MUNCIE, Ind. — Everyone knows how the "Battle for the Bronze Stalk" ended last season.
Ball State hit a field goal to take the lead with 1:42 left and Northern Illinois answered, driving 62 yards to set up a 32-yard, game-winning field goal off the leg of John Richardson.
It was a bitter, 30-29, defeat for Ball State in a game in which it led 26-17 early in the third quarter. Ball State waited two more weeks to pick up the sixth win it needed for bowl eligibility while Northern Illinois went on to win the Mid-American Conference championship.