by The 2025-26 college football season is officially here, and that means the Ball State Cardinals will soon hit the field.
“We had a great camp and I’m really excited where we’re at,” first-year head coach Mike Uremovich said. “A bunch of our young guys have improved a lot, especially some of the freshmen that got here in January … The guys are excited for the game. You put in all this work, and you get 12 sacred Saturdays. So we’re doing everything we can to be ready for Saturday.”
Uremovich, redshirt senior defensive tackle Joey Stemler and redshirt junior wide receiver Ty Robinson spoke to the media during yesterday’s week-one press conference. The Cardinals will open the new season on the road at Purdue Saturday, Aug. 25.
The matchup between the Cardinals and Boilermakers will be just the ninth time the two programs have faced off, with Purdue leading the series 8-0. The last time Ball State played in West Lafayette was in 2010, with the Black and Gold taking a 24-13 win.
Uremovich, a Purdue graduate, discussed what it meant to make his Ball State debut against his alma mater.
“My son’s a freshman there, so it’s something [my family and I] talked about a little bit,” he said. “But honestly, once you get in there and get ready for warm-ups, the game is a game. So, it’s more fun for my family and all that to get to go back and hang out.”
While the Cardinals come into the season with many faces and names — including players and coaches alike — Purdue is in a similar boat. First-year head coach Barry Odom welcomed a large group of new players to the Black and Gold this offseason.
The Cardinals see this as an advantage to both teams.
“We obviously don’t know, personnel-wise, what players are going to do or how they have some things lined up,” Stemler said. “But at the end of the day, they’re going to throw things at us we haven’t seen before, and vice versa to them. We’re just going to do what we do.”
Though the Cardinals have not seen any game action just yet, all three representatives pointed out how the team came together throughout camp. Uremovich spoke highly of senior QB1 Kiael Kelly, who will return as the Cardinals’ starter for the first time since 2023.
“He’s just becoming more and more confident in the offense,” he said. “You gotta remember, he hasn’t played quarterback in a long time. So sitting back there and going through a progression and making the throws and getting us in the right play and all those things, that’s not easy. He did a nice job in the spring, but he really just looks a lot more comfortable right now, just with the offense.”
Another Cardinal making their return is Robinson. One of Ball State’s top targets has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries. This time, he’s eager to stay healthy and be a weapon for the Red and White.
“It’s been fun and it’s been a long off-season trying to get back to this first game,” Robinson said. “It’s been a long winter and spring. I didn’t do any spring ball. I’ve been in the weight room and treatment trying to get back right. And now it’s finally here … I’m super excited to see what this team can do on Saturday.”
Kickoff for Ball State’s first game of the Uremovich era is set for noon. While he expects the Cardinals to come out with everything they have, his No. 1 goal is making sure the team improves each week despite the result.
“We need to get better every week. Football is a long season, and we better be better in week three than we are in week one, and we better be better in week eight than we were in week two,” Uremovich said. “We’ll go out and we’ll play Saturday, and obviously we’re gonna go out and try to win the football game.
“But however that game turns out, we need to be playing better the next week and the next week and the next week. Winning teams get better as the season goes on.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
