by Ball State football’s week-two loss to Western Michigan is one the Cardinals want to move on from.
In the 42-0 defeat, they recorded 88 yards of offense and averaged 1.8 yards per play. The Cardinals now sit 12th in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for total yards with just 1,533 through six games.
First-year Ball State head coach Mike Uremovich said it was on him when they looked at the gamefilm the next day.
“The film is a reflection of me and our staff,” Uremovich said. “That’s how we approach it.”
When watching the tape, the Cardinals saw a few things they wanted to clean up before Akron makes a stop at Scheumann Stadium Saturday, Oct. 18, for the Red and White’s homecoming game.
“Communication was one thing that stood out, and I take full responsibility for that,” senior linebacker Joey Stemler said. “Some guys didn’t get to call or were confused, and being the leader of the defense, I take full responsibility … I’m very confident that we will have everything right going into this week.”
The Zips (2-5, 1-2 MAC) are averaging 16.7 points per game — just three more than Ball State — but are fourth in the conference with 1,277 passing yards. Senior QB1 Ben Finley has 1,157 yards through the air and has thrown eight touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Junior running back Jordan Grant leads the Zips with 511 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The series between the two programs is currently tied 12-12. The last time Ball State faced Akron in 2021, the Cardinals won the road game 31-25.
They will try to repeat that result this weekend.
“Akron presents a lot of problems defensively because of all the stuff they do, so we’re going to have to be sound in our blocking schemes and our protection,” Uremovich said. “Offensively, they’re a really heavy RPO offense, so you can’t just have bad eyes. You can’t not do your job because the quarterback can pull the ball out at any time and throw it … We have to have really good eye discipline.”
Ball State QB1 Kiael Kelly said everyone was ‘frustrated,’ no matter the position, after the Cardinals’ last display against the Broncos. He believes that feeling will convince the team to bounce back this Saturday when the game starts at 3:30 p.m.
“I think you always have a chip on your shoulder,” Kelly said. “Last Saturday, we flat-out got beat. It was pretty clear. I don’t think they’re the better team, I think they just played better.”
Kelly was sacked five times in the loss, and Ball State is last in the MAC for allowing 20 sacks this season. But Kelly said not every sack is on his offensive line.
“At times, they’re doing their job and [the opponent] is bringing more than we can block,” he said. “We just can’t panic, and it was horrible for everybody. There’s not one person to blame.”
But while Uremovich said the Cardinals’ negative performance was on the coaching staff, both Stemler and Kelly said it ultimately comes down to what happens on the gridiron.
“They don’t need to call the blame for it, because players also mess up. [We’ve] always said, if everybody’s always wrong, we’re [also] all right together,” Stemler said. “It’s a two-way street. Everybody has full faith in our coaches, and whatever they call, we’re gonna run through a brick wall for them … We can’t put blame on this certain person or this certain coach. It’s a whole Ball State football unit.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
