SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- It wasn't exactly the start the Ball State football team was looking for on the road against the No. 8 team in the country.
Notre Dame's five-play, 74-yard drive in less than two minutes was like an early jab to the nose. But the Cardinals took it and fought back with a series of body blows, driving 85 yards in 19 plays. While the drive resulted only in a field goal, it seemed to show this game wouldn't be as one-sided as the pre-game projections or the opening Notre Dame drive suggested.