Recap: Miami wins in RedBird Rivalry, defeats Ball St. 27-21
By: Jack Mueller
The Miami RedHawks are on a roll. Chuck Martin’s team won their fourth straight game on Tuesday night, winning in the Redbird Rivalry 27-21 against Ball State on the road in Muncie.
Coming into the game, Miami was expected to dominate, coming into the game as 12 point favorites. However, Ball State came to fight. The Cardinals kept up with the RedHawks until the fourth quarter, when two Dom Dzioban field goals made all of the difference for Miami.
Keyon Mozee continues to establish himself as Chuck Martin’s number one option at the running back position. The veteran back ran for 105 yards on 22 attempts, outgaining the Cardinals’ rushing attack by 60 yards on his own.
The passing game was crucial to the victory for the RedHawks. While Brett Gabbert’s 50% completion rate may not jump off of the statsheet, he reached the end zone three times and threw for over 200 yards for the first time since the win over Eastern Michigan. Gabbert’s touchdown passes take him to second on the all-time touchdown leaders among former Miami quarterbacks. He now trails former Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger with 75 passing touchdowns.
His top target, Reggie Virgil, eclipsed the 100 yard mark for the second time this season, bringing in five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Virgil is now second on the team in receiving yards, trailing Javon Tracy by just four yards. Both receivers have been key for the success of the passing game over the past four weeks.
Miami was unable to get their offense going on their first drive, but would get a second chance just minutes later. Raion Strader slid across the turf to corral a wayward pass by Kadin Semonza. Strader’s second pick of the season puts him into a tie for the team lead with Matt Salopek and Corban Hondru.
The RedHawk defensive unit turned in another good performance on the road against a conference opponent. Both Corban Hondru and Raion Strader added to their interception total. The front seven also limited the Ball State rushing attack to just 51 yards on the ground. Matt Salopek led by example once again, leading the team with nine tackles.
Just four plays later, disaster struck for the RedHawks. Gabbert & co. were unable to take advantage of the field position, and were forced to bring on Alec Bevelheimer for a punt from the RedHawk 43. The All-MAC punter had trouble with the snap, and the ball was corralled by Brandon Berger, who found the end zone for a Cardinals touchdown, giving the home team a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Miami responded with a touchdown of their own just two and a half minutes later. Brett Gabbert connected with Virgil down the seam between the safeties, and the senior receiver stretched over the line to tie the game. Ball State recovered with an impressive drive of their own. The Cardinals drove 75 yards in five minutes, but Semonza couldn’t make the momentum count, and the drive ended with a 27-yard field goal, giving the home team a 10-7 lead.
The lead did not last long though, as the RedHawks responded with their second touchdown of the game just over four minutes later. Brett Gabbert dropped back and found Kevin Davis from 12 yards out to give Miami their first lead of the game. Ball State looked to respond, as a Semonza deep-ball found Justin Bowick inside the Miami 10, but the RedHawks defense held the Cardinals to a field goal to maintain their lead.
Gabbert scored his 75th career touchdown right at the end of the half to give Miami an eight point lead. The sixth-year signal caller found Javon Tracy wide open in the middle of the end zone to extend his lead with the 2nd most touchdown passes in Miami history. The Cardinals tried to get back on the board before the half, but Semonza’s hail mary attempt fell into the arms of Corban Hondru, sending the teams to the locker rooms with Miami leading 21-13.
After both teams had drives stall to open the second half, Bowick caught his second big pass of the game. This time though, he was able to take it all the way to the end zone for a score. Ball State pulled out a double reverse on the two-point attempt, and Cam Pickett found the corner of the end zone to tie the game at 21.
That was the last scoring the home side would register though, as Miami was able to retake the lead in the fourth quarter after Dzioban connected on another short field goal with eleven minutes to go. Over ten minutes of scoreless football later, the Miami kicker would hit another one through the uprights to force Ball State to go for the touchdown with two minutes left. On a long third down, Matt Salopek got home to sack Semonza, forcing a 4th and 18. The Cardinals failed to convert, allowing the RedHawks to steal a win on the road.
The RedHawks will have just over a week to prepare for their first midweek home game against Kent State. At 4-1, Miami once again finds themselves in the thick of the hunt for another trip to Detroit, and a home win will do wonders for their chances to return to the conference title game in December.