And it looks as if this one is all but over for IU
Ball State marched down the field to go 74 yards on 11 plays and scored easily on one yard run for a touchdown. The drive took five minutes off the clock and should put the nail in the coffin for the Hoosiers.
From Ball State Sports Information Director Joe Hernandez:
"Dante Love suffered an injury during the first half of Ball State's football game at Indiana. He experienced numbness and tingling on the field and was transported to Bloomington Hospital and has since been taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for further evaluation."
This game has been all about IU getting break after break.
On the IU 15 yard line, Ball State running back MiQuale Lewis fumbled inside the 10 yard line and gave the Hoosiers back the ball. The fumble is important because it keeps IU within one score of Ball State.
Prior to the fumble, the Cardinals - like they have done all game - moved the ball extremely well but could not put the Hoosiers away.
Analysis
The first half was not a pretty one for the Hoosiers if you are an IU fan.
Ball State looked sound on both sides of the ball and took a 28-20 lead into halftime. If it wasn't for Kellen Lewis' interception with 1:04 to go in the first half, then the score would be significantly closer with the Hoosiers receiving the ball to start the second half.
Instead, the Hoosiers are on the verge of losing their first game this year - they have not looked comfortable on offense nor have they shown any consistency on defense. Lewis threw two interceptions, both led to touchdowns, and he does not look like the same player a year ago.
On nearly every play that has taken awhile to develop, Lewis has fled outside of the pocket and has tried to make plays with his legs. Several times, he failed to throw the ball out of bounds and instead took a sack for a loss. Too many times, he overthrew his receivers or rocketed a ball in way too hard, leading to his halftime line of 3-11-2 (completions, incompletions, interceptions). He did not complete a pass in the second quarter.
Relatively untested in their first two games, the Hoosiers need to make many halftime adjustments if they want to stay undfeated in 2008.
Please post your comments below and let us know what you think about the Hoosiers' first half performance.
And the wheels have fallen off as the half comes to a close.
After the Hoosiers forced Ball State to punt, Lewis threw an interception that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 remaining in the half. Attempting to get some points by the end of the half - IU starts with the ball in the third quarter - Lewis erred for the second time tonight.
The first half stats on offense were not pretty for the Hoosiers - Ball State leads in total yards, 282-198 - but they are still in the game.
We will update you more on the Dante Love situation as soon as we find out some more information. After the game, we'll try and pass along quotes from the IU players to see their reaction.
But back to the action.
Just as the Hoosiers looked like they were back in the game, the secondary got burned twice by Nate Davis. Davis completed passes of 35 and 45 yards - the second pass resulted in a touchdown. On the first play, Adkins was beat deep and did not receive any help from Polk. Chris Phillips took a bad angle on Davis' 45-yard pass and ended up hurting himself.
The IU offense, however, put together its best drive of the day immediately after. The Hoosiers traveled 73 yards in a little over three minutes and scored when Lewis ran the ball in from one yard out. Lewis ran quite a bit on the drive, as did Marcus Thigpen. Together, the two brought the Hoosiers back into the game.
I started typing how the Hoosiers were getting run off the field because of their inept play thus far. But then Nick Polk made me change my mind.
After Nate Davis made a completion to Dante Love, Chris Adkins made a vicious hit on Love - who was injured after the play - and forced the fumble. Polk recovered the fumble on the sideline and returned it 31 yards for the score.
Love's head whiplashed as he hit the ground and he was tended to by the Ball State medical staff while Memorial Stadium fell incredibly silent. Ball State and the Hoosiers huddled in a group prayer near midfield before Love was taken off on a stretcher.
As my colleague Ryan Gregg just said, this is why you play a decent team before you play a good team.
For the second straight drive, Davis made the IU defense look sub-par to say the least, converting on fourth down to lead the Cardinals to their second score of the game. Through the ground and the air, Ball State has played very well while the IU defense has not shown up to play.
It looks as if the slow start for the Ball State offense was an anomaly. The Cardinals ran roughshod over the Hoosiers defense the second time around.
Ball State went 80 yards in just 10 plays and were aided by a 15-yard personal foul on IU linebacker Geno Johnson.
The Hoosiers came right back though with a strong drive of their own. Capped by a 47-yard deep pass to Andrew Means, the Hoosiers managed a field goal after Kellen Lewis threw two incompletions that were catchable balls.
The Hoosiers made it known that they were here to play from the get-go.
IU held Ball State to a three-and-out after the Cardinals returned the ball well on the opening kickoff. But sophomore safety Jerimy Finch made an impressive block on the punt and the Hoosiers started on the Ball State 31-yard line. The Hoosiers went three-and-out but senior Austin Starr hit a 40-yard field goal.
- Updating a previous story, senior Joe Kleinsmith did start at safety for the Hoosiers and junior Austin Thomas is out.
