DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Ball State kicker Jackson Courville made a 36-yard field goal as time expired to give the Cardinals a 20-17 win over the Northern Illinois University Huskies Tuesday night at Huskie Stadium, allowing the Cardinals to retain the Bronze Stalk Trophy.
 
Three Huskie fumbles, including two in the fourth quarter, contributed to two Cardinals scores as they overcame a 17-10 deficit to score the last 10 points of the game and earn the win to improve to 3-7 overall, 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference.  NIU fell to 4-6, 3-3 in the MAC with the loss.
 
"As a head coach it's my responsibility to get the team ready to play and tonight we just didn't do enough to get it done," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. "It was a humbling football game; you go through ups and downs, and we just didn't make the plays."
 
NIU took a 17-10 lead with 10 minutes to play on Trayvon Rudolph's 35-yard rushing touchdown out of the wildcat formation.  Rudolph's score finished an eight-play, 80-yard drive and broke a 10-10 tie that lasted through a scoreless third quarter.  The junior wide receiver finished the game with 149 all-purpose yards with three carries for 69 yards, six catches for 57 yards and a 23-yard kickoff return.
 
Rudolph's touchdown run was set up by a pass interference call and 21 rushing yards by junior running back Antario Brown (Savannah, Ga. / Beach), who led NIU with 73 yards on 18 carries.  Following the touchdown, the Huskie defense forced a Ball State punt after four plays and NIU took over on its 27-yard line with eight minutes to play.
 
On third and three, NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi fumbled as he was hit, setting the Ball State offense up at the Huskie 41.  The Cardinals drove to the six-yard line and tied the game with 3:44 to play with quarterback Kiael Kelly hitting tight end Tanner Koziol and Courville's PAT.  
 
Just two plays into the Huskies' ensuing possession, Ball State recovered a Lombardi fumble and moved the ball to the Huskie 20 while running 2:36 off the remaining 2:41.
 
That set up a Courville 36-yard attempt which went down the middle as time expired to give Ball State the win.
 
"We have to fight as a team, we have a great opportunity with another home game next week," Hammock said. "We have to play better and start faster if we want to give ourselves an opportunity to play."
 
The Huskie defense allowed only 301 yards in the game, with all 10 of the Cardinal's fourth-quarter points coming off of turnovers. Linebacker Tyler Jackson led the Huskies in tackles with a season-high 10 and added a tackle for loss. Ball State scored just one touchdown after taking a 7-0 lead on the opening drive of the game.
 
The Huskies kicked off to start the game and Ball State drove down the field quickly with Kelly's six-yard run capping off the 65-yard touchdown drive.
 
NIU evened up the score at seven as two long plays for Rudolph and a 20-yard rush on a fourth and short for Lombardi put NIU at the Ball State four-yard line. Lombardi capped off the drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown as he ran to the right and found space to the endzone.
 
Field goals for both teams in the final minute of the second quarter evened the score at 10 going to the break. A 20-yard reception for redshirt freshman wide receiver Dane Partridge (DeKalb, Ill. / Marmion Academy) and a 17-yard catch by Rudolph set up redshirt sophomore Kanon Woodill's (Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North) 27-yard field goal to take the game into the break.
 
The teams played a scoreless third quarter as both defenses held strong in the quarter.
 
The NIU Huskies are back in action next Tuesday, November 14 against Western Michigan. Kickoff is set at 6 p.m. for the Huskies' home finale. Tickets are on sale at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies.
 
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