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Cory Sykes rushed for two touchdowns and Ball State beat Southeast Missouri State 27-10 Thursday night.
The Cardinals, who won a season-opener for the first time since 2008, rolled up 243 yards on the ground led by Eric Williams. Williams rushed for a career-high 105 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. Sykes added 70 yards on 14 carries.
It was the Cardinals' best rushing effort since they rolled up 463 yards at Eastern Michigan last year.
Ian McGarvey added two field goals for the Cardinals (1-0).
The Redhawks' Mike Jones rushed for a touchdown in the waning minutes of the first quarter. But Southeast Missouri (0-1) didn't score again until Drew Geldbach added a field goal with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Redhawks were limited to 237 yards of total offense.
