Anatomy of a heartbreak: What NIU coach Hammock, players said cost Huskies in crushing loss to Ball State

MUNCIE, Indiana – When Kanon Woodill made a 47-yard field goal with 18 seconds left, NIU was leading for the first time Saturday at Ball State in the battle for the Bronze Stalk, and the Huskies seemed on their way to their fifth win of the season.

Thirteen seconds later, Jackson Courville made a 52-yarder and NIU left Ball State with a second straight loss, this one 25-23 to the Cardinals.

Skyler Gill-Howard, who had a key sack earlier in the game to help spark the comeback for the Huskies (4-4, 1-3 Mid-American Conference), said the team celebrated too much after Woodill’s kick.

He said he expected more out of a team that’s played so many close games – himself included.

“When he made that field goal the whole sideline was going crazy and there was still 30 seconds left in the game. And I was a culprit,” Gill-Howard said. “I was supposed to be on the field, but I thought they were putting in the other package and I didn’t hear it. I wasn’t on the field. I get in, maybe I rush the passer a little better.”

On the first play of the drive for Ball State (3-5, 2-2), Kadin Semonza found Malcolm Gillie for a 34-yard gain down to the NIU 40. Then as Semonza had eight other times in the game – including twice for touchdowns – he found tight end Tanner Koziol, this time for 5 yards.

That shortened the kick to 52 yards. It didn’t have a lot of leg to spare, but it was online, and Courville made his second 50-yard field goal of the game. He also had a 47-yarder and made four field goals on five attempts.

“We’ve been in close games so many times in this program and we’ve never reacted like that,” Gill-Howard said. “To react like that with 30 seconds left, I think that’s why we lost the game.”

There was also a dropped 2-point conversion pass by Cam Thompson earlier in the fourth quarter. NIU scored a touchdown on a 6-yard TD run by Antario Brown with 5:02 left, his second of the game. That cut the lead to 22-20 pending the conversion, and the Huskies obviously decided to go for two and the tie.

Quarterback Ethan Hampton, who didn’t start but took over for Josh Holst for most of the second half, found Thompson, but he couldn’t secure the ball. The sophomore transfer from Eastern Illinois had his best game as Huskie, topping 100 yards for the first time. He finished with eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.

“If I don’t drop that 2-point, the whole game changes from a situation standpoint,” Thompson said. “I put that game on me.”

After no turnovers last week against Toledo, the Huskies turned it over three times in the loss. There also were drops beyond Thompson – Trayvon Rudolph had what looked like it could have been a touchdown go through his fingers.

“Our offense, we just have to finish plays,” said Brown, who had 62 yards on 11 carries. “The offensive staff does a great job of getting us into situations with great play calls. The coaches don’t play the game. It’s up to us as players to make plays.”

NIU coach Thomas Hammock started by saying he put the loss squarely on his shoulders, and that he needs to get the team ready to play and execute in all situations.

He said he told the team everyone has to take responsibility for what happened – it’s not about pointing the finger, but pointing the thumb.

He said the defense didn’t give up a lot of points but had some uncharacteristic moments. Ball State was 10 for 18 on third-down conversions in the game. NIU had given up 17 third-down conversions all year entering the game and boasted a national-best 19.5% conversion rate.

Ball State also had 170 rushing yards and 392 yards of total offense, both the most allowed by the Huskies all year. This was the first time NIU was outgained in a game this year.

“We gave up plays in critical moments,” said Hammock, who fell to 1-5 as head coach against Ball State. “At the end of the game they throw a ball up and flip the field. So we have to look at what we’re doing and how we’re doing it and make sure we operate and execute.”