Dru Deshields Leads Kent State past Ball State 26-13
Dru Deshields did a little of everything for Kent State: 16 of 25 passing for 189 yards and two touchdowns, 13 carries for 76 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. Kent State won 26-13 and never trailed.
Kent State scored first when Deshields hit Brandon White from seven yards, then Deshields ran in a seven-yarder himself for 14-0. Sean Leonard kicked a 53-yard field goal as the first half ended, and it was 17-0 at the break. Ball State finally got on the board midway through the third, Tyler Mizzell finding Donovan Hamilton from six yards, but Deshields answered with a five-yard pass to Da'Realyst Clark early in the fourth for 24-7. Then Mizzell was sacked in his own end zone for a safety, 26-7, which counts as the strangest two points in the box score.
Jalen Bonds ran in from ten yards with 3:24 left, the two-point try failed, and that made the final 26-13. Kent State never trailed and neither team turned the ball over, so this came down to yardage. Kent State had 356 total yards (167 on 42 carries) and Ball State had 210, with only 46 on the ground from 27 rushes. Kent State sacked Mizzell twice and Ball State never got to Deshields.
Kent State goes to 2-2. Ball State drops to 1-3, with both of its touchdowns arriving after it was already down 17. Fantasy-wise, Deshields at 33.2 points was the easy call, though Hamilton (21.0) and Bonds (20.3) gave Ball State owners something to hold onto.