Ball State Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Ball State College Football Preview 2024

It’s been an interesting run under head coach Mike Neu.

In eight years, he has had seven losing seasons, two bowl appearances, and a wild 2020 season with a MAC Championship and blowout bowl victory.

The offense is having problems finding something that consistently works, the defense needs new playmakers this season, and yet it constantly seems like the team is always close to coming up with one of those wacky runs that random MAC programs produce.

And why? Ball State was really, really close to beating the two best teams in the MAC last season - Toledo and Miami University - and lost to Bowling Green by three.

Neu and the coaching staff changed and adapted on the fly, and it was almost enough in a strong second half of the season.

It’ll take a lot of creativity to survive through the first half of the year again - there’s a cruel run of road games - and if the team can be just okay over the first seven games, there’s a shot it all comes together over the finishing kick.

After a decade of struggles, Ball State is overdue.

Ball State Football Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense had a tough time getting going. The 219 points were the fewest scored since 2017, there was only one game against an FBS team with than 24 points produced, and the passing attack sputtered and coughed for too many stretches. There’s hope for more, but the Ball State offense will be … interesting.

- Really, what’s going on with the quarterback situation? Leading passer Layne Hatcher is gone, dangerous do-it-all option Kiael Kelly threw for 577 yards and ran for 724 yards and seven touchdowns.

But Kelly entered the transfer portal, is now back and listed as a defensive back. No matter what, he’ll have different plays designed to get him in the mix, but will Kadin Semonza take over the job? Maybe Marshall’s Chase Harrison will take over. As the people say, watch this space.

The receiving corps is there to do a little more. Leading receiver Qian Magwood didn’t do anything down the field, but he caught 41 passes - most of them quick plays to get him on the move.

Ty Robinson is back after missing most of last year, and Justin Bowick is a dangerous factor on the outside from Eastern Illinois. Tanner Koziol is a potential volume-catching tight end - he was second on the team with 34 grabs.

- The running game was good last year, but top back Marquez Cooper is off to San Diego State and Kiael Kelly is an X factor. Charlie Spegal and TJ Horton are relatively untested backs who have to come through.

The line is full of veterans and should be okay. Western Illinois transfer Yaser Al-Awadi should be a factor at left tackle to go along with three returning starters in the interior.

Ball State Football Preview 2024: Defense

- The defense got ripped apart over the first half of the season, and roared back hard in the second half allowing 17 points or fewer in five of the last six games. Now the Cardinals have to replace a whole lot of parts.

- The secondary should be interesting. Thailand Baldwin is a baller of a corner who returns to his spot, and the rest of the gaps will be filled in after losing safety Jordan Riley to Kansas State.

This bunch needs help from a pass rush that was okay last year, but needs to find someone who can rise up. University of Indianapolis transfer Justin Thomas has to be a factor on the edge, and Hillsdale College’s Riley Tolsma will step in on one end.

The pressure and plays have to come from several spots in a rotation around Drew Hughes and massive JUCO transfer L’Cier Luter on the nose.

- The linebacking corps should be one of the strengths early on. Keionte Newson led the team with 81 tackles and should be one of the defensive stars in the middle. Joey Stemler should be a statistical force with a bigger role.

Key To The Ball State Football Season

Get the ball down the field.
There wasn’t ANYTHING working on the deep shots without any big plays to open things up. Ball State was among the worst in America in yards per completion averaging just 9.11 yards per pitch-and-catch.

Ball State Key Player

Kaden Semonza, QB RFr.
Or Chase Harrison. If Kiael Kelly really and truly will be a jack-of-all-trades type, the offense needs a steady passer. Semonza isn’t all that big, but he can wing it around - the same goes for Harrison. Any sort of production will be an improvement.

Ball State Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Justin Bowick, WR Jr.
The Cardinals need more firepower everywhere on offense, and that starts with getting more down the field. The 6-4, 190-pound Eastern Illinois transfer caught 35 passes for close to 500 yards and five scores last season. Now he has to be a big playmaker on the outside.

Top Transfer Out: Marquez Cooper, RB Sr.
The former Kent State star led Ball State with 1,043 yards and four scores. He had a hard time busting out, but he’s a tough runner who carried the offense for stretches. Now he’ll live the life at San Diego State under his former Golden Flash head coach Sean Lewis.

Ball State Key Game

Western Michigan, Oct. 5
It’s an oasis in a brutal run of road games. The Cardinals play five road games in six weeks, and they need this against Western Michigan or it’ll be a rough first half of the season. Ball State has lost the last two meetings including a 42-24 defeat last year.

10 Best Ball State Football Players

1. Keionte Newson, LB Sr.
2. Kiael Kelly, QB/DB Jr.
3. Tanner Koziol, TE Jr.
4. Thailand Baldwin, CB Jr.
5. Qian Magwood, WR Jr.
6. Joey Stemler, LB Jr.
7. Jordan Coleman, S Soph.
8. Justin Bowick, WR Jr.
9. Kadin Semonza, QB RFr.
10. Yasir Al-Awadi, OT Soph.

Ball State 2023 Fun Stats

- First Downs: Ball State 217, Opponents 216

- Punt Return Average: Opponents 13.2 yards, Ball State 1.1 yards

- 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 122, Ball State 56

Ball State Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

It’s going to be rough.

The Cardinals should get by Missouri State to start the season, and the comes a three-week stretch of road games, a week in Muncie against Western Michigan, and then two more road games.

4-3 is possible if everything breaks right, but 3-4 would be a good start, and 2-5 is more likely.

And then comes the break. There’s just one road game over the next month, and it’s a winnable date at Buffalo after getting two weeks off to rest.

There’s no Toledo to deal with, but missing Akron and Eastern Michigan hurts. Even so, there’s a shot to get to six wins if the team is on the right side of most of the 50/50 games.

Set The Ball State Win Total At … 4 Likely Wins: Missouri State

50/50 Games: at Buffalo, Bowling Green, at Central Michigan, at Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, at Ohio, Western Michigan

Likely Losses: at James Madison, at Miami, at Vanderbilt

2024 Ball State Football Schedule

Aug 31 OPEN DATE
Sept 7 Missouri State
Sept 14 at Miami
Sept 21 at Central Michigan
Sept 28 at James Madison
Oct 5 Western Michigan
Oct 12 at Kent State
Oct 19 at Vanderbilt
Oct 26 Northern Illinois
Nov 2 Miami University
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 12 at Buffalo
Nov 23 Bowling Green
Nov 29 at Ohio

Missing: Akron, Eastern Michigan, Toledo