Finally, Ball State football’s focus is solely on Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. Even though the Cardinals had already competed in three conference clashes, they knew No. 25 Vanderbilt was still on the horizon for their fourth and final non-conference game.
Ball State’s first MAC bout even came uncharacteristically early in the season, one week before squaring off against James Madison in Virginia. While no players or staff flinched in their “One Game At A Time” mantra through the first seven games, head coach Mike Neu did underline the importance of now narrowing that focus only on MAC opponents.
“This is a great conference,” Neu said. “It always has been, and it always will be.”
Northern Illinois, Ball State’s foe this Saturday, proved that the MAC can compete outside of the conference when the Huskies beat Notre Dame in South Bend Sept. 7. The Fighting Irish were the fifth-ranked team in the country at the time, and Northern Illinois made history by becoming the first MAC team to ever beat a top-five program.
Days after the Huskies’ historic victory, Neu said he reached out to Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock to congratulate him. However, there is still no love lost between the conference rivals despite the friendly gesture.
After all, the Bronze Stalk Trophy is on the line every time Ball State takes on Northern Illinois.
“When you go out there on game day, you gotta be ready and chase that feeling of grabbing that trophy after the game and celebrating with all your teammates,” said Brandon Berger, a senior linebacker. “ … It's always been a little bit chippy. There's been some celebrations in the past that we remember.”
Although the Cardinals have won the last two Battles for the Bronze Stalk, the Huskies are winning the war with a 25-24-2 all-time record. The last six games between the programs representing Dekalb and Muncie have been decided by just one possession.
Both squads are heading into this Saturday’s game coming off losses, however, chances are that Ball State feels a bit better about last weekend’s defeat than Northern Illinois. Despite a 24-14 final score, the Cardinals were winning 7-3 at the end of the first quarter against No. 25 Vanderbilt, and they even had the game tied at the end of the third quarter.
“There was adversity that hit, and we didn't blink,” Neu said. “We battled back from that.”
Neu said on multiple occasions that the struggling Ball State defense played its most complete game of the season against the Commodores, and he felt the Cardinals’ offense excelled in maintaining time of possession that resulted in two touchdowns. Only losing by 10 to a Vanderbilt program that defeated Alabama should not be taken lightly.
Junior tight end Tanner Koziol isn’t concerned about the technicalities of Ball State’s loss.
“There's no moral wins,” he said.
It’s not just the Bronze Stalk trophy that motivates Koziol whenever he goes up against the Huskies. As an Illinois native, Koziol admitted that he wanted to play for Northern Illinois while he was being recruited in high school.
He remembered traveling to Dekalb for multiple junior days, skill camps and even numerous meetings with Hammock. However, Koziol never received an offer from the Huskies, and that still sticks with him to this day.
“They didn't believe in me, but coach Neu and the staff did,” Koziol said. “I owe coach Neu and the staff wins when we play them.”
Even if the MAC contest comes on Ball State’s homecoming weekend, defeating the 4-3 (1-2 MAC) Huskies will not be easy.
Northern Illinois has the best defense in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) by far, allowing an average of 258 yards per game. For comparison, Ohio sits with the second-least average yards allowed with 331 per game.
The Huskies have also allowed 36 fewer passing yards, 103 fewer rushing yards and four fewer touchdowns than any other MAC squad.
Ball State, on the other hand, has the second-worst defense in the conference with 494 yards allowed per game. The Cardinals are one of three MAC teams to allow 30+ touchdowns with 38 total, and they are the only conference team to surrender more than 2,000 passing yards.
However, Ball State has a higher-ranked scoring offense than Northern Illinois, sitting at sixth in the MAC with 25 points per game. The Huskies aren’t far behind with 23 points per contest, and they rank much higher than the Cardinals in terms of yards per game with 400 compared to Ball State’s 329.
The Cardinals have compiled 265 more passing yards than Northern Illinois, but the Huskies have by far the most rushing yards in the conference with 1,505. That’s 766 more than Ball State.
Northern Illinois’ dual-threat senior running back duo of redshirt Gavin Williams and Antario Brown take up two of the top six rushing-yard rankings in the MAC with 450-plus each.
The Cardinals’ lead rusher, senior Braedon Sloan, has three fewer yards than Brown with 451. Ball State’s QB1, redshirt freshman Kadin Semonza, has the third-most passing yards in the conference whereas the Huskies’ redshirt junior signal caller Ethan Hampton sits in 10th with less than 1,000 yards through the air.
Northern Illinois’ successful rush-first offense presents a tough challenge for Ball State, which is the third-worst rush defense in the MAC as it surrenders more than 183 yards per game with 15 touchdowns on the ground. What makes matters worse is Northern Illinois’ excellent pass defense, ranking as the best in the conference with just 157 yards per game allowed through the air.
However, the Huskies’ struggle to force interceptions may bode well for Semonza, who leads the MAC with seven picks.
As of publication, Northern Illinois is listed as an 11.5-point favorite against Ball State (2-5, 1-2 MAC), according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
Contact Kyle Smedley via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
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