With the first part of their season over, there have been a lot more positives than negatives for the Cardinals. Ball State won 31-27 at Florida Atlantic Sept. 24 to finish the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 3-1 record. Three wins already matches last season's total with still two-thirds of the regular season left to play.
Tick. Tick. Tick. If you looked up at the video board at FAU Stadium Saturday, there was a good chance it was counting down from 30:00 after another round of lightning streaked across the sky. It was all but impossible to seize and hold momentum.
Quarter-by-quarter updates of Ball State vs. Florida Atlantic on Sept. 24 at FAU Stadium
This weekend, football hits the road for its final non-conference game, while soccer, volleyball and field hockey each begin Mid-American Conference play.
Ball State played its best complete game of the season last Saturday, a 41-14 dominant home win over Eastern Kentucky.
Jake Fox, the Daily News football writer, is traveling to the game and offered up some insight on the key positional matchups.
When Sean Wiggins got to Ball State four years ago, he didn't know Zack Ryan. But it didn't take him long to figure out that he wanted to be just like Ryan. It's easy to see why. Ryan, now a fifth-year senior for the Cardinals, has started every year of his career in the middle linebacker position. He leads the team in tackles this year with 26 tackles through three games, along with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Quarterback Riley Neal, the leader of the Cardinals' offense, said the key to their success is spreading the ball around to all the playmakers at his disposal.
The Cardinals will hit the road again this week, traveling to Boca Raton, Florida, for a game against Florida Atlantic. The Owls are 1-2 this season but coming off a 63-7 road loss to Kansas State of the Big 12.
Damon Hazelton Jr. wasn't even listed on Ball State's depth chart coming into the game against Eastern Kentucky.
Ball State Field hockey (4-4) went 0-2 this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa, losing against No. 15 Iowa (6-2), 1-4, and No. 4 Penn State (8-0), 0-7. The Cardinals got off to a good start against Iowa, taking the lead in the first half, 1-0, via a goal by senior midfielder Mikayla Mooney, her third of the season.
With Family Weekend wrapped around Ball State football's home opener, a confident air spread across the Cardinals' sideline. The swagger started with head coach Mike Neu — he said he told the players they wouldn't leave the field unless the Cardinals beat Eastern Kentucky to improve to 2-1.
The defense got to the quarterback eight times on Saturday, as Ball State (2-1) jumped out to an early lead and trounced Eastern Kentucky 41-14 in its home opener at Scheumann Stadium. The Colonels mustered just 298 total yards in defeat.
For the most part, Ball State's Family Weekend game against Eastern Kentucky went exactly as expected.
Eastern Kentucky vs. Ball State quarter updates.
Ball State (1-1) will take on Eastern Kentucky (1-1) on Sept. 17 at Scheumann Stadium, the first meeting between the two schools since 1970.
Ball State (1-1) will take on the Colonels (1-1) at Scheumann Stadium on Sept. 17 for the team's home opener and annual Family Weekend game. After a loss at Indiana last weekend, Neu is making sure his guys stay focused on the task at hand.
Most Ball State athletics teams spent the last couple weeks on the road, but Family Weekend will feature home games from football, women's volleyball and soccer. Cross country and field hockey, however, will hit the road again.
Ball State head coach Mike Neu knows a thing or two about the quarterback position.
If it didn't get tipped, KeVonn Mabon thinks it would've gone for a touchdown. With 11 minutes left in the second quarter of Saturday's loss to Indiana, Mabon ran an out-breaking route with the defender playing inside of him.
