Football Falls at Ball State

Muncie, Ind. – One of Ball State's most famous alums, David Letterman, was known for saying, "Don't try this this at home." So the Fordham football squad tried to do something today away from home that it has done twice since 2013, defeat an NCAA FBS opponent. Unfortunately the Fordham defense couldn't stop a strong Ball State passing game as the Rams fell to the Cardinals, 57-29, in Scheumann Stadium on Saturday.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 0-2 on the year while Ball State improves to 1-1.
 
The Rams were able to move the ball on offense, accumulating 326 yards, led by junior running back Zach Davis who rushed for 85 yards and one score while junior running back Trey Sneed, making his Fordham debut, scored twice on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Tim DeMorat threw for 221 yards and one touchdown, that to junior tight end Jack Lynch, while freshman wide out Dequece Carter had five catches for 47 yards.
 
Defensively, three Rams recorded double-digit tackles, led by sophomore defensive back Anthony Tony-Itoyah and sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, who had eleven each, while junior linebacker Glenn Cunningham made ten stops and picked off a pass.
 
The Rams took a 7-0 lead on a two-yard scoring plunge from Davis midway through the first and led 14-7 following a five-yard scoring strike from DeMorat to Jack Lynch with 4:16 left in the period.
 
The Cardinals scored the next 21 points to take a 28-14 lead at the break and took advantage of a Fordham miscue on the second half kickoff to score a safety, the first two of 15 straight Ball State points.
 
Takeaways
• The game was only the second Fordham game in the Hoosier state, the first since a game at Purdue in 1942.
 
• It was Fordham's tenth game against a school from Indiana.
 
• The game was a homecoming of sorts for junior kicker Andrew Mevis, who hails from Warsaw, Indiana, about 90 miles northwest of Muncie.
 
• Mevis had a large cheering section in the Scheumann Stadium stands and had an article about his return to Indiana in his hometown paper.
 
• The touchdown pass was the first career reception for Lynch.
 
• Fordham controlled the ball for over 30 minutes.
 
By the Numbers
 
14 – First quarter points scored by the Rams, the most first quarter points since they scored 21 in the first 15 minutes vs. Holy Cross in 2016

28 - Points scored by Fordham, the most for the Rams against an NCAA FBS opponent since 2015 when they scored 37 at Army.
 
45.0 – Mevis' punting average in the game (six punts for 270 yards).

What's Next?
• The Rams travel to Smithfield, R.I., to face the Bryant University Bulldogs next Saturday, September 14, at 1:00 p.m. in the David M. '85 and Terry Beirne Stadium.

• It will be the fifth meeting between Fordham and Bryant on the gridiron.

• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 3-1, including a 42-41 win on Jack Coffey Field last year on October 20 on a last second field goal.