The Ball State Cardinals were one of the biggest question marks of the Mid-American Conference season. After Saturday’s 24-21 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, questions remain but answers about the fight and effort of the Cardinals were answered several times over.
It was a tail of quarters in Champaign as both squads traded scores in the first stanza, Illinois dominated the second quarter, and Ball State laid claim to the third. The fourth quarter was scoreless until 2:06 when Illinois would reclaim the lead on a one-yard TD run set up by a 52-yard punt return by Mike Dudek.