With a controlling 21 to three lead late in the first half, the Zips gave up 29 points to the Cardinals who fought hard to come back for a victory.

This comeback for the Cardinals was due in part to Akron’s lack of offensive production in the second half. Gaining a total of 103 yards in the last two quarters and committing five turnovers all in the second half to benefit Ball State University. At the same time, the Cardinal’s offense stepped up and had no mistakes and 380 total yards all in the second half allowing the home team to gain the victory.

Kyle Pohl was benched due to the injuries he suffered during the Miami game several weeks ago. This gave Tommy Woodson his second start of the season. Woodson completed 21 out of 39 of his passes for 200 yards and had one touchdown. Woodson also had four interceptions that ended The Zips drive and set up Cardinal’s offense in great field position. On the ground, the Zips gained 125 yards, most of which came from Conor Hundley as he rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns. The top receivers were L.T. Smith who caught seven balls for 59 yards and Tyler Williams with 44 yards on five receptions. The lone passing touchdown went to Anthony Ritossa.

On defense, C.J. Mizell lead in tackles with 11, followed by three Zips who had seven tackles, Jatavis Brown, Bre’ Ford, and Mattel Durant. The Zips were unable to force a turnover or get to the Cardinal QB for the first time in the season.

Akron now falls to a 4-4 record while remaining in 2nd place in the conference with a 2-2 record. Ball state continues to gain ground in the latter half of the season with their second MAC win and third overall.

The Zips will go on their second bye of the season this week before switching to weekday games to finish their season. First up is MAC east leader Bowling Green State University (5-3, 3-1) at home Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. in InfoCision Stadium. Fans can also watch this game on ESPN2 and ESPN3.