Ball State tops Toledo

MUNCIE, Ind. – Nate Davis passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more as Ball State beat Toledo 41-20 Tuesday night to become bowl eligible.

Davis completed 14 of 20 passes for 265 yards. He connected with Darius Hill for a 27-yard score in the first and later hit Dante Love twice for TD passes of 39 and 35 yards.

The Rockets (5-6, 3-4 MAC), who outrushed the Cardinals 214 yards to 181, led much of the first half. But Ball State (6-5, 4-2) tied it at 20 with 4:37 left in the half on Davis’ first 1-yard sneak.

Another 1-yard run by Davis early in the third quarter gave the Cardinals a 27-20 edge and they protected it by holding the Rockets scoreless in the second half. Ball State finished with 446 yards of total offense compared with Toledo’s 417.

Love’s second TD reception made it 34-20 in the third before Brandon Crawford returned an interception 26 yards to set up Ball State’s final drive with 8:25 left in the fourth. A 1-yard run by Chris Clancy, who finished with 13 carries for 107 yards, sealed the win.