MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) Gus Ragland threw three touchdown passes and Miami (Ohio) controlled Ball State from the outset to hand the Cardinals their ninth straight loss in a 28-7 contest that served as the season finale for both teams Tuesday night.
Ragland threw first-quarter touchdown passes of 11 and 7 yards to Sam Martin and Jared Murphy. He added a 14-yard scoring toss to James Gardner in the second. With 76 seconds left before halftime, Joshua Allen intercepted Jack Milas and returned it 49 yards for a score that made it 28-0 for Miami (5-7, 4-4 Mid-American Conference).
Caleb Huntley led Ball State (2-10, 0-8) with 159 yards rushing on 25 carries.
The game marked the inaugural presentation of the Red Bird Rivalry trophy for the two schools which are separated by 70 miles. MAC expansion in the late '90s prevented them from playing every year, and before Tuesday, they'd only played eight times since 2000. The MAC granted the two `rivalry status' so they can play every year.
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