For the Ball State football team, the season is over. However, senior wide receiver Jordan Williams will be playing in the National Football League Players Association Collegiate Bowl.
While most students went home over Thanksgiving break, student-athletes at Ball State University continued winter season play for their respective athletic teams. Whether they stayed in Muncie, traveled across the country or crossed borders, here’s what the Cardinals have done in the past week of play.
On Ball State’s senior night, Bowling Green — one of the nation’s fastest and most explosive offense in the country — ran roughshod on them in their 48-10 victory.
Heading into the Nov. 24 season finale against the Bowling Green Falcons, the Cardinals will face one of the biggest challenges this season: containing quarterback Matt Johnson.
Ball State secondary vs. Bowling Green Quarterback
Excelling in sports is simply what you do in the Neal house hold.
Heading into Ball State's season finale on Nov. 24, head coach Pete Lembo is adjusting some things in the secondary, which has struggled all season.
After a slow first half, redshirt junior wider receiver KeVonn Mabon stepped up all around for the Ball State football team for his best game of the season.
Months of racial controversy and requests for the removal of former president Tim Wolfe at the University of Missouri were met fewer than 48 hours after the school’s football team took a stand. Several black players on the Missouri football team decided on Nov.
Ball State freshman quarterback Riley Neal ran was a man of two halves against Ohio University on Nov. 17.
Avoiding penalties has been a strong suit for the Ball State football team this season, as it is one the least penalized teams in the nation.
Fourth Quarter Cardinals fall to 3-8 after losing 48-31 to the Bobcats.
Ball State (3-7, 2-4) travels to Athens, Ohio to face off against the Ohio Bobcats (3-3) on Nov. 17.
Ball State football has had several ups and downs this season, and the team sits at 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference. One area the team has excelled at offensively is the low amount of penalties they give up. Head coach Pete Lembo attributes the low number to the high expectations he set for the team. “If you set the standards and expectations and expect your guys to live up to those every day then you have a much better chance of going out there and not committing foolish turnovers, foolish penalties,” Lembo said.
There have been 12 quarterbacks who have played for the Ball State football team since the new millennium; six of them have been freshman starters.
Since the Homecoming game against Toledo, Ball State's offense has slowed down its production. During that timeframe, the team has dropped four games and has struggled moving the ball in its sole win over the University of Massachusetts on Halloween day.
Ball State fans are used to watching their quarterback, Riley Neal, on Saturday afternoons at Scheumann Stadium. Whether he’s breaking freshman passing records or carving up defenses with his feet, Neal has quickly become a fan favorite. But this Saturday, the Cardinal faithful have a chance to see another member of the Neal family shine in a different sport.
Ball State officially lost postseason bowl eligibility after suffering a 54-7 loss to Western Michigan on Thursday. It's the second consecutive season that the Cardinals won't compete in the postseason. The Broncos gained 711 yards on the Cardinals, including 300-plus yard performances through the air and on the ground.
Ball State won the toss and deferred, then committed a facemask penalty on the ensuing kickoff. Western Michigan got the ball at their own 29-yard line to start the game.
Ball State will travel to Western Michigan University in a must-win game if it hopes to keep its bowl eligibility alive.
