by Ball State Cardinals
Coach: Mike Neu, 8 year
Last year’s record: 4-8
Overlook
Ball State once again could not obtain a bowl game appearance when falling two games short of 500. In the 2023 season. The Ball State offense is revamped after losing Marquez Cooper who was their best player a year ago. QB Kiael Kelly who struggled to create chunk plays with his arm last year put his name into the portal but has returned to the Cardinals to play on both sides of the ball. Kelly will have packages in at QB but will mainly be playing Corner and returning kicks. Despite losing Cooper the run game will be the strongest part of the offense once again, Vaughn Pemberton returns at RB after after declaring for the portal as FCS transfer Braedon Sloan will compete with Pemberton for carries. while the pass game will hope that Kadin Semonza can have an impressive campaign after winning the spot in spring camp. The back field may be young but the offensive line returns Multiple All Conference guys. The defense will also be rebuilding as they only return one starter with a new coordinator who looks to build this team from the ground up.
Dom’s Outlook
Ball State is preparing for another down year after competing for a MAC West title just two seasons ago. Mike Neu has struggled to find success with seven losing seasons in his eight years with the Cardinals. With rumors swirling that Neu may be let go after last season that makes this year a hot seat season. This is a year that Neu has to find success in conference and compete for a winning or even record. If he can manage to push his freshman back to early success. Looking at the roster that is expected for the season opener makes me think Neu is building for the future and not building a team to win now. With Kelly returning as a swiss army knife as they expect Semonza to have a break out year. The run game is going to be strong for the second year in a row, despite losing Cooper all signs point to the Cardinals being a force in the trenches. Sloan could very well be a break out player for this team as he looks to prove he belongs in the FBS level. This roster has upside and could be fun if they do indeed use Kelly in new ways and utilize their depth at running back.
Predictions
This is going to be another step back for the Cardinals, depending how bad it is it could be the one that sends Neu packing. A 4-5 win season with a chance for a bow game could prove he is building for a competitive streak for years to come. I see four wins for the Cardinals with a low of two wins and a max of five to six wins depending if they can steal a game from one of the top teams in the conference or from James Madison.
