MUNCIE, Indiana (Ticker) -- Pete Shepherd's three-yard scoring pass to freshman wide receiver Rob Turner with 12:40 left lifted Central Michigan to a 27-21 victory over winless Ball State in a Mid-American Conference matchup.

Central Michigan (4-7, 3-5 MAC West) trailed 21-14 at the half but Paul Savich kicked a 19-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. Shepherd then capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive by finding Turner for a 24-21 cushion.

Savich completed the scoring with a 27-yard field goal with 6:45 remaining. Ira Gooch led Central Michigan with 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Jammarl O'Neal, the top freshman receiver in MAC history, added seven catches for 147 yards. Shepherd completed 20-of-35 passes for 312 yards as the Chippewas amassed 424 yards of offense.

Ball State (0-11, 0-8), which lost at home to Central Michigan for the first time in 14 years, managed just 13 first downs. Brian Conn completed just 10-of-27 passes for 109 yards but had a 13-yard touchdown run and 30-yard scoring strike to Adrian Reese in the first half to stake the Cardinals to a 14-7 lead.

Central Michigan holds a 17-14-1 lead in the series and has won two straight after losing in a row.