Ball State football falls 38-13 to Bowling Green on senior day. The loss closes out their 2024 home stand.
The Cardinals have not beaten the Falcons since Nov. 28, 2014. Interim head coach Colin Johnson also starts his head coaching career 0-1.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Questionable play calls.
After recovering a fumble late in the second quarter, Ball State threw the ball away.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza handed it off to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cam Pickett on a jet sweep. Pickett then immediately threw an interception one play after the defense was able to hand Ball State the ball.
This is an ongoing issue for Ball State. The Cardinals get themselves in a great position to flip the tide of the game but fail to convert on any momentum and flounder a key scoring moment. And it often feels like a trick play is their downfall.
The Cardinals also had a situation near the 50-yard line where the third and fourth down play calls were both passes. Instead of trying to get the three yards needed on the ground, both passes were incomplete.
The Cardinals score to close out the half.
Down 10-0 with 1:37 left in the first half, Ball State was in a must-score situation with the Falcons receiving the ball after halftime.
In an up-tempo situation, Ball State was able to string a drive with six plays covering 69 yards for a touchdown.
Semonza hit redshirt junior Vaughn Pemberton for a 51-yard touchdown to get Ball State on the board for the first time late in the second frame. It was also the longest receiving touchdown in Pemberton's career as a Cardinal.
Although Ball State might have squandered chances to get into the end zone, the Cardinals were able to make up for their mistakes by heading into the locker room 10-7.
In a game where not a lot went right for Ball State, this drive was about as good as it can get for the Cardinals.
Abysmal third quarter
After only being down 10-7 at halftime, Ball State had an opportunity to make it a close game. Instead, the Cardinals got shut out 18-0 in the third quarter.
Ball State had three chances on offense and two out of the three drives went three and out. The third drive gained a first down, but Semonza was sacked two times in a row to put the Cardinals near the end zone on the punt.
The Falcons started its scoring in the quarter with a field goal and closed out the quarter with two touchdowns in the final four minutes.
Bowling Green junior wide receiver Rahkeem Smith took it from one yard out to go up 21-7, furthering the score between the two teams.
Smith found the end zone again with senior quarterback Connor Bazelak hitting him for a 66-yard touchdown. The score made it a 28-7 game.
The Bowling Green offense was humming, but Ball State's inability to put up any points on the board in the quarter all but ruined their chance of winning.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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