Sept. 2, 2010

Final Stats

By Jeff Honza
Southeast Missouri State Sports Information

MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State (1-0) scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to key a 27-10 victory over Southeast Missouri (0-1) Thursday night in front of a crowd of 10,753 at Scheumann Stadium.

Southeast and Ball State were tied, 7-7, at halftime before the Cardinals scored two touchdowns in a span of 4:32 early in the second half.

"We had a great first half and I thought our kids came ready to play," said Southeast head coach Tony Samuel. "The third quarter was the difference. Overall, I was proud of the way we played."

Southeast had the ball first in the second half, but was forced to punt.

The Cardinals, after taking over on downs at their own 49, marched 51 yards in nine plays to take the lead. Eric Williams and Cory Sykes combined for 36 rushing yards, with Williams capping the drive on a 1-yard plunge at the 8:45 mark.

On the first play of the Redhawks next possession, Cedric Cox fumbled the ball into the hands of Robert Eddins at Southeast's 39-yardline. Eight plays later, Sykes scored his second rushing touchdown on a 12-yard run with 4:53 left.

Southeast was forced to punt again, but Briggs Orsbon came free up the middle to block Joe Vucic's kick.

The Cardinals were held to a 29-yard field goal by Ian McGarvey which extended their lead to 24-7 with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Southeast's only points in the second half came via a 53-yard field goal by Drew Geldbach. Geldbach, who split the uprights on his first career field goal attempt, is the second Redhawk kicker to make a 53-yard field goal in as many years. Doug Spada also connected from 53 yards out at UT Martin on Sept. 26, 2009.

McGarvey's 17-yard field goal with 5:40 left in the game polished off Ball State's 27-10 season-opening win.

Ball State struck first in a run-dominated opening quarter.

Williams carried the ball six times for 31 yards to help get the Cardinals to the Southeast-18. Two plays later, Sykes took the handoff and scored on a 9-yard run to grab Ball State a 7-0 lead at the 8:55 mark. The Cardinals ran the ball on 10 of their first 11 plays of the season.

Southeast, like the Cardinals, also started strong.

The Redhawks took over on downs at their own 27-yardline and used two big third-down conversions to keep their first drive alive.

Henry Harris ran for a first down on a 3rd-and-2 and Matt Scheible completed a 10-yard pass to Harris on a 3rd-and-5. Scheible completed another pass to Harris, this time for 11 yards, to give Southeast a first down at the Ball State-11. On the next play, Mike Jones hit paydirt to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:21 remaining.

Jones' 11-yard run marked the Redhawks first touchdown against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) opponent since 2006 (at Arkansas).

Southeast had excellent field position late in the second quarter when Justin Woodlief intercepted a Kelly Page pass to give the Redhawks the ball at Ball State's 30-yardline. However, Jones fumbled two plays into the drive and the Cardinals recovered.

Offensively, Ball State outgained Southeast, 259-142, on the ground. Williams led the way with 105 yards on 20 carries and averaged 5.2 yards per rush.

Harris had a big night for the Redhawks, piling up 137 all-purpose yards. He had 50 yards on 11 carries and caught a career-high eight passes for 82 yards. Harris also added five yards on kick returns.

"We came out fighting," said Harris. "We had a strong first half, but we have to learn how to finish. It's a four-quarter game."

Scheible completed 12-of-18 passes for 112 yards. He also went his fourth-straight game without throwing an interception.

Defensively, the Redhawks let Ball State into their territory only once in the first half. Woodlief, Joshua Jackson and J.J. Sanchez each registered double-digit tackles. Woodlief and Jackson had a game-high 13, while Sanchez followed with 10. The defense also forced two fumbles and had an interception.

Southeast will open Ohio Valley Conference play at Murray State on Sept. 11. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT, at Stewart Stadium. That game will be televised live on the Wazoo Sports Network and Heartland CW (WQWQ-TV).