by MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State football returned to Schemann Stadium Saturday afternoon as the Cardinals hosted Akron for their homecoming game.
Throughout four quarters, the Red and White used a variety of offensive success to defeat the Zips 42-28, recording their second Mid-American Conference (MAC) victory of the season.
Here are three notes from the contest.
Both offenses started the first quarter with a quick pace
Ball State has struggled to start games with success on offense. It’s something Mike Uremovich has talked about for the last few weeks without seeing much improvement. But in Saturday’s game, both squads found early momentum.
The Cardinals’ first drive ended with a three-and-out, and when they went for it on fourth down, Akron sniffed the run out. Five plays later, the Zips hit the scoreboard first with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Akron QB1 redshirt senior Ben Finley.
But the scoring didn’t stop as Ball State drove down the field in a hurry on the following drive. After a trick play that saw redshirt junior wide receiver Ty Robinson hit redshirt senior tight end Drew Cassens for a 39-yard pass play, Cardinals’ redshirt senior QB1 Kiael Kelly scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown.
It was the first time Ball State scored in the first quarter against an FBS team this season.
After forcing Akron to punt, Kelly used his legs twice — the first was a 33-yard gain — and on the second rush, he took it to the house for a 26-yard touchdown. This gave Ball State a 14-8 lead. It was the fourth time Kelly has rushed for two scores in a game, the second at Scheumann Stadium.
The Cardinals finished the first quarter with 83 rushing and 74 passing yards.
Ball State’s inconsistent play on defense continued
Ball State’s defense was flat-out beaten in their week seven matchup with Western Michigan as they allowed 42 points and 461 yards. Throughout their first six games, the unit has had its ups and downs.
In the contest with the Zips, the inconsistent play returned. The group started with giving up a touchdown and a two-point conversion on their first drive of the game. But on the next four drives, they forced three punts and a turnover-on-downs, which gave Ball State’s offense multiple chances to take a lead.
After another touchdown from the Zips in the second quarter, they led 15-14, which held until halftime. Ball State’s defense allowed 23 rushing yards and 112 passing yards in the first half.
Ball State’s defense continued to have its positive and negative moments as Akron’s offense found rhythm following an injury to the Zips’ defensive back Justin Anderson, as he was taken off the field in an ambulance. After Kelly threw an interception, Akron scored on a four-yard pass play five plays later.
Cardinals’ offense found its stride once again in the second half
The second half started with a lack of offense. The first three drives for both teams ended in turnover-on-downs, a punt and then another punt.
But on Ball State’s second drive of the third quarter, the Red and White’s run game saw someone else besides Kelly come up huge. This time, it was redshirt junior running back Qua Ashley who ran along the sideline for a 69-yard rushing touchdown.
On their next drive, the Cardinals found success once again as Ashley took off for a 27-yard rush. Two plays later, Kelly hit redshirt senior tight end Koby Gross for a 29-yard touchdown pass to lead the game 28-18. On those two drives, Ball State’s offense ran five plays and recorded 145 yards.
Yet, Kelly’s efforts with his legs were not done as he scored at the 10:43 mark of the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown rush. This marked the first time in his career that the Ball State QB1 recorded three rushing scores in a game.
Horton, Pearson and Lewis ‘Zips’ the door shut
Though the game entered a one-hour rain delay with 6:52 on the clock, the Cardinals did not care. Akron opened the final minutes with a 19-yard field goal. But following the score, redshirt sophomore TJ Horton stepped in to return the kickoff.
He took it 90 yards for a touchdown. A few plays later, redshirt junior defensive back Roman Pearson picked off Finley. On the next defensive drive, redshirt senior Joedrick Lewis recorded his first interception as a Cardinal.
Ballgame.
The Cardinals will next play Northern Illinois on the road Saturday, Oct. 25. The game will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
