Luster's late-game heroics net Ball State first MAC win of 2026

All hope seemed lost for Ball State with just under two minutes remaining, giving up 14 points in 11 seconds to Bowling Green to go down 24-17, but Cardinals quarterback Keldric Luster stepped up in a big way, finding Eli Holdt as time expired to force overtime and then tossing perhaps his best pass of the day with the game on the line to Alex Scherle on a two-point conversion for the walk-off 32-31 victory on Saturday afternoon.

"It shows you that we’ve got a really good quarterback," Ball State head coach Mike Uremovich said about Luster in post-game availability. "[H]e’s got a short memory; he put the ball on the ground [on the previous possession], and they scored. He got back up and said, ‘Hey, we are in the same position we wanted to go score a touchdown anyways’ and then he led us all the way down there for the win."

The Cardinals had the Falcons in the palm of their hand over the first 23 minutes of action, with the defense forcing three punts on BG's first three possessions and the offense finding two early scores to go up 10-0 with 7:07 remaining in the second quarter.

BGSU would find their rhythm over the rest of the second quarter, with Brennan Riley speeding past the BSU defense on a 77-yard tunnel screen to put the margin at 10-7 and Travis Kenner booming a career-long 49-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-all right before the halftime break.

Ball State took control once again to start the third quarter, as Keldric Luster capped off an impressive 10-play, 68-yard drive with an explosive 28-yard scamper to put the Cardinals back on top at 17-10– where the score would stay until late in the fourth quarter.

With 1:12 remaining, Bowling Green finally found the endzone on a sustained drive lasting over seven minutes of game clock, as Eli Jacon-Duffy hauled in a six-yard pass from Jay Kastantin to tie the game back up at 17-17.

The Bowling Green defense would carry that momentum over into the very next play of the next drive, as Luster was held up by a defensive lineman long enough for Kal-El Pascal to punch the ball out and for D'kyah Banks to trail it and scoop it up for his second recovery touchdown in as many weeks, putting the Falcons up by a 24-17 margin with just over a minute remaining.

Luster tossed passes for eight yards and six yards in reply on the first two plays before breaking out for a 19-yard gain with his legs to get BSU into Falcon territory. An incomplete pass from Luster to Isaiah Thacker in the endzone drew a defensive pass interference call, gifting the Cardinals an additional 15 yards– which became important at game's end.

Luster would convert a first down on a 10-yard rush to put the Cardinals in the Falcons redzone, setting up the last play of regulation on two incomplete passes.

Luster took the snap, stepped into the pocket, rolled out to his left, then threw across his body to the opposite side of the field, where a wide-open Eli Holdt was waiting for the touchdown as time expired to force the extra period.

Bowling Green got the ball to start the overtime period, scoring quickly on an Austyn Dendy four-yard rush to put the Falcons up 31-24.

Ball State needed more time, converting a fourth-and-one thanks to a Luster scramble to keep the game alive. The Cards would keep it on the ground to get their points, with Luster and halfback TJ Horton combining for the remaining 15 yards before Horton crossed the goal line on a one-yard rush to put the game at 31-30.

It wasn't a guarantee to go for two, but Uremovich, wary of BG's recent form, opted to end the game right there.

"No, I’m not going to lie to you and say it was," Uremovich said. "... They had scored twice in a row on us, and I just wanted to try and end the game right
there."

Luster escaped the pocket again to avoid the pressure, rolling right before reeling back in and rifling the ball towards the right sideline of the endzone, where Alex Scherle secured the ball and kept his feet in-bounds to let Ball State walk off with the 32-31 victory.

"I’m proud of the kids and how they fought back," Uremovich said post-game. "We have had a tough stretch, we’ve lost four games in a row, and haven’t won on the road in a while... [I]t's a... program building win for our team."

The loss was a bitter one for Bowling Green, who was looking to go 3-0 in MAC play for the first time since 2015.

"We knew they played a tough schedule like we played a tough schedule, and you don't look at somebody's record; you look at the fact that these teams are hungry," Bowling Green head coach Eddie George said post-game. "There are no gimme wins in this conference, regardless of what your what your record looks like, and we've been on that side. We understand the desperation."

Luster finished 16-of-24 passing for 195 yards and also led the rushing effort with 125 yards (with no lost yards) on 17 carries, scoring twice (one passing, one rushing). TJ Horton (18 carries, 81 yards, two touchdowns) also put up a strong effort for the Cardinals, while CJ Nelson had six catches for 59 yards to lead the receivers. Holdt's TD catch at game's end was his lone reception, while Alex Scherle's only catch was on the two-point conversion.

Gavin Forsha led BSU with eight tackles, while Ben Marsh held the lead in tackles-for-loss and sacks (1.5 each). Amier Glenn and Anthony Pinnace each forced a fumble, while Willizhaun Yates nabbed an interception. D-lineman Ka'Shawn Thomas had the team's lone pass break-up on a third-down attempt.

Bowling Green had good individual performances despite the loss. Jay Kastantin was accurate once again, finishing 17-of-24 for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Austyn Dendy led the team in rushing with 61 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Winn Sharp (35 yards) and Eli Jacon-Duffy (34 yards, TD) held joint-lead for receptions (four). Brennan Riley led in receiving yards (84) thanks in large part to his 77-yard score.

Linebacker Dorian Pringle once again led the Falcons in tackles (10). BG struggled to get much penetration despite having some of the MAC's better rushers, with only three TFLs and no sacks as a unit. Josira Andrews had seven tackles and two pass break-ups, while D'kyah Banks had a scoop-and-score for the second-straight week after doing the same against Sacramento State.

Ball State (2-5, 1-2 MAC) keeps their postseason hopes alive for at least another week, and also snaps a 14-game road losing streak dating back to October 2024. Their next game is at home against Sacramento State.

Bowling Green (2-5, 2-1 MAC) won't get much time to recover, traveling to Buffalo, who also sits at 2-1 in conference play.

Both games are scheduled for next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.