No matter the result that comes before, Ball State football head coach Mike Neu always enters post game press conferences with a hint of optimism.
He did when the Cardinals lost 44-14 to Kentucky last season. He did when Ball State fell 59-10 to Tennessee in 2022.
Not Saturday night in Coral Gables, Florida. Not after the worst margin of defeat in his nine years as Ball State’s leader. Not following a 62-0 loss.
“We didn't execute well enough to even give ourselves a chance,” Neu started with. “ … There's not a lot of positives to bring out of tonight.”
The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes’ shellacking of the Cardinals was a historic one. The last time Ball State was held scoreless came in a 42-0 loss to Temple. The last time the Cardinals lost by 62 points or more was a 76-0 defeat at the hands of Kansas State 24 years ago.
Saturday evening was Neu’s largest margin of defeat he has ever surrendered as a Cardinal coach or player. It was probably the worst loss any of those suiting up for the red and white ever suffered in their entire football careers.
“As a defensive player, that's heartbreaking. As a linebacker, that's heartbreaking,” Keionté Newson said.
The fifth-year True Cardinal 1 said he tried to keep Ball State’s defense hopeful throughout the blowout loss, but eventually his efforts fell null. The typically jovial Newson admitted it became a struggle to keep himself positive as the Hurricanes’ lead grew larger and larger.
“It's a long season,” Newson said. “Regardless of how it ended, [this game] can make or break us.”
Ball State’s defense surrendered 750 total yards, 346 of which via senior quarterback Cam Ward. Although he didn’t play after the first drive of the second half, the Washington State transfer compiled five passing touchdowns in the first 35 minutes of play.
Ward finished with a 230.6 passer rating and now has 1.035 passing yards with 11 passing touchdowns this season.
“Show me somebody who's playing better than him in the country through three games,” Neu said.
Seemingly every time Ward dropped back to pass, a Miami receiver left a Cardinal defender in the dust. All of Ward’s touchdown passes were at least 17-yard scores, the longest of which a 37-yard reception by redshirt freshman running back Chris Johnson Jr.
At the end of the first half, Ball State trailed 31-0. The Cardinals went into halftime Week 1 against Missouri State tied at seven apiece.
Newson made it clear why Ball State’s defense struggled against the Hurricanes in the first half in particular.
“Bad communication and self-inflicted wounds,” Newson said. “We left people wide open, and against a Heisman front runner, he is going to make us pay for that.”
Neu repeatedly acknowledged that he knew the Cardinals were fighting an uphill battle heading into Hard Rock Stadium. Anyone following either program knew that. Hell, DraftKings knew it, slotting Ball State as a 36.5-point underdog.
On paper, Ball State’s defense was the weak point Saturday night, but that group had to contend with one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. It’s hard to imagine that anyone thought Miami would be this dominant against Muncie’s finest, and it may be the Cardinals’ offense that most against the Hurricanes.
The U’s pass rush ate up Ball State’s offensive line in the first half, recording three sacks and a tackle for loss. The Hurricanes’ standout play came when the Cardinals’ redshirt freshman quarterback gave up an interception to Miami senior defensive lineman Elijah Alston. Semonza made the right call, tossing the ball in the air to avoid a loss of yards as he was being hit by a Miami defender, Alston just had an even better reaction when he reached up to grab the errant pass.
Aside from the turnover, Semonza played relatively well, completing 10 of his first 11 passes and finishing with a 62 percent completion percentage with 111 yards. And yet, the Cardinals never ran one offensive play in the red zone.
That may ultimately boil down to senior running back Braedon Sloan only earning five carries compared to 21 in Week 1. Sloan rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown against Missouri State last week, and while the Cardinals weren’t playing from behind for the entirety of that game like they were against Miami, it’s hard to believe their offense wouldn’t have found more success with an increased workload for Sloan.
When he did get the ball against the Hurricanes, he rushed for 13 yards. On the receiving end, he led Ball State with 41 yards on four receptions.
Regardless, Sloan was not frustrated with his decrease in touches, and Neu chalked it up to the strength of Miami’s defense.
“You got to make plays when they come to you,” Sloan said.
The Ball State offense ran numerous plays with defensive back Kiael Kelly taking snaps at quarterback, running back or wide receiver, but none produced any results. The redshirt junior’s two rushes compiled -1 yard, his one passing completion on two attempts resulted in a three-yard loss and his lone reception only yielded six yards.
Miami’s defense seemed to sniff out Ball State’s plans every time Kelly was on the offensive side of the ball.
“Every week you want to try to get your playmakers on the field, and Kiael is a playmaker,” Neu said. “We'll just keep grinding on that every week.”
The Cardinals will have to keep grinding on all fronts in the next six days, quickly shifting their focus to Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. Ball State opens its conference schedule on the road against a 1-2 Central Michigan team that is still reeling from a 31-9 loss to Illinois.
Although both sides of the gridiron looked bleak for Ball State for all 60 minutes in Coral Gables, Sloan does think there is value in playing a Top 10 team like the Miami Hurricanes.
“We got to put this one behind us, but we can't forget about it,” Sloan said. “The upcoming weeks are going to tell us a lot about our team. Sometimes you get hit in the mouth and you got to respond.”
Contact Kyle Smedley via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
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