MUNCIE, Ind. — Drew Plitt threw two long touchdown passes to Justin Hall and Ball State pulled away in the second half for a 31-21 victory over Western Illinois in a nonconference season opener.
Plitt connected with Hall for a 49-yard score midway through the first quarter to open the scoring and fired a 48-yard scoring strike to Hall midway through the third quarter to give the Cardinals a 21-14 lead.
Freshman Carson Steele, a Center Grove graduate, raced 37 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter to make it 28-14 and Jake Chanove added a 35-yard field goal to cap Ball State’s scoring.
Will Jones, a senior from Lapel, led the Cardinals with 93 yards rushing and also scored a touchdown.
The win was the eighth straight for the Cardinals, dating back to last season.
Ball State travels to Penn State for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the Nittany Lions on Saturday, Sept. 11.
