the
star to build around for next year, but the Kent State win belonged to Larry
Bostic, who closed out his career with a fantastic, workhorse performance
running over a solid defense. The defense came up with one of its best games of
the season to go into the off-season on high note attacking over and over again
getting into the backfield throughout the game. With three wins in the final
four games, with the loss coming to Michigan, this will be one of the hot teams
coming into next year.
Nov. 14
Ball State 20 ... Toledo 17
Ball State overcame an early 92-yard Jalen Parmele touchdown
run and a three-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hopkins with Nate Davis
touchdown passes to Terry Moss and Dante Love to finish the first
half tied at 14-14. Brian Jackson's two field goals from Brian
Jackson, including a 27-yard shot with 6:27 to play, gave the
Cardinals the lead for good. Toledo had one final shot, but Hopkins
dropped a fourth and two pass allowing the Cardinals to run out the
clock. Player of the game ... Ball State RB Larry Bostic ran
31 times for 143 yards Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate
Davis, 15-30, 212 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Larry Bostic, 31-143. Receiving:
Terry Moss, 6-127, 1 TD Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 12-23,
136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 20-173, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 3-35, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Don't
underestimate the importance a nationally televised for a program
like Ball State. It overcame some early big plays from Toledo to
bounce back with a balanced attack and timely defense to pull off
the good road win. The pass rush and third down defense was
fantastic, but Nate Davis could've been sharper on third downs.
Yeah, Toledo might not be playing well, but this was still important
for the Cardinals going into the end of the year and into the
off-season.
Nov. 4
Michigan 34 ... Ball State 26
Michigan needed the full sixty minutes to put Ball State away
after a fourth down Cardinal pass in the final minutes fell incomplete in the
end zone. The Cardinals jumped out to a stunning early lead with a safety and a
35-yard interception return for a score from Erik Keys, but then the Wolverine
offensive line took over leading the way to 40-yard Brandon Minor scoring run
and a one-yard Mike Hart run on the way to a 31-12 lead midway through the third
quarter. Just when it seemed like Michigan could coast, Nate Davis and Dante
Love hooked up for a 54-yard score. A two-yard Larry Bostic scoring run got the
Cardinals to within eight midway through the fourth. Player of the game ... Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 25
times for 154 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate
Davis, 18-34, 250 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Larry Bostic, 12-46, 1 TD. Receiving:
Dante Love, 6-107, 1 TD Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 17-25,
155 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 25-154, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve
Breaston, 7-50 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ball
State might have lost to Michigan, but this might have been a case of a team
maturing for next year with one big performance. The defense got steamrolled
over and the offense didn't get anything going with the ground game, but Nate
Davis played extremely well under fire and Dante Love showed once again why he's
one of the nation's best tight ends. Can the momentum carry over to the final
two games against Toledo and Kent State? Finishing 5-7 would be a nice
achievement at this point.
Oct. 28
Ball State 20 ... Miami University 17
Ball State scored on a one-yard Madaris Grant touchdown catch
with 1:11 to play to take the lead, and then the D held as Trey
Buice picked off Mike Kokal to end the game. Kokal connected on an
11-yard touchdown pass to Ryne Robinson and ran for a one-yard
score, but Ball State came back in the final seven minutes with a
50-yard Brian Jackson field goal and the Grant score. Nate Davis hit
Terry Moss for a 19-yard touchdown to start off the Ball State
scoring. Player of the
game ... Ball State QB
Nate Davis was 11-of-24 for 98 yards, one interception and two
touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:11 left.
Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate Davis,
11-24, 98 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Larry Bostic, 16-85 Receiving: Dante Love,
5-58 Miami - Passing: Mike Kokal, 19-34, 205 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Andre Bratton, 17-48 Receiving: Ryne Robinson,
5-84, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ball
State found a way to win when Nate Davis wasn't at his sharpest. He
had one of his worst games of the season in the win over Miami
University, but the running game cranked out 133 yards and Davis
came up with the plays he needed to late. After two straight losses,
this was a must-win before going to Michigan next week. The
Cardinals have no shot at winning, but it should be a good
experience for the young team.
Oct. 21
Western Michigan 41 ... Ball State 27
Western Michigan LB Ameer Ismail tied an NCAA record with six
sacks, and he returned an interception for a score, while the offense got three
Ryan Cubit touchdowns passes, highlighted by an 81-yard play to Brian Ledbetter,
on the way to an impressive win. Ball State QB Joey Lynch threw for three scores
hitting Darius Hill for two touchdowns in the second quarter, but he was under
pressure all game long getting sacked nine times leading to a net total of nine
rushing yards for the Cardinals. Player of the game
...
Western Michigan LB Ameer Ismail made 13 tackles, six sacks, 6.5 tackles
for loss, and returned an interception for a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Joey Lynch,
24-30, 290 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Corey McGee, 7-21 Receiving: Terry Moss,
5-90, 1 TD Western Michigan - Passing: Ryan Cubit, 20-24, 291
yds, 3 TD Rushing: Mark Bonds, 30-132, 1 TD Receiving: Joe Chapple,
5-49, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ball
State might want to figure out where WMU's Ameer Ismail is. Ismail
single-handedly blew up the Ball State offense with six of the team's nine sacks
forcing Nate Davis to look like a freshman for the first time all year .Joey
Lynch was fantastic off the bench, but it was too little, too late. Now there's
a three-game road stretch against Miami University, Michigan and Toledo, and to
get through the stretch without getting embarrassed, the offensive line will
have to play night and day better.
Oct. 14
Central Michigan 18 ... Ball State 7
Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour ran for two touchdowns for a
12-0 lead and Marcel Archer put the game out of reach on a one-yard run, while
the defense held Ball State to just 213 yards of total offense and forced five
turnovers. Ball State scored on a one-yard Brad Salyer run to cap off a 13-play,
69-yard drive, but couldn't handle the CMU running game in the second half. Player of
the game ...
Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour was 18-of-31 for 171 yards and an interception,
while adding 75 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate Davis, 23-29, 160
yds, 1 INT Rushing: Larry Bostic, 9-22 Receiving: Dante Love, 7-33 Central Michigan - Passing: Dan Lefevour, 18-31, 171 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 18-75, 2 TDs Receiving: Bryan Anderson, 8-81 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Nate
Davis had an efficient game against Central Michigan, but he wasn't able to get
anything going deep and he wasn't able to generate enough good drives. The
defense wasn't bad after a little bit of a rough start; it wasn't fair to ask it
time and again to come up with a stop off of turnovers. The Cardinals aren't
good enough to beat anyone good after turning it over five times.
Oct. 7
Northern Illinois 55 ... Buffalo 25
Ball State came out roaring with a 38-3 halftime lead helped
by two short touchdown runs from B.J. Hill, a blocked punt for a
score, and a Nate Davis ten-yard touchdown pass to Darius Hill.
Buffalo needed its defense to get on the board with a 43-yard
interception return for a touchdown from Kareem Byrom, and then Drew
Willy bombed away in the fourth with two scoring passes when the
game was well out of reach. Player of the game
...
Ball State RB B.J. Hill ran 28 times for 116 yards and two
touchdowns Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate Davis,
11-14, 247 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: B.J. Hill, 28-116, 2 TD Receiving: Darius
Hill, 4-98, 2 TD Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 27-40, 321 yds,
2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Starks, 19-65 Receiving: Naam Roosevelt,
7-72, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ball
State put together a full sixty minutes against Buffalo with a nice
all-around performance. The secondary gave up a few too many yards
late, and there were a few mistakes, but overall, the Cardinals have
to be pleased going into a big showdown at Central Michigan. Nate
Davis, outside of a pick-six, was nearly perfect. The nation's
leader in passing efficiency has effectively pushed Joey Lynch aside
and is starting to play like the number one QB should be.
Sept. 30
Northern Illinois 40 ... Ball State 28
Northern Illinois Garrett Wolfe ran for 353 yards and three
touchdowns including a 43-yard dash early in the fourth quarter on the way to a
40-14 lead. Ball State got two of Nate Davis's four touchdown passes in the
final six minutes, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome Wolfe and the Huskie
offense. Wolfe scored from 51, 48 and 53 yards out helping NIU roll up 610 yards
of total offense. Player of the game
...
Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe ran 31 times for 353 yards and three
touchdowns and caught three pass for three yards Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Nate Davis,
27-39, 298 yds, 4 TD Rushing: MiQuale, Lewis, 14-79 Receiving: Darius
Hill, 9-112, 2 TD Northern Illinois - Passing: Phil Horvath, 20-27,
252 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Garrett Wolfe, 31-353, 3 TD Receiving: Britt
Davis, 5-115 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Getting
rolled over by Garrett Wolfe is hardly anything to be ashamed of, but
eventually, Ball State has to start producing. While the run defense did nothing
against Northern Illinois, the pass defense had equal issues
and the offense couldn't keep up the pace. Nate
Davis had a marvelous game even though most of his big passes came when the game
was out of reach. Now there needs to be steadier early production against the
better teams. With five road games in the next six, keeping mistakes to a
minimum will be vital.
Sept. 23
North Dakota State 29 ... Ball State 24
North Dakota State stunned Ball State with 13 points in the
fourth quarter finishing with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Travis White with 1:25
to play to get the win. The Cardinals' final drive went nowhere stalling on its
own 33. The Cardinal secondary couldn't handle NDSU's Steve Walker, who threw
three touchdown passes on the day with two in the second quarter. Ball State's
offense exploded with two big touchdown passes on a 70-yard Dante Love touchdown
and a 81-yard Terry Moss score that seemed to put the game away, but the defense
let down. Player of the game ... Player of the game ...
North Dakota
State QB Steve Walker completed 29 of 46 passes for 451 yards and three
touchdowns Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Joey Lynch, 13-21, 262
yds, 1 TD Rushing: B.J. Hill, 6-21, 1 TD Receiving: Dante Love, 5-116,
1 TD North Dakota State - Passing: Steve Walker, 29-46, 451 yds,
3 TD
Rushing: Kyle Steffes, 18-77 Receiving: Kole Heckendorf, 7-95,
1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... What was
that? Ball State got the big plays needed against North Dakota State to all but
put the game away, but the defense did nothing to slow down the Bison passing
game and now the team is 1-3. There wasn't any pressure and there was even less
of a running game to salt away the game in the fourth quarter. Was the team
simply not focused? Possibly, but that's still no excuse. Now things get nasty
with five road games in the next six with the one home date against Western
Michigan. Uh oh.
Sept. 16
Purdue 38 ... Ball State 28
Ball State started off the scoring on a five-yard touchdown
pass to Louis Johnson, and closed out with the final 15 points highlighted by a
30-yard touchdown pass to Darius Hill, and Curtis Painter and the Purdue offense
dominated in between. Painter threw three touchdown passes and ran for one, and
Kory Sheets scored three times to go up 38-13 late in the fourth quarter. Dustin
Keller caught a 60-yard touchdown pass to start off the Boilermaker scoring. Player of the game ... Player of the game ...
Purdue QB Curtis
Painter completed 30 of 39 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns and ran for
a score. Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Joey Lynch, 17-26, 193
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Miquale Lewis, 9-56 Receiving: Larry Bostic, 10-99 Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 30-39, 416 yds, 3 TDs, 2
INTs
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 14-57, 1 TD Receiving: Kory Sheets, 5-65, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Is Joey
Lynch looking over his shoulder? With Nate Davis almost certain to play in every
game, the offense appears to be missing a lot of consistency. The secondary
allowed way too many big plays to Purdue and did nothing to keep Curtis Painter
from moving the ball. With a tune up game against North Dakota State ahead, the
offense has to be more balanced and get more from its running game before
dealing with Northern Illinois. This is a good team that should be a player in
the MAC race. Now it needs a quarterback to lead the way.
Sept. 16
Purdue 38 ... Ball State 28
Ball State started off the scoring on a five-yard touchdown
pass to Louis Johnson, and closed out with the final 15 points highlighted by a
30-yard touchdown pass to Darius Hill, and Curtis Painter and the Purdue offense
dominated in between. Painter threw three touchdown passes and ran for one, and
Kory Sheets scored three times to go up 38-13 late in the fourth quarter. Dustin
Keller caught a 60-yard touchdown pass to start off the Boilermaker scoring. Player of the game ... Player of the game ...
Purdue QB Curtis
Painter completed 30 of 39 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns and ran for
a score. Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Joey Lynch, 17-26, 193
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Miquale Lewis, 9-56 Receiving: Larry Bostic, 10-99 Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 30-39, 416 yds, 3 TDs, 2
INTs
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 14-57, 1 TD Receiving: Kory Sheets, 5-65, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Is Joey
Lynch looking over his shoulder? With Nate Davis almost certain to play in every
game, the offense appears to be missing a lot of consistency. The secondary
allowed way too many big plays to Purdue and did nothing to keep Curtis Painter
from moving the ball. With a tune up game against North Dakota State ahead, the
offense has to be more balanced and get more from its running game before
dealing with Northern Illinois. This is a good team that should be a player in
the MAC race. Now it needs a quarterback to lead the way.
Sept. 9
Indiana 24 ... Ball State 23
In a tale of two halves, Ball State took a 17-0 lead early on
thanks to two Joey Lynch touchdown passes and a 52-yard Brian Jackson field
goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Marcus Thigpen took it 100 yards for a score, but
the tide didn't quite turn yet. Darius Hill caught a 41-yard touchdown pass with
:35 left in the half and the Cardinals appears on their way. Then, Kellen Lewis
took over the game for Indiana throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to James Hardy
and running for a 23-yard score to get the team back in the game, and then led
the drive that culminated in the game-winning 25-yard field goal by Austin
Starr. The Hoosier defense shut out BSU in the second half. Player of the game ... Indiana QB Kellen Lewis
completed 15 of 28 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown and ran 12 times for 88
yards and a score Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Joey
Lynch, 15-24, 246 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: MiQUale Lewis, 7-14. Receiving:
Dante Love, 9-80 Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 15-28,
228 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kellen Lewis, 112-88, 1 TD. Receiving:
James Bailey, 4-19 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The lack
of a running game killed the Cardinals against Indiana. With a big lead early,
BSU needed to start running the ball to control the tempo and momentum of the
game, and it couldn't do it. The Hoosiers might not be going to the BCS, but BSU
still can't beat a team like that averaging only 1.9 yards per carry. While Nate
Davis was fine, Joey Lynch needs to be the main man for this offense. He's the
spark and the veteran leader who makes it go.
Aug. 31
Ball State 38 ... Eastern Michigan 20
Ball State used a balanced attack to go on a 31-6 run over the
second and third quarters after EMU held a 7-0 first quarter lead on
a Tyler Jones touchdown run. A trick play sparked the Cardinals into
the lead for good with freshman QB Nate Davis connecting with Louis
Johnson on a 46- yard score. Davis threw two touchdown passes and
Dante Love score twice. EMU was able to crank out 435 yards of total
offense. Player of the game ... Ball State QB Nate Davis
completed seven of eight passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Ball State- Passing: Joey
Lynch, 10-20, 122 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Larry Bostic, 15-64. Receiving:
Darius Hill, 4-64, 2 TD EMU - Passing: Tyler Jones, 11-16, 146
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tyler Jones, 22-164, 1 TD. Receiving: Eric
Deslauriers, 10-127, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It's funny how much better the team is with everyone there. It's a
night-and-day improvement from last year at this time when
suspensions killed any consistency over the first half of the year.
There were a few too many problems with the Eastern Michigan
offense, but the Cardinal attack was effective enough to make up for
the problems. Nate Davis looked fantastic in relief of Joey Lynch
giving the coaching staff a great second option to play around with.
If the offense can be this sharp, BSU has a shot to upset Indiana
next week.
Ball State finished the season near the bottom in every
meaningful statistical category imaginable with the defense allowing a MAC-worst
459 yards and 37.8 points per game and the offense, hurt mostly by a
young offensive line that tied with Buffalo for the most sacks
allowed in America, was never consistent and averaged a mere 288
yards and 21.18 points per game.
The lack of production on both sides of the ball can be blamed
on one thing: a textbook. While the program never made excuses, the
season wasn't anywhere what it could've been after 16 players were
suspended for several games throughout the first part of the season
because of a book loan program that turned out to be a violation of NCAA rules.
Even with all of last year's
issues, the team was competitive in MAC play beating title game
participants Northern Illinois and Akron and coming within an
overtime loss of Central Michigan of finishing a very respectable 5-6.
There aren't any excuses this season for not having a big year with 17
returning starters including ten on offense led by potential All-MAC QB
Joey Lynch.
For a program that hasn't had a winning season since 1996 and has only
ten wins in the three-year Brady Hoke era, it's not exactly the time to
get greedy and start shooting for the MAC title, but there's no reason
this can't be one of the league's sleeper teams doing some damage
throughout the season like Central Michigan and Western Michigan did
last year. Can Ball State be this year's Akron? No, it's still too young
a team to make that kind of leap in a division with Northern Illinois
and Toledo, but expect this to be a fun season with a lot more scoring
and plenty of close, competitive games leading the way to what should be
a fantastic 2007.
The
Schedule: It's good early and nasty late with four of the
first five games at home and then a brutal run of five road games in six
before finishing up against Kent State. The Cardinals get a huge break
getting Buffalo and Kent State from the MAC East and get top West teams
Northern Illinois and Western Michigan at home. However, they'd better
count on a late season swoon playing at Miami University, at Michigan
and at Toledo over a three game span.
Best
Offensive Player:
Senior QB Joey Lynch. He
was running for his life behind a porous offensive line and still
managed to come up with an effective year. He's an ultra-efficient
passer who doesn't make mistakes with only nine interceptions in 25
career games. He's not going to run for any significant yards, but he's
a perfect veteran to lead this experienced, but still young, offense to
a better season.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior SS Erik Keys. He's limited in pass coverage and might not be the
best playmaker around, but he's a solid veteran against the run and a
tone-setting hitter when he gets someone in his sights. He'll combine
with Trey Lewis to form one of the MAC's better safety tandems.
Key player
to a successful season: Senior NT Tom Kellar. The run defense got
shoved all over the place last season allowing 202 yards per game.
Kellar is a 303-pound strong senior who hasn't done anything yet for a
variety of reasons. He was one of the suspended players last year, but
now he'll be expected to grow into a rock on the nose providing an
anchor the defense desperately needs.
The season
will be a success if ... Ball State comes up with six wins. If the team can go 4-7 last
year with all the problems, then an extra two victories this year with
so many returning veterans is a more-than-attainable goal. To get there,
there needs to be a few upsets along the way and a huge start with all
the top home games over the first half of the season.
Key game:
August 31st vs. Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals didn't win their
first game last season until mid-October and didn't win their second
game until almost November. Getting off to a great start with a win over
a West Division foe like Eastern Michigan is a must; they can't afford
to give away any home games.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Second quarter scoring: Opponents 144 - Ball State 44
- Sacks: Opponents 43 for 245 yards - Ball State 16 for 99 yards
- Yards per carry: Opponents 5.0 - Ball State 2.9
The Last Time Ball State…
…played in a bowl game…1996 (Las Vegas Bowl vs. Nevada)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2000 (UConn)
…was shutout…2005 (Boston College)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Western Michigan)
…went undefeated…1965
…won a conference title…1996 (MAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…Never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Marcus Merriweather)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Dante Ridgeway)
…had a first-round draft choice…Never
