College Football(NCAA)

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Four fumbles doom No. 12 Ball State in MAC finale
Associated Press
DETROIT -- Ball State rose to relevance in college football, finishing the regular season undefeated thanks in large part to Nate Davis.

The 12th-ranked Cardinals lost for the first time, though, because the star quarterback didn't take care of the football.



Fast Facts

• Buffalo ends Ball State's perfect season, outscoring the Cardinals 35-14 in the second half for the school's first-ever league title.

• The victory is the first for Buffalo against Ball State (previously 0-7) and the school's first win vs. a ranked opponent.

• The Bulls' defense forced four fumbles (five total turnovers) and converted them into 28 points.

• Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy passed for 206 yards and three touchdowns, making him the first Bulls quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.

-- ESPN research

Davis played a part in each of Ball State's four fumbles and the Bulls scored off each turnover, routing the previously unbeaten Cardinals 42-24 Friday night in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

"It was a big effect," Davis said. "They took two fumbles to the house."

Davis hurled his body toward the end zone, but Josh Thomas popped the ball loose in mid-air about a yard short of the goal line and Mike Newton scooped it up for a 92-yard, go-ahead score late in the third quarter.

"I was trying to make a big play," Davis said.

Instead it was the Bulls who had one, and took the lead on the way to their first MAC title.

On the next possession, Davis couldn't field a shotgun snap he wasn't expecting and Sherrod Lott returned that fumble 74 yards for an 11-point lead.


Watson: MAC Dreams Deferred
When Ball State fell 42-24 to Buffalo in the MAC championship game, it was hard to keep a record-breaking season in focus, since the one thing the team had concentrated on was now gone, writes Graham Watson. Blog
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