MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State Cardinals held Missouri State, winning their season-opener 42-34. The Cardinals improve to 1-0 to begin the season, and turn their focus to a Top 10 test at 10th ranked Miami Saturday.
Head Coach Mike Neu starts off a decisive year with a victory. The Cardinals and the Bears were locked in a stalemate heading into the fourth quarter with the score tied at 14. However, the Cardinals managed to score 28 points in the quarter to seal the first win of the season.
“It was a great day, [and] it was a great crowd,” Neu said. “We need them. There is nothing better than that.”
Freshman quarterback Kaiden Semonza got the starting nod against the visiting Bears, and showed out with 268 yards on 28 for 38 passing (73.6% completion), and four passing touchdowns alongside one on the ground.
Senior running back Braeden Sloan pounded the ball for 103 yards on the day with his longest run being 40 yards. Redshirt junior Vaughn Pemberton also had a solid day running the football notching up 21 yards on just six carries.
Redshirt sophomore Cam Pickett and senior Malcolm Gillie combined for 12 catches and 132 yards receiving. Senior tight end Tanner Koziol contributed in the passing game as well, grabbing a fourth-quarter touchdown that sealed the win.
The defense also had an astounding day. Led by senior linebacker Keionte Newson, the Cardinal defense was able to thwart the Bears rushing attack, which was limited to just 62 on the ground. Despite only recording one sack, the Ball State defense managed to get seven tackles for a loss. Redshirt junior linebacker Joey Stemler also led the team in tackles during the contest with seven.
With the win, now the Cardinals turn their focus to a battle in the Sunshine State to take on 10th-ranked Miami. Senior Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward has already recorded 689 yards on six touchdowns to start the season. He leads a Hurricane offense that is ranked as one of the best in the nation (ranked 11th in team offense nationally).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes are just as dominant, ranking 20th in nation in team defense, and only allowed two touchdowns through two games this season. But despite the statistics, nothing is impossible.
Last week, Bowling Green took No. 8 Penn State all the way down to the wire, only losing by seven in the end. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois took down fifth-ranked Notre Dame in a win that sent shockwaves throughout college football.
The team has been inspired as to what the Mid-American Conference had to offer against high level opponents this season, but instead of focusing on the past, the Cardinals will take it one play at a time, and play four quarters of Ball State Football.
“No question [it inspires us],” Neu said. “The Mid-American Conference is a good conference. Obviously it’s a great challenge, but we’re just going to focus on us the best that we can all week long.”
Ball State football travels to Miami to take on 10th ranked Miami from Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. You can hear the game on X and YouTube with SL Digital.