Ball State Rallies Late to Beat Ohio 20-14
Ball State overcame an early deficit to defeat Ohio 20-14 in Week 6 action. Ohio struck first, scoring seven points in each of the first two quarters behind quarterback Parker Navarro, who completed 188 passing yards. A 23-yard touchdown pass from Navarro to Rodney Harris II highlighted the Bobcats' early offensive success.
However, Ball State's defense stiffened after halftime. The Cardinals outscored Ohio 20-0 in the second half, with 10 points in both the third and fourth quarters to secure the victory. Kiael Kelly led Ball State's ground game with 96 rushing yards and also threw for a key touchdown pass to Qian Magwood, who finished with 92 receiving yards. A dramatic two-point conversion pass from Kelly to Donovan Hamilton in the fourth quarter proved crucial in the Cardinals' comeback.
Ball State's defense made a game-changing play late in the fourth quarter that shifted momentum decisively. The Cardinals' second-half adjustments proved the difference in a game that saw 20 lead changes and remained competitive throughout.
AI-generated recap · Aug 11, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
 Ball State | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Ohio | Ball State |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 16-29 | 17-33 |
| Pass Yards | 188 | 185 |
| Rush Yards | 170 | 172 |
| Total Yards | 358 | 357 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 7-14 | 9-20 |
| Penalties | 8-90 | 2-15 |
| Possession | 28:09 | 31:51 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
DC Pippin kickoff for 56 yds , Eamonn Dennis return for 15 yds to the OHIO 24
Parker Navarro run for 44 yds to the BALL 32 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Dom Dorwart
Sieh Bangura run for 1 yd to the BALL 31
(13:25) No Huddle-Shotgun Navarro,Parker pass complete short middle to Hendricks,Chase caught at BSU16, for 16 yards to the BSU15 (Chea,Alfred; Yates,Willizhuan) PENALTY OU Holding (Jones,Jordon) 10 yards from BSU31 to BSU41. NO PLAY.
Parker Navarro pass complete to Dom Dorwart for 9 yds to the BALL 32
David Dellenbach 49 yd FG MISSED
Kiael Kelly run for a loss of 3 yards to the BALL 29
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qua Ashley for 1 yd to the BALL 30
PENALTY BSU False Start (Cook,Tristan) 5 yards from BSU30 to BSU25. NO PLAY.
Kiael Kelly run for 2 yds to the BALL 27
Adam Saul punt for 23 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the 50 yard line
Sieh Bangura run for 5 yds to the BALL 45
Sieh Bangura run for 29 yds to the BALL 16 for a 1ST down
(08:52) No Huddle-Shotgun Navarro,Parker pass incomplete short right to Hendricks,Chase thrown to BSU05 PENALTY OU Face Mask (Jones,Jordon) 15 yards from BSU16 to BSU31. NO PLAY.
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Chase Hendricks
Parker Navarro run for 19 yds to the BALL 12
Sieh Bangura run for 4 yds to the BALL 8
Sieh Bangura run for 1 yd to the BALL 7
Qua Ashley run for 2 yds to the BALL 9
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Donovan Hamilton
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Donovan Hamilton
Adam Saul punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Chase Hendricks at the 50 yard line
Duncan Brune run for 4 yds to the BALL 46
Duncan Brune run for 7 yds to the BALL 39 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 37 yds to the BALL 2 for a 1ST down
Duncan Brune run for 1 yd to the BALL 1
Duncan Brune run for 1 yd for a TD (David Dellenbach KICK)
David Dellenbach kickoff for 60 yds , TJ Horton return for 28 yds to the BALL 37 Ohio Penalty, Personal Foul (Eamonn Dennis) to the BALL 48
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete
Qua Ashley run for 2 yds to the 50 yard line
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qian Magwood for 10 yds to the OHIO 40 for a 1ST down
TJ Horton run for a loss of 1 yard to the OHIO 41
Kiael Kelly pass complete to TJ Horton for 3 yds to the OHIO 38
Qua Ashley run for a loss of 3 yards to the OHIO 41
Adam Saul punt for 41 yds for a touchback
Sieh Bangura run for 1 yd to the OHIO 21
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 6 yds to the OHIO 27
Parker Navarro pass complete to Jake Bruno for 8 yds to the OHIO 35 for a 1ST down
Ohio Penalty, Intentional Grounding (Parker Navarro) to the OHIO 28
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 16 yds to the OHIO 44
Sieh Bangura run for 5 yds to the OHIO 49 for a 1ST down
Sieh Bangura run for 3 yds to the BALL 48
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Jake Bruno
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 9 yds to the BALL 39 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro sacked by Nathan Voorhis for a loss of 2 yards to the BALL 41
Parker Navarro sacked by Nathan Voorhis for a loss of 7 yards to the BALL 48
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Chase Hendricks
Magnus Haines punt for 48 yds for a touchback
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Donovan Hamilton
Kiael Kelly run for 15 yds to the BALL 35 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly run for 9 yds to the BALL 44
Qua Ashley run for 6 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Donovan Hamilton
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Eric Weatherly for 10 yds to the OHIO 40 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly run for a loss of 3 yards to the OHIO 43
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Qian Magwood
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Elisha Durham
Adam Saul punt for 13 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the OHIO 30
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 14 yds to the OHIO 44 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass complete to Rodney Harris II for 11 yds to the BALL 45 for a 1ST down
Sieh Bangura run for 3 yds to the BALL 42
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Mason Williams
Parker Navarro run for 13 yds to the BALL 29 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass complete to Rodney Harris II for 11 yds to the BALL 18 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro sacked by Nathan Voorhis for a loss of 5 yards to the BALL 23
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Mason Williams
Parker Navarro pass complete to Rodney Harris II for 23 yds for a TD (David Dellenbach KICK)
Qua Ashley run for a loss of 4 yards to the BALL 21
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Donovan Hamilton for 11 yds to the BALL 32
TJ Horton run for 3 yds to the BALL 35 for a 1ST down
Qua Ashley run for no gain to the BALL 35
Kiael Kelly run for 5 yds to the BALL 40
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qian Magwood for 35 yds to the OHIO 25 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Eric Weatherly for 4 yds to the OHIO 21
Kiael Kelly run for 20 yds to the OHIO 1 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly run for a loss of 1 yard to the OHIO 2
TJ Horton run for a loss of 2 yards to the OHIO 4
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Maximus Webster for no gain to the OHIO 4
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Koby Gross
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Koby Gross
(00:00) Kneel down by Ohio at OU 02 for loss of 2 yards.
End of 2nd Quarter
Kiael Kelly run for 2 yds to the BALL 27
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qua Ashley for 5 yds to the BALL 32
Adam Saul punt for 34 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the OHIO 34
Sieh Bangura run for 2 yds to the OHIO 36
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Jake Bruno
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Chase Hendricks
Magnus Haines punt for 64 yds for a touchback
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Dahya Patel
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Elisha Durham for 7 yds to the BALL 27
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qian Magwood for 4 yds to the BALL 31 for a 1ST down
(11:11) Shotgun Kelly,Kiael rush middle for 3 yards loss to the BSU28 (Crable,Jay) PENALTY OU Face Mask (Crable,Jay) 15 yards from BSU31 to BSU46, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jamarion McDougle run for 23 yds to the OHIO 31 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Kameron Anthony for 5 yds to the OHIO 26
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Qian Magwood
Kiael Kelly run for 5 yds to the OHIO 21 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly run for 4 yds to the OHIO 17
Qua Ashley run for 5 yds to the OHIO 12
Kiael Kelly run for a loss of 1 yard to the OHIO 13
Kiael Kelly run for 13 yds for a TD (Carson Holmer KICK)
DC Pippin kickoff for 60 yds , Eamonn Dennis return for 32 yds to the OHIO 37
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Duncan Brune
Parker Navarro run for 7 yds to the OHIO 44
Duncan Brune run for 4 yds to the OHIO 48 for a 1ST down
Duncan Brune run for 3 yds to the BALL 49
Duncan Brune run for 2 yds to the BALL 47
Duncan Brune run for 4 yds to the BALL 43
Parker Navarro run for a loss of 4 yards to the BALL 47
Kiael Kelly run for 3 yds to the 50 yard line
Kiael Kelly run for 5 yds to the OHIO 45
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Donovan Hamilton
(02:28) Shotgun Kelly,Kiael pass incomplete short right to Magwood,Qian thrown to OU 26 PENALTY OU Pass Interference (Thomeson,Jalen) 15 yards from OU 45 to OU 30, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qua Ashley for 19 yds to the OHIO 11 for a 1ST down
TJ Horton run for 3 yds to the OHIO 8
Qua Ashley run for 3 yds to the OHIO 5
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete
Carson Holmer 22 yd FG GOOD
Parker Navarro pass complete to Mason Williams for 4 yds to the OHIO 29
Parker Navarro run for 15 yds to the OHIO 44 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass complete to Delaney Crawford for 43 yds to the BALL 13 for a 1ST down
Sieh Bangura run for 4 yds to the OHIO 48
Parker Navarro run for no gain to the OHIO 48
Magnus Haines punt for 49 yds
Kiael Kelly run for 3 yds to the BALL 6
TJ Horton run for 11 yds to the BALL 17 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Elisha Durham
Qua Ashley run for 7 yds to the BALL 24
TJ Horton run for 10 yds to the BALL 34 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly run for 1 yd to the BALL 35
TJ Horton run for 2 yds to the BALL 37
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Koby Gross
Adam Saul punt for 62 yds
Parker Navarro run for 1 yd for a SAFETY Parker Navarro fumbled, recovered by OHIO Sieh Bangura for a SAFETY
David Dellenbach kickoff for 59 yds , Maximus Webster return for no gain to the BALL 21
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Jamarion McDougle for 18 yds to the BALL 39 for a 1ST down
Qua Ashley run for 1 yd to the BALL 40
(07:28) Shotgun Kelly,Kiael pass incomplete short right thrown to BSU42 PENALTY BSU Holding (Horton,TJ) 10 yards from BSU40 to BSU30. NO PLAY.
Eric Weatherly run for 6 yds to the BALL 36
Kiael Kelly run for 7 yds to the BALL 43
Adam Saul punt for 38 yds, fair catch by Chase Hendricks at the OHIO 19
Sieh Bangura run for 1 yd to the OHIO 20
Sieh Bangura run for 10 yds to the OHIO 30 for a 1ST down
Sieh Bangura run for no gain to the OHIO 30
Sieh Bangura run for a loss of 1 yard to the OHIO 29
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Chase Hendricks
Magnus Haines punt for 48 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the BALL 30 , Qian Magwood returns for 7 yds to the BALL 30
Kiael Kelly run for 6 yds to the BALL 36
Qua Ashley run for 3 yds to the BALL 39
Kiael Kelly run for 1 yd to the BALL 40 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass incomplete to Qua Ashley
PENALTY OU Offside (Crable,Jay) 5 yards from BSU40 to BSU45. NO PLAY.
Kiael Kelly run for 3 yds to the BALL 48
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Qua Ashley for 3 yds to the OHIO 49 for a 1ST down
Kiael Kelly pass complete to Donovan Hamilton for 7 yds to the OHIO 42
Qua Ashley run for a loss of 1 yard to the OHIO 43
Qian Magwood 43 Yd pass from Kiael Kelly (Kiael Kelly Pass to Donovan Hamilton for Two-Point Conversion)
PENALTY OU UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Pearson,Tank) 15 yards from BSU35 to BSU50. NO PLAY.
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 9 yds to the OHIO 34
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for no gain to the OHIO 34
Parker Navarro run for 5 yds to the OHIO 39 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass complete to Sieh Bangura for 5 yds to the OHIO 44
Parker Navarro pass complete to Rodney Harris II for 13 yds to the BALL 43 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Dom Dorwart
Parker Navarro pass complete to Chase Hendricks for 13 yds to the BALL 30 for a 1ST down
Parker Navarro pass incomplete to Chase Hendricks