by WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ball State football opened the 2025 season with a road match against Purdue. Though the Red and White looked to open first-year head coach Mike Uremovich’s tenure with a win, the Cardinals fell to the Boilermakers 31-0.
Here are three notes from the game.
Rough start for Ball State
Purdue’s offensive game plan didn’t take long to cause confusion for the Cardinals. On the third play of the game’s opening drive, Boilermaker sophomore QB1 Ryan Browne found sophomore receiver Arhmad Branch at the 14:30 mark for a 49-yard touchdown catch.
Ball State’s defense seemed a bit shaky through the first drive, and that continued on offense as the Red and White went three-and-out. Following a punt, the Black and Gold found the endzone once more.
This time, Browne scored on a five-yard rush, extending Purdue’s lead to 14-0. After that, Ball State continued to struggle on offense as the Cardinals opened the contest with three consecutive punts.
Following another score from the Boilermakers at the 10:21 mark of the second quarter — a 4-yard touchdown rush — Ball State punted for a fourth-straight time.
Though the Cardinals had a solid drive going later in the half — which allowed them to pass midfield for the first time — redshirt senior Kiael Kelly was sacked and was short on a throw on fourth and 16, ending the run.
The Red and White concluded the first half by looking much better on defense, but they went into the locker room after allowing 246 offensive yards while only recording 105.
Missed opportunities haunted the Cardinals
While Ball State struggled to find momentum at certain points, some of this was caused by missed chances to gain an upper hand. On their fifth drive of the game, the Red and White crossed midfield for the first time.
But the drive ended as Kelly was sacked on third down, and his intended pass on fourth and 16 to redshirt senior tight end Koby Gross fell short. This was the second time Ball State’s QB1 had a chance to extend a drive, yet his pass attempts fell just short.
To open the third quarter, the Cardinals were on another long drive. However, the drive ended when redshirt junior kicker Carson Holmer missed a 45-yard field goal attempt as the football hit the right upright. This led to a Purdue touchdown catch six plays later, putting the Boilermakers up 28-0.
While Purdue was able to put a kick through the uprights on a 25-yard attempt, Holmer missed another field goal — this time a 29-yard kick — in the fourth quarter.
Some positives in the loss
Though the Cardinals never scored in the opener, there were some glimpses of promise. Ball State redshirt senior linebacker Joey Stemler had five tackles on the day, while senior defensive end Nathan Voorhis had four tackles and a sack.
On the ground, Kelly finished the game with 63 rushing yards while redshirt junior running back Qua Ashley recorded 45.
The Cardinals ended the first game of the season with a possession time of 33:40 while the Boilermakers held the ball for 26:20. The Red and White will return to the field Saturday, Sept. 6, when they travel to face Auburn. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
