At the end of the first quarter, Ball State led Toledo 7-3 in Muncie. But the Cardinals waved goodbye to their brief lead once the Rockets put fuel in their engine.
Toledo accumulated 602 yards of total offense, and ignited the unit the second quarter. In the period, the Rockets scored 21 unanswered, establishing their dominance over the MAC West's bottom-dwelling Ball State Cardinals.
Ball State suffered a series of setbacks early on. Third-string quarterback Zack Blair made his first career start but exited the game on the team's second possession due to injury. As a result, freshman Drew Plitt would check in for his first-ever action under center.