KALAMAZOO, MICH – Ball State kicked off its ‘new season’ of Mid-American Conference (MAC) play against Western Michigan today. If you classify it as a ‘season opener,’ the Cardinals are now 0-2 this year when sitting at a clean 0-0 slate.
Ball State (1-4, 0-1 MAC) has to go 5-3 in MAC play to be eligible for a bowl game, and the Broncos (2-3, 1-1 MAC) added one to the loss column with a 42-24 result.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Quarterback roulette continues
Freshman Kadin Semonza, who was the starter for the Cardinals in weeks two through four, found himself on the sideline at the start of the game with graduate student Layne Hatcher under center for Ball State. Semonza did not see a snap today.
This cycle continues the quarterback roulette seen in every single game this season.
This was Hatcher’s first start since week one against Kentucky (5-0), he was able to lead a scoring drive for Ball State on the opening possession of the game. This was the first time this season the Cardinals have scored on their opening drive.
Even with the opening score, it is apparent that the Cardinals are still not sure who is going to be the No. 1 quarterback to lead the offense – it is almost halfway through the season.
In just his second start of the season, it is hard to look at Hatcher's stats and not be impressed with the numbers posted.
With the graduate student having ample experience in the college football scene, he was right at home against Western Michigan, despite the loss.
It was a sneaky good game for Hatcher, despite it not looking the best on the field due to a few overthrown passes, and the main reason: How many times he was sacked. Hatcher was brought down six times.
At the end of the final whistle, Hatcher was 26-for-37 (70 percent) with 316 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Bronco offense was too much to handle
In the first half, Western Michigan made easy work of the red-and-white defense, putting up 28 points in the first 30 minutes of play.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Treyson Bourguet led the Broncos with a stellar first half, he was 18-for-26 (69 percent) in passing and added two touchdowns. He finished with 196 yards in the first half.
While Western Michigan has been known for a stellar running game, the first half saw the Broncos using the air attack. Even though they were more focused on the passing game, they still had 26 more rushing yards than the Cardinals.
Western Michigan used quick and simple flat routes almost on every single series to set up either a few-yard gain or sometimes a gain enough to move the chains. Nevertheless, it was a very effective way to start a drive for the Broncos, with the Cardinals not being able to catch on.
Although not as much production in the second half, Western Michigan was still able to deliver on its first-half performance. In the end, they had 461 total yards from scrimmage. They outran the Cardinals 133-48 on the ground.
Costly penalties
Ball State finished with 10 penalties in the game. 8 of those ten penalties came in the first half, but three penalties cost the Cardinals more in the long game.
With the Broncos facing a third and long, Ball State was able to get a sack and push Western Michigan out of field goal range, but a late hit by defensive back Jordan Riley saw laundry on the field. This penalty not only gave the Broncos a first down but also resulted in a touchdown.
The Cardinals faced a third and long late in the second quarter, stuffed close to their own end zone, it was a vital possession for the Cardinals. A throw from Hatcher connected to redshirt junior running back Marquez Cooper, with him not only gaining the first down but getting some extra yardage on the play. A holding against Ball State forced them back even farther into their own end zone, and with the pocket collapsing on Hatcher, he was forced to throw it away.
The possession ended with a punt, giving the ball back to Western Michigan.
The third critical hit to Ball State was a penalty with seconds left in the second quarter with the Broncos knocking on the door of the endzone.
The Cardinals were able to force a third-and-goal scenario, where a stop most likely would have forced them to kick a field goal. The passing breakup was called a pass interference, giving Western Michigan a first and goal and a few yards in the process. The Broncos punched in the touchdown a few plays later.
The Cardinals will hit the road again next week to face Eastern Michigan Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
