Ball State stopped a two-point conversion attempt by Western Michigan Tuesday night, earning a 42-41 overtime victory as part of MACtion.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cardinals, as they had dropped all three of those games by at least 22 points to Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Toledo.
But at least on this night, Ball State appeared to turn the proverbial corner.
Drew Plitt threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, with James Gilbert running in two scores. Justin Hall had nine catches for 117 yards for the Cardinals.
LeVante Bellamy had himself a career-night for Western Michigan, running the ball 35 times for 213 yards with a touchdown. Jamauri Bogan added two scores and 105 yards.
The Broncos rallied to force overtime, but could not avoid suffering their third consecutive loss. Fourth quarter touchdowns by Bellamy and Giovanni Ricci helped them overcome the deficit.
In the extra session, Kyle Schrank put Ball State up with a 2-yard touchdown reception from Plitt, as true freshman quarterback Kaleb Eleby answered for Western Michigan.
With momentum on their side after the score, the Broncos tried to win it, but the Cardinal defense rose up and stopped the two-point conversion attempt.
After going 6-2 over the first eight games, Western Michigan seemed set to compete for the MAC title. But the Broncos, who won their first four league games, have now fallen to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play with Northern Illinois up next.
Eleby, who was thrust into the starting job a few weeks ago, finished 20-for-29 passing for 187 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Ricci had seven catches for 65 yards and the score.
Ball State will try to score a second consecutive win when they travel to Miami (Ohio) next week for the final game of the regular season. The Cardinals were out-gained, 548-349, and had the ball for just 18 minutes on the night.