Football falls to 5-6 with disappointing loss at BSU

The Rockets are likely out of contention for a bowl game and are still winless on the road after falling 41-20 to Ball State University Tuesday night.

An even tougher loss for the team could be the loss of sophomore quarterback Aaron Opelt, who appeared to reinjure his left ankle on a first-down scramble at the start of the fourth quarter.

"It's real frustrating when your starting quarterback gets hurt," said sophomore wide receiver Stephen Williams.

Opelt finished the game 20-23 for 203 yards and a touchdown. Williams had nine catches for 135 yards, marking the sixth time on the year and the fourth time in the past five games he's had more than 100-yards receiving.

UT received the ball to start the game and opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the game on a three-play, 74-yard drive. Opelt started the drive with a 13-yard rush and was hit late out of bounds for an extra 15 yards. Senior running back Jalen Parmele rushed for 40-yards on his first carry and capped off the drive with a six-yard touchdown run.

Parmele rushed 24 times for 123 yards and a touchdown in the game, extending his streak of consecutive 100-yard games to seven.

The lead was gone as quick as it came as BSU generated a four-play, 68-yard drive in just 46 seconds. Wide receiver Darius Hill caught three passes on the drive, including the 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nate Davis.

Hill caught five passes for 80 yards and a score in the game. Davis completed 13-18 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed seven times for 17 yards and two touchdowns.

"[Davis is] definitely how we thought he was and how we saw on film," said sophomore safety Lester Richmond. "Everything he did we saw in practice. We just have to execute. We got beat deep when we weren't supposed to. We just have to make more plays."

UT regained the lead with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter when senior wide receiver Nick Moore caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Opelt on a corner route.

Sophomore kicker Alex Steigerwald made a 31-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining in the quarter to give the Rockets a 17-7 lead. Steigerwald is a perfect 12-12 on the year and is 19-20 for his career.

The Cardinals answered right back on a 39-yard touchdown throw from Davis to wide receiver Dante Love with 16 seconds left in the quarter, but failed to convert the extra point.

The Rockets increased the lead to 20-13 on a 27-yard Steigerwald field goal with 8:29 remaining in the first half, but failed to score again for the remainder of the game.

"They didn't change anything up on defense," Williams said. "We just weren't making plays like we should. We have to become a better second half team."

UT's next drive ended abruptly as Opelt ended a streak of 118 consecutive passes without an interception.

Davis dove over the pile-on on a one-yard rush on the ensuing drive to tie the game at 20-20 heading into halftime.

BSU took a 34-20 lead into the fourth quarter after another one-yard touchdown rush by Davis and a 35-yard touchdown from Davis to Love.

Love finished the game with five catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

The Rockets had a chance to get within one score at the beginning of the fourth quarter, however, after Opelt's injury freshman quarterback D.J. Lenehan threw an interception on third down.

"The main difference in the ball game was turnovers," said Head Coach Tom Amstutz. "A couple of those occurred in the red zone. That was the biggest factor in the game."

The Cardinals closed on the game on the following drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Chris Clancy.

The Rockets end the season on the road Nov. 23 when they travel to play rival Bowling Green State University. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Doyt L. Perry Stadium.

"We have one football game left," Amstutz said. "In football, you have to learn from the game you just played. It should be a real important game for our seniors. It's a fun rivalry with Bowling Green. We have to prepare for that last game and put our best foot forward."