MUNCIE - Keith Wenning threw three touchdown passes, all in the second half as Ball State came back to beat Central Michigan 31-27 on Saturday.
The Cardinals (5-3, 3-1 Mid-American) trailed 20-3 early in the third quarter, but Wenning found Briggs Orsbon for a 28-yard touchdown and Aaron Mershman for a 2-yard score sandwiched around Jahwan Edwards' 1-yard run to give Ball State a 24-20 lead.
Ryan Radcliff, who threw three TD passes for Central Michigan, hit Cody Wilson for a 10-yard score to put the Chippewas (2-6, 1-3) ahead 27-24 with 11:45 remaining. But it took just six plays for the Cardinals to score again, this time on Wenning's 34-yard pass to Jamill Smith with 9:41 to go.
Radcliff and David Blackburn connected for first-half touchdowns of 19 and 60 yards as Central Michigan built a 17-3 halftime advantage. Radcliff threw for 436 yards while Wenning finished with 325.
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