Ball State takes 34-17 Homecoming win over Sacramento State

One of the most anticipated Mid-American Conference clashes of the year found itself being played in Muncie, Indiana on Saturday afternoon, as the Ball State Cardinals (3-5, 2-2 MAC) hosted the Sacramento State Hornets (1-7, 0-5 MAC) for Homecoming Weekend.

This particular matchup found itself as a hit with fans from its announcement back in May, and for at least the first half of action, lived up to its billing as a sort of Super Bowl for a certain subset of college football lovers.

The visiting Hornets struck first, with safety Boogsie Silvera intercepting Keldric Luster on a third-and-29 arm punt to gift the Sac State offense the ball at their own 24-yard line. The offense would eventually convert the turnover into a 47-yard field goal from Grant Meadors, punching the gut of the home crowd with a 3-0 lead with 2:36 left in the first quarter.

Sac State held that lead until the 8:45 mark of the second quarter, when on a third-and-four play, the Hornets over-committed to the run game, allowing Isaiah Thacker to break free for a 65-yard touchdown reception to put the Cardinals on top 7-3.

The Hornets replied back in dramatic fashion, with punter Hamish Adams coming up clutch on an 11-yard pass to Luke Slater on a fake punt deep in Hornets territory to extend the drive. On the very next play, Jace Wilson got a step on the defensive back along the sideline and Jackson Sharman found him for a 65-yard touchdown reception, giving Sac State a 10-7 lead two minutes later.

Ball State's offense needed only two plays to fire back, as Jamarion McDougle collected a 55-yard receiving touchdown set up by an excellent 23-yard kick return by Johnny Thompson Jr., pushing the scoreboard to 13-10 after a failed extra point kick.

The game started to take its turn in favor of the home team late in the second quarter, as Kaleb Stewart sacked Jackson Sharman for a 13-yard loss and caused a fumble, allowing Ben Marsh to scoop the ball up and give the Cardinals excellent field position.

Keldrick Luster would run for 14 yards and 11 yards on back-to-back plays, setting up TJ Horton for a punch-in score from one yards out, giving Ball State a commanding 20-10 lead at the halftime break.

Ball State's defense forced a punt to start the second half and added once again to the scoreboard on a Luster run from six yards out to close out a drive aided in part by a defensive pass interference on third-and-eight, putting the Cards up 27-10 early in the third quarter.

Sac State started to put together a rally after that, replying to Luster's score with an 11-play, 81-yard drive lasting nearly six minutes, eventually capped by a Matthew Coleman touchdown reception to narrow the margin at 27-17, while Boogsie Silvera notched his second INT of the day to prevent a touchdown on the next possession.

The Hornet offense would get nowhere, suffering a sack on third down to force a three-and-out, ending their best chance to come back for a win.

TJ Horton would get his second touchdown run of the day to seal the game shut with 9:40 remaining, giving Ball State a 34-17 win to send the Homecoming faithful back happy.

For Ball State, Keldrick Luster was 14-of-27 passing for 224 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also contributing 68 rushing yards and a score. Jalen Bonds led the rushing attack with 17 carries for 77 yards, while TJ Horton (nine carries, 33 yards) punched in two touchdowns. Isaiah Thacker's 65-yard TD reception led the passcatching unit, with Donovan Hamilton leading in receptions (three).

Three Cardinals tied for the lead in total tackles, while Kaleb Stewart had the momentum-shifting sack resulting in a forced fumble.

Jackson Sharman had a workman's day at signalcaller for Sac State, completing 17-of-27 passes for 187 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions and only taking one sack– but there were certainly missed opportunities fans will be frustrated about. Brian Salazar Jr. (2-of-4, 25 yards) saw cleanup work late.

Isaiah Ene led the rushing attack with 57 yards on 10 carries, while five Hornets had exactly three receptions to all lead the offense. Jace Wilson led in yards (89), boosted in part by his 65-yard touchdown.

Boosie Silvera earned a helmet sticker for his efforts despite the loss, with two crucial interceptions on top of a team-leading 11 tackles and a half-TFL on the afternoon. Caleb Reese also notched 11 stops and a half-TLF, while Loki Holani had the team's lone sack to go with six tackles and a team-leading two pass break-ups.

Ball State earned their second-straight MAC victory, but still have a long road to plow, sitting at 3-5 overall. They can't afford more losses if they want to qualify for the postseason. They sit for an extended rest week before a road trip to UMass on Wednesday, Nov. 4th.

Sacramento State is no longer in position for a bowl game, taking their seventh loss of the campaign. They're also 0-5 in MAC play, and have yet to claim their first win over an FBS team. They're on a short week, getting set to host Kent State for a nationally-broadcast night game on Friday, Oct. 30th. The game is set for kickoff at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time/7:30 p.m. local time, with broadcast on ESPN2.