Ball State has not beaten Miami (OH) since 2019.
In 2021, Ball State lost by seven on homecoming. In 2022, the Cardinals lost against Miami to make their record 5-7, missing a bowl game. In 2023, Ball State lost on senior night after a penalty brought back a touchdown and the field goal to win was blocked.
Head coach Mike Neu said there have been some gut-wrenching endings at the hands of Mid-American Conference rival Miami.
The Cardinals will try to end the streak on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. in Scheumann Stadium. The game will also be nationally televised on ESPN for MACtion in the RedBird Rivalry.
Neu knows what this game is going to be because of how intense the previous matchups have been.
“We are preparing ourselves for a 60-minute war. A street fight mentality,” Neu said. “...Our guys are chomping at the bit to attack this.”
The ESPN kickoff means there are going to be a lot of people watching, Neu said.
“We have to make it a positive [that we are] the only show in town,” Neu said.
Neu said players embrace the ESPN spotlight. He also said playing on Tuesdays gives Ball State the ability to have NFL scouts and general managers (GM) the opportunity to be in person.
“I would definitely say it's more excitement than nerves because this is stuff we've been dreaming about since we were kids,” redshirt junior running back Vaughn Pemberton said about the NFL scouts. “I think any chance of us getting closer to that dream is very exciting.”
This week will also mark the first week of MACtion for graduate student sniper George Udo who transferred from BYU to Ball State. He said it was going to be interesting playing on a Tuesday night.
Udo’s sniper position does it all in the backfield. He lines up a corner, covers slot receivers and has to be versatile to handle himself in the backfield with skill. Udo said his experience at BYU as a corner, safety, linebacker and nickel has allowed him to learn from many perspectives.
The Ball State defense has progressively gotten better each game. Udo said a big change was Neu talking to the defense about energy. After that talk, Udo said he could see how the hype and energy have positively affected the team.
“Even as the season went on, we've been continuing to get better as a defense and understanding in the ins and outs of it,” Udo said.
Players said communication issues were the reason why the defense was not playing up to its potential early in the season. Udo said those communication issues are now gone, as evident in the way the Cardinals play.
The Cardinals intercepted Northern Illinois University two times and forced two fumbles. They also held All-MAC running back Antario Brown to 62 yards.
Neu said the defense will have a challenge in facing experienced Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert.
Gabbert has 1727 yards through the air so far this season and has 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has had an 8-0 touchdown to interception ratio in the past three weeks. Gabbert is also firing at a 59 percent completion rate.
Udo said the defense has been focusing on Gabbert through the film room to understand what he wants to do with the ball.
“We have to make him uncomfortable in the pocket,” Neu said. “If you give him time to throw there's not a coverage, not a look, [or anything] that he that he hasn't already seen or already experienced.”
The Ball State offense will have to go against the MAC’s second second-best defense in the RedHawks. The Cardinals put up 170 rushing yards against the Huskies (No. 1 MAC defense) last week, and 120 of them were from Pemberton or senior Braedon Sloan.
Pemberton said he has never been in a running back duo like he is currently in with Sloan. He said both of them have been able to help each other learn by watching film and coaching each other to success.
Pemberton said Sloan is great at making defenders miss, while he is more a power back.
“We just help each other in a way, [where] the defense doesn't necessarily know what to expect,” Pemberton said.
The duo has combined for 699 yards this season which is 77 percent of the Cardinals' total rushing offense. The pair also has five out of the eight rushing touchdowns for Ball State.
Last week was the Battle for the Bronze Stalk, this week the Cardinals will play for the RedBird Rivalry trophy.
Neu said when there is a trophy on the line, it helps the players feed into the rivalry and motivate them to win.
“We know this football team. They're the defending champions, they've won three in a row [and] they've dominated the last three weeks,” Neu said. “...It is going to be a great challenge.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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