MUNCIE, Ind. — In a thrilling conclusion to the matchup on Saturday, Jackson Courville nailed a personal-best 52-yard field goal right before the final whistle, securing a 25-23 victory for Ball State over Northern Illinois.

With just 18 seconds left on the clock, Kanon Woodill’s 47-yard field goal had briefly given the Huskies a lead at 23-22. However, Ball State’s Kadin Semonza responded by completing a series of crucial passes—one for 34 yards to Malcolm Gillie and another for 5 yards to Tanner Koziol—positioning the Cardinals at the NIU 35-yard line with only five seconds remaining.

The dramatic finish was significantly influenced by a missed opportunity earlier, where a wide-open Skyler Gill, who racked up seven receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown, dropped a two-point conversion that could have brought Northern Illinois to a 22-20 tie with 4:57 left in the game. Additionally, when a tipped pass led to an interception, Ball State took over at the NIU 23-yard line with just 2:26 on the clock. However, Santana Banner managed to block Courville’s 33-yard field goal attempt, keeping the game alive at 1:51.

Semonza ended the game with an impressive performance, going 20-of-33 for 211 yards and throwing two touchdown passes to Koziol, contributing to the Cardinals’ third win of the season (3-5, 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference). The opening scoring play featured a 3-yard touchdown pass to Koziol, who also finished with nine receptions for 78 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown.

Courville’s contributions included field goals of 24 and 47 yards, which aided Ball State in taking a 19-14 lead into halftime. He also added a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter to expand the lead to 22-14.

For Northern Illinois (4-4, 1-3), quarterback Ethan Hampton completed 18 of 33 passes, highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown pass to Thompson. Antario Brown was a standout for the Huskies as well, rushing for two touchdowns, including a 34-yard run that equalized the game at 7, along with a 6-yard run that brought NIU within striking distance at 22-20.