Zac Dysert’s Miami University football career ended in subdued fashion Friday.

The redshirt senior quarterback converted 26 of 40 throws for 218 yards and two touchdowns as the RedHawks fell to Ball State 31-24 before an announced crowd of 8,154 at Yager Stadium.

Dysert is MU’s all-time leader in passing yards (12,013), passes (1,672) and completions (1,064). His 73 touchdown passes trail only Ben Roethlisberger (84).

“It’s been awesome here,” Dysert said. “I can’t say enough about Miami University, the football program, the guys on the team, the coaches, just everybody that surrounds the team. Without them, none of this stuff that we accomplished here in our career would’ve happened. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunities they gave me.”

Friday was officially Zac Dysert Day in Ada, his hometown. Dysert said he was unaware of the proclamation, and when told that a lot of people back home are proud of him, he replied, “I appreciate that. Thank you very much.”

Dysert, who led the RedHawks with 42 yards on 11 carries Friday, ranks 20th in Football Bowl Subdivision history and second in the MAC in passing yards.

D on the ground: Miami’s rushing defense has struggled all season and followed that path again Friday.

Ball State ran for 226 yards on 58 carries and threw just one pass after starting quarterback Kelly Page, subbing for the injured Keith Wenning, suffered a concussion on a run with 9:48 left in the third period. Freshman walk-on Kyle Kamman played QB the rest of the way and misfired on his only throw.

“I’ve never questioned us as a defense in our effort,” RedHawks senior end Jason Semmes said. “We knew they would run the ball. That’s what’s frustrating. We had some great stops, but again, we didn’t make enough plays and execute when the time came.”

Jahwan Edwards ran 18 times for 98 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinals. Horactio Banks had 80 yards on 22 rushes, and Page added 53 yards on 12 runs.

Page completed 11 of 21 passes for 137 yards, hitting Jack Tomlinson for an 18-yard score.

BSU had a long string of injuries during the game, and Miami senior linebacker Jaytee Swanson said the hosts’ physicality was evident.

“I think seven injured speaks for itself on their behalf,” Swanson said. “Brison (Burris) making that big hit on their tight end in the first quarter helped set the tone. There was no doubt we were just going to go pedal to the metal and be as physical as possible and send a message.”

Mr. Wildcat: MU wide receiver Dawan Scott lined up in the Wildcat formation, took the snap and ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the first stanza. Dysert was split out as a receiver.

“We ran that a couple times this week, and coach told me we were going to throw a Wildcat in there, so I just got real excited and just took my opportunity,” Scott said. “Everybody blocked, and we put points on the board.”

The sophomore caught nine passes for 120 yards and a 34-yard touchdown, yet admitted he misses his younger days as a running back.

“Sometimes when I get the ball, I have the running back mentality,” Scott said. “Being back there and getting the ball and reading the blocks in the line, I like it a lot.”

Rolling Cardinals: Ball State improved to 9-3 and has the third-most wins in school history. Its only seasons with more victories were 2008 (12) and 1978 (10).

“Relative to it being the second year of a rebuilding process, we’re a pretty young team,” BSU coach Pete Lembo said. “We only started seven seniors, and most of them were on the offensive line. It’s pretty special what we’ve been able to do.”