Imperfection: Ball State Loses MAC Championship Game to Buffalo
The Ball State Cardinals have been dominant during the 2008 college football season.
Entering Friday night’s MAC Championship game against Buffalo, Ball State had won every game it had played this season — including two over Big Ten opponents — and came in at 12-0. Led by QB Nate Davis and RB MiQuale Lewis, the Cardinals were an offensive juggernaut that many people were clamoring to see in the BCS.
I did not watch the game, but I just glanced at the box score, and it was clear to see that the Cardinals continued their dominant ways on Friday night. Nate Davis was 31-48 for 351 yards and a touchdown. MiQuale Lewis ran the ball 30 times for 131 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Just look at the team statistics and you will see how much Ball State dominated an overmatched Buffalo team that few people game much of a chance to win the game:
First Downs: Ball State – 30 | Buffalo – 18
Total Yards: Ball State – 503 | Buffalo – 301
Passing Yards: Ball State – 351 | Buffalo – 206
Rushing Yards: Ball State – 152 | Buffalo – 95
Time of Posession: Ball State – 34:18 | Buffalo 25:42
Final Score: Ball State – 24 | Buffalo – 42
Wait — what? Ball State lost? Say it ‘aint so!
Oh…it be so, sadly for fans of the Cardinals, for David Letterman, and for fans of football in the state of Indiana in general.
The most important stat of the Ball State-Buffalo game was the one that often determines the outcome of football games: turnovers. Ball State turned the ball over five times, while Buffalo only turned it over twice. Compounding the problem was that Buffalo scored off of all five Ball State turnovers.
According to the ESPN recap, Buffalo returned fumbles 92 and 74 yards on consecutive drives in the third quarter. Ouch. And superstar Nate Davis was involved in all four fumbles. The other turnover was a Davis interception.
After the MAC Championship debacle was over for Ball State, Nate Davis said that is coming back to school for his senior season. That is probably a good move. A putrid game like that on a big stage, when you are already fighting an uphill battle by not coming from one of the “big schools”, cannot be good for the draft stock.
On the bright side, only 12,871 fans were in attendance at Ford Field in Detroit to watch the game. My conjecture would be that this total exceeds the cumulative total of fans who have watched all Lions home games this year, but I have not been able to confirm that.
With the victory and MAC Championship, Buffalo and new head coach Turner Gill will be playing in the International Bowl, located in Toronto. Coincidentally, the Buffalo Bills are playing the Miami Dolphins in a “home” game in Toronto this weekend. And soon, if you are mailing letters to friends who live in Buffalo, you will just be able to address them to Toronto.
Ball State may end up back near the 8 Mile if they end up in the Motor City Bowl, which is played in Detroit. If the Motor City Bowl does not work out, they could always go on David Letterman and participate in his skit where people drop things off the roof and watch them splatter.
If they do, they might want to grab a watermelon and write “OUR UNDEFEATED SEASON” in big letters on it. Then they can drop that and watch it splatter all over the place…just like their chances for an undefeated 
season splattered tonight.
I am not sure why, but I have ended each of the last four paragraphs with really lame one liners. I think it is because I am tired, and aggitated, and can no longer write the post I had been planning about Ball State ducking a potential matchup of the under-appreciated unbeatens against Boise State.
I guess it’s a moot point now. But I was looking forward to saying that Ball State should change its name to “Tate University” — because they had no balls.
Now, of course, that joke just seems lame and sophomoric. So let’s just say that Ball State should change its name to “Drop the Ball State University”, because that is definitely what they did tonight; and it’s not a ball joke.
Who thinks ball jokes are funny anyway?
Damn you Ball State. I’m a Browns fan, a Tennessee Volunteers fan, and an Indiana grad. Combined, I’m not sure those three teams would have enough wins to be bowl eligible. I was clinging to Ball State and hopping on the bandwagon in hopes that they could give me something to cheer for. If you are a MAC team and you aren’t shooting for an undefeated season, you’re just another team with a good record that played a poor schedule.
And I’m just a tired, lonely blogger writing about MAC football and ball jokes on a Friday night.
It’s time for bed. Both for me, and for all the talk of Ball State in the BCS.
Tags: ball state cardinals, balls, College Football, MAC, miquale lewis, nate davis
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Just need to say that Ball State dominated that game last night and I have lost sleep over the fact that that it gift wrapped and handed to Buffalo. So Merry Christmas Bulls and just remember that no one will remember you. Call it what you want, I call it how I see it and the referees gave it to you. Half of those turnovers would have never happened had Ball State not been in desperation mode after that ridiculous 14 point swing after a review of a touchdown that my four year old could call. Not to mention the very next drive they missed a review that was just as clear on a long first down catch. I’ve been watching football for a long time now and have never seen anything so obvious, why even have replay or review? So Buffalo, your arogance is understood, I’m sure we will see you at the referees house for Christmas dinner– just make sure you mop the floor after your circle jerk. And thats the last we will ever see of you!!!
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Buffalo Tom Reply:
December 8th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
@Brian,
Ouch…a really sore loser! I suppose you are right though, BSU put a ribbon on it. But, don’t you think UB deserves a little credit. At the half it was BSU 10 UB 7. The Bulls played BSU pretty even up to that point. So, let’s face it, UB took the gifts the Fighting Cardinals gave them. If you believe that BSU is so good, they should have been way ahead by a ton the half, but they were only up by 3. A great team should have a had chance to overcome the adversity that they brought upon themselves, but they didn’t. They kind of fell apart. It’s OK, no one is perfect, just ask the New England Patriots. You’re wrong about one thing, plenty of people will remember, maybe only UB Alum will remember it was Buffalo, but thanks to David Letterman (maybe only because of Letterman), everyone will remember that BSU had a melt-down on national televison. My hat is off to Turner Gill (everyone will remember him…his best days are yet to come), and the UB Bulls. They pulled off something that no one thought could be done. That’s why they play the game. Go Bulls!
Buffalo Tom, UB Alumni Class of ‘85
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Brian Reply:
December 8th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
@Buffalo Tom, My apologies Tom. I’m getting over it now that a few days has passed. Still feel it was taken from us but that’s not Buffalo’s fault. Congratulations to you on the big win.
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Buffalo Tom Reply:
December 9th, 2008 at 9:17 am
@Brian, Apology accepted. Buffalo fans are accustom to what you are feeling,…we don’t wish it on anyone. Congratulations to Ball State for a historic undefeated regular season! I’ll be routing for the Fighting Cardinals in the GMAC Bowl on January 6th. Buffalo Tom
AHHHHHHH!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
My teams are The Raiders, The Hoosiers, and Ball State… Is it too much to ask for one good team? Is it? Why god, why? Sure I heard Nate Davis had the flu and you know he looked sick and still threw a perfect ball. DAMN IT, if Dante Love hadn’t had his career cut short we would have won but no… Davis gets the flu, Love has gone from NFL prospect to finishing college and graduating with a BSU degree (trust me, a BSU degree holder, they are worthless) and I am stuck listening to assholes tell me how much BSU sucks cause they lost one eff’ing game, and dealing with the fact we screwed up our gamble by turning down the Boise State bowl game in hopes of a BCS game….DAMN!!!!
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Jen Reply:
December 11th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
@Plough,
If there’s any one city who knows about losing teams it’s Buffalo! We’ve got the Bills, the Sabres, and the UB Bulls. Guess what? Losers no more! Maybe the other two teams will finally jump on the bandwagon.
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