Instant Analysis: Ball State-Central Michigan

They still have unfinished business to tend to, but on a snowy night in Mount Pleasant, Mich., the Ball State Cardinals affirmed their greatness while enabling their foremost goals to remain attainable.

In an ideal world, there would be grander and more soaring ways to describe a victory as gutsy as Ball State’s 31-24 triumph over a superb Central Michigan squad at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday. But because of the quality of the Mid-American Conference’s West Division, the Cardinals—for all their excellence, which was on display in the second half of this showdown with the charged-up Chippewas—have yet to lock up so much as a division title. For a team with an 11-0 record, that’s not supposed to happen, but this has been no ordinary year in the best division in a non-BCS conference.

As fabulous as the 2008 season had been for the Cardinals, the one undefeated team in the Mid-American Conference confronted an uneasy realization when it stepped on the field against the two-time defending MAC champions: A loss to Central Michigan—not unbeaten overall, but unblemished in the conference—would deny them division and conference titles. Despite a 10-0 mark heading into this night fight, coach Brady Hoke’s kids realized that if the Chippewas chopped them down, the division title would reside in Mount Pleasant for a third straight season, and with it, a likely conference crown as well. Ball State knew that one misstep against a proven opponent would lead to one of the more empty 10-1 records ever seen in college football. Under such circumstances, when previous successes can seem to be so insubstantial, a band of brothers learns how difficult it is to finish the job in a competitive league.

It is in light of this larger backdrop that Ball State’s Wednesday win can be appreciated as a particularly impressive achievement.

Knowing that their season was on the line, and realizing that 10 wins in as many games bought them nothing more than a chance to merely stay in contention for the MAC West title, the Cardinals—up against the reigning MAC daddy—refused to flinch in a second half that will cheer Ball State backers for years to come.

Twice, the boys from Indiana stared down seven-point deficits, their largest of the season. Always under fire against Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan’s decorated and dynamic quarterback, the Comeback Cards never displayed the nerves or the pronounced panic that can easily emerge when a dream season is on the verge of slipping away. With Central Michigan playing well, and forcing the visitors to bring their best to the ballpark under daunting circumstances, quarterback Nate Davis, running back MiQuale Lewis, and a resolute offensive line not only erased the touchdowns LeFevour forged, but took the outright lead on a ballsy third-down strike from Davis to receiver Briggs Orsbon that gave Ball State the lead midway through the fourth quarter. After fighting uphill battles in the falling snow for most of the second half, the Cards were rewarded for their perseverance, and after intercepting LeFevour in their own red zone with 27 seconds left in regulation, a still-undefeated season--while not yet a championship season—took its biggest step toward ultimate success.

No offense to the high-quality Western Michigan team that—next Tuesday in Indiana—will stand in the way of Ball State’s march to perfection, but this terrific tilt in Mount Pleasant was a more-than-pleasant monument to elite football. The Cards and Chippewas traded punches in a thrilling contest featuring top-shelf quarterbacking, thoughtful play calling, and textbook offensive line play. Defenses were occasionally able to make impact plays, lending a certain tension and completeness to the proceedings. The coaches—particularly Hoke, as shown on a fourth-and-1 gamble with 9:49 left in the third quarter at his team’s own 38—went for the brass ring in a high-stakes battle. Everything about this game except the sometimes-suspect officiating (which, even then, improved after the first two and a half quarters, and did not make a major misstep down the stretch, a credit to the crew on hand) glittered with greatness. This confrontation felt like a championship football showcase, and in the end, it was Ball State—by a hair—who overcame ample on-field adversity to sustain its sterling season.

Yes, you can’t quite call Ball State University a championship football team in 2008, and if Western Michigan can make some magic next Tuesday, a three-way tie will emerge at the top of the MAC West. But with that being acknowledged, it’s hard to deny that the conquering Cardinals look the part of a winner—and now deserve an extra measure of accolades—after their display of grit and gumption against an inspired Central Michigan outfit that defended its conference title with honor.