by For some, a Week 14 game does not mean much, but for others, it means everything. For Ball State, to outside onlookers it might feel like the leftovers of a lackluster season, but for the Cardinals, it meant so much more.
In reality, any hopes Ball State had for a postseason run were dispensed with two weeks ago when the Cardinals took their seventh loss of the season, but the team still found a reason to fight. Maybe it was pride, and maybe it was the opportunity to play spoiler for Ohio and put their Mid-American Conference title game bid at risk, but either way, redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza said the energy his team brought was what defined this program’s 100th season.
“Man, we never gave up … there was no quit in this team,” Semonza said, following his team’s 21-42 loss to Ohio. “There was a lot of fight; I’m proud of them for that.”
After four quarters of play in Ball State’s regular season finale, it is clear the team has a lot to work on ahead of the 2025 season, but today the message from Interim Head Coach Colin Johnson was one of new horizons.
“The future is bright for Ball State football, and as an alum, I’m proud of that,” Johnson said. “I’m proud to see that we have great kids in this program that love this school, and obviously their love showed out there the way they performed today.”
Offensively, Ball State had several highlight performances. Junior tight end Tanner Koizol earned 10 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown en route to breaking the Ball State record for most career receptions by a tight end. Redshirt sophomore Cam Pickett also showed out, racking up nine receptions for a team-high of 119 receiving yards.
Redshirt sophomore Dahya Patel and sophomore Jamarion McDougle also stepped up in the absence of one of the team’s top wide receivers, junior Justin Bowick, who forwent the final two games of the season to redshirt and maintain an extra year of eligibility ahead of last week’s game. Patel and McDougle both earned touchdown receptions in the contest.
“I think we have a really, really deep room with skill guys,” Semonza said. “I think it’s the best group in the MAC, and it’s not even close. We have a lot to figure out this offseason, but I hope they stick around with me and we can figure something out.”
While the offense has often kept pace with rival teams throughout the season, it has been the Cardinals’ defense that has consistently come up short, repeatedly making some of the same mistakes along the way. Johnson says this is “one of the most frustrating things” about today’s game.
Ball State gives up big plays, and Johnson’s point can be illustrated by Ohio’s starting senior quarterback, Parker Navarro, who had four completed passes in the first quarter, and two of them were for a pair of 50-yard and 41-yard touchdown receptions.
Despite the criticisms, however, Coach Johnson made it a point to maintain positivity moving forward.
“I wasn’t raised to dwell on negatives,” Johnson said. “As men, as leaders, we’re taught to build, and that’s the only job I know. I think the future is bright.”
Following the loss, Ball State finishes its 2024 season with a record of 3-9, opposite Ohio’s 9-3 record as the Bobcats advance to the MAC Championship game against Miami (OH) on Saturday, Dec. 7.
