For just over three years, I refrained from singing the Ball State fight song at Scheumann Stadium — not because I wanted to, but because I needed to. Better yet, I chose to need to.
Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" echoes how Ball State Football finished 2020, following years of adversity dating to the team's 2-10 finish in 2017 — when many of its 22 senior players were freshmen.
Ball State won its first bowl game in program history on New Year’s Eve, defeating No. 19 San Jose State 34-13 in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl.
When senior safety Bryce Cosby takes the field for the Cardinals Dec. 31 in Tucson, Arizona, he’ll have the same mentality he had when he first stepped on the gridiron this season in Oxford, Ohio.
This wasn’t a vacation to celebrate turning a half-century old. This was the reward of coaching Ball State Football to its first bowl game since the 2013 season.
Brent Baldwin, 1996 Ball State graduate and former Cardinal quarterback, knows a thing or two about playing for high stakes.
The Cardinals now have an opportunity to make more history and potentially win their first bowl game in school history, as they will play San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl Dec. 31.
The Cardinals defeated Western Michigan (2-5, 1-2 MAC) 76-68 and became the only team in the Mid-American Conference so far this season to start 2-0 on the road in conference play.
The Cardinals defeated the Zips 67-60, largely in part to a career-setting performance from Freeman. She set career highs in points (19), steals (five) and tied her career high in rebounds with six.
The Cardinals have accepted an invitation to participate in the Arizona Bowl, taking place Dec. 31 in Tucson, Arizona. Ball State will face the No. 25 San Jose State Spartans (7-0 MWC) in their 10th all-time bowl appearance and first since their 23-20 loss to Arkansas State in the 2014 GoDaddy Bowl.
The Cardinals committed 13 turnovers in the first half and seven in the second half. Head coach James Whitford thought that was the difference.
Those words guided Ball State to its first Mid-American Conference win since 1996 and the Cardinals’ first appearance since 2008, as they beat Buffalo (5-1 MAC) 38-28.
Playing in an empty Ford Field, Ball State (6-1 MAC) accomplished its ultimate goal Friday night, capping off a season the MAC initially postponed last August. The Cardinals defeated No. 23 Buffalo (5-1 MAC) 38-28 and are Mid-American Conference Champions for the first time since 1996.
Twenty-seven years following his senior season, Neu is guiding the Cardinals from the sideline and has a chance to win another championship — this time as head coach. In this season's MAC Championship game, Ball State (5-1 MAC) faces the No. 23 Bulls (5-0 MAC) Dec. 18 at Ford Field in Detroit for a rematch of the 2008 title game.
Ball State (2-3, 0-1 MAC) had a strong start and kept its intensity all four quarters, walking away with a convincing 98-42 win Monday night over Bellarmine (0-1, 0-0 ASUN).
Ball State improved every season. Now in 2020 — a shortened six-game season — the Cardinals are heading to Detroit to compete in the MAC Championship.
In the Cardinals' 82-66 win against Illinois State, that was not the case. Head coach James Whitford said this was the most all-around performance from Ball State this season.
Playing in a de facto MAC West Championship game, the Cardinals defeated the Broncos 30-27. For the first time since George W. Bush was in the White House, Ball State won the MAC West division and will play in the MAC Championship Dec. 18 against Buffalo in Detroit.
Fast forward to 2020. Kevin’s older brother, Joey Lynch, left Ball State after 2019 to accept the offensive coordinator position at Colorado State. This meant the Cardinals had a hole to fill at offensive coordinator themselves.
It has been 12 years in the making, and Ball State is one win away from playing in the championship game again. The Cardinals will face Western Michigan Dec. 12 in what is essentially a "MAC West Division Championship game." The winner will head to Detroit to play in this year's conference championship.
