With Ball State just two wins away from bowl eligibility and temperatures in Muncie nearing single digits this week at practice, redshirt junior quarterback Drew Plitt has the Bahamas on his mind. As good as it feels to have the team’s first bowl birth since 2013 in sight, Plitt said, players’ eyes can’t get too wide.
Ball State (4-5, 3-2 MAC), could not stop the offense of Western Michigan (6-4, 4-2 MAC) when it counted. The Cardinals were unable to complete a second half comeback and ultimately fell to the Broncos, 35-31. Here are a few takeaways.
If you showed up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to watch the two highest-scoring offenses in the Mid-American Conference go at it, you got your money’s worth. Tuesday, it was the Broncos (6-4, 4-2 MAC) who got the best of the Cardinals (4-5, 3-2 MAC), 35-31.
In Ball State’s season opener against Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, sophomore A.J. Uzodinma and junior Antonio Phillips came away with the team’s first two interceptions of the year. Eight weeks later, the Cardinals’ starting cornerbacks are in a battle for the top spot on the Mid-American Conference’s interception list.
Temperatures were in the 50s, the wind was blowing and it rained all game long. But if you ask Ball State head coach Mike Neu, none of that determined the outcome of the Cardinals’ (4-4, 3-1 MAC) 34-21 loss to Ohio (4-4, 3-1 MAC) Saturday.
The Cardinals have enjoyed their winning ways since the start of the Mid-American Conference season. Senior night a year ago, senior defensive tackle Chris Crumb said, was the turning point for Ball State Football.
Wendell Brown, a Ball State Football linebacker from 2004-07, was coaching abroad when he was imprisoned in China in September 2016 after his involvement in a bar fight during a party, which he said was in self defense. One month ago, he returned home.
Thanks to 580 yards of offense and seven touchdowns, Ball State (4-3, 3-0 MAC) broke its drought of five consecutive losses in Homecoming games in front of 15,113 strong Saturday in a 52-14 win over Toledo (4-3, 1-2 MAC).
Ball State is on a “revenge tour.” Essentially, the Cardinals (4-3, 3-0 MAC) are out to beat every team in the Mid-American Conference, and after Saturday’s 52-14 win over Toledo (4-3, 1-2 MAC), they became the lone team undefeated in MAC play.
Several fans bundled up Friday to watch Blackford (5-4) take on Mississinewa (8-1). The Indians got the best of the Bruins, 38-13, but the Bruins held their heads high.
There was a time when you could expect fireworks to go off at Delta High School when Charlie Spegal stepped on the field. He totaled more than 4,300 yards and 50 touchdowns in an Eagle uniform. Spegal was at it again Friday, leading his team to a 49-13 win, eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the 24th time in his career and tying the state scoring record with his three touchdowns. Only this time, there were no fireworks. Even the fans in Delta’s stands were quiet.
Junior running back Caleb Huntley’s last two games have been ones to remember, rushing for more than 150 yards in each, and he has his offensive line of what he describes as the “Berlin Wall” to thank for it.
All Ball State had to do was keep Eastern Michigan from gaining 80 yards in a minute and 19 seconds, and the Cardinals would secure the win and their first 2-0 start in Mid-American Conference play since 2013. With no timeouts remaining, the Eagles went to work.
Sheets of rain fell in sideways with harsh winds in a low-scoring matchup between Yorktown (6-2) and Pendleton Heights (4-4). The Tigers came out on top with a 15-6 win where the defense highlighted their performance.
On a cold, windy, rain-filled senior night, Monroe Central (5-3) defeated Union County (1-7), 45-0. It was the Golden Bears’ rushing attack that propelled them to the victory as they turned to five different running backs for their scoring.
Despite a persistent rainfall and chilly conditions, there was a sense of emotion in the air Friday night as Muncie Central (0-8) hosted its senior night against McCutcheon (5-4). However, struggles on offense hurt the Bearcats as the Mavericks cruised to a 35-0 win.
Here are some quick updates from high school football games in the area.
You can choose whoever you’d like, but head coach Mike Neu would rather leave the debate of who the Cardinals’ top playmaker is as just that — a debate.
Ball State’s goal coming into the week was to get to 1-0 by the end of Saturday. The Cardinals did just that as they defeated Northern Illinois in comeback fashion, 27-20. Here’s a look at some key aspects from the game.
Facing a 17-3 deficit at halftime, Ball State Football entered the locker room after 30 minutes of play Saturday not feeling disappointed, but rather motivated. The motivation seemed to pay off as Neu’s Cardinals rallied for 24 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 27-20 comeback win over defending Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois.
