# 2024 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 2024 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University as a member of the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals played home games at Scheumann Stadium, located in Muncie, Indiana.
After starting 3–7, ensuring a fourth straight losing season, ninth-year head coach Mike Neu was fired on November 16, 2024. Offensive line coach Colin Johnson was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Ball State was picked to finish ninth in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
MAC Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Miami | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Toledo | 109 (3) |
| T3 | Bowling Green | 92 |
| T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 |
| 5 | Ohio | 81 |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 |
| 7 | Western Michigan | 60 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 59 |
| 9 | Ball State | 42 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 37 |
| 11 | Akron | 24 |
| 12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Miami | 10 |
| 2 | Toledo | 2 |

## Schedule

Unusually, Ball State did not play a game on "Week 1" of the season; they were the only idle FBS team on the traditional start of the season. Army, their original Week 1 opponent, dropped out after joining the American Athletic Conference. Ball State replaced Army with an October 19 game against Vanderbilt.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 7 | 2:00 p.m. | Missouri State* | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | W 42–34 | 10,018 |
| September 14 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 10 Miami (FL)* | Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL | ACCN | L 0–62 | 51,564 |
| September 21 | 1:00 p.m. | at Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, MI | ESPN+ | L 34–37 | 18,011 |
| September 28 | 1:30 p.m. | at James Madison* | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 7–63 | 25,786 |
| October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Western Michigan | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | L 42–45 | 10,342 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at Kent State | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPN+ | W 37–35 | 7,322 |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt* | FirstBank StadiumNashville, TN | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 14–24 | 27,884 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Northern Illinois | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) | ESPN+ | W 25–23 | 15,318 |
| November 5 | 8:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN | L 21–27 | 6,412 |
| November 12 | 7:00 p.m. | at Buffalo | UB StadiumBuffalo, NY | CBSSN | L 48–51 $^{OT}$ | 12,708 |
| November 23 | 2:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | L 13–38 | 7,116 |
| November 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | CBSSN | L 21–42 | 11,804 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Missouri State (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears (FCS) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 34 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 42 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 10,018
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | MOST | BALL |
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Total yards | 320 | 435 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 258 | 262 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–32–1 | 28–38–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:30 | 38:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jacob Clark | 19/32, 258 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Jacardia Wright | 15 carries, 46 yards, TD |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Jmariyae Robinson | 7 receptions, 102 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 28/38, 262 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 21 carries, 103 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Receiving | Cam Pickett | 7 receptions, 69 yards |

### at No. 10 Miami (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 Hurricanes | 10 | 21 | 10 | 21 | 62 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL
* Date: September 14, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 51,564
* TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Coley Harvey (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | BALL | MIA |
| First downs | 9 | 31 |
| Total yards | 115 | 750 |
| Rushing yards | 6 | 243 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 507 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–32–1 | 30–40–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:01 | 32:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 16/26, 111 yards, INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 5 carries, 13 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Braedon Sloan | 4 receptions, 41 yards |
| Miami (FL) | Passing | Cam Ward | 19/28, 346 yards, 5 TD |
| Miami (FL) | Rushing | Ajay Allen | 7 carries, 104 yards, TD |
| Miami (FL) | Receiving | Jacolby George | 6 receptions, 109 yards, TD |

### at Central Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
* Date: September 21, 2024
* Game time: 1:00pm
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |
| Central Michigan | Passing |
| Central Michigan | Rushing |
| Central Michigan | Receiving |

### at James Madison

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 22 | 7 | 20 | 14 | 63 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium • Harrisonburg, VA
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: S at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 25,786
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Brian Barlow (analyst) and David Hulvey (sideline)
| Statistics | BALL | JMU |
| First downs | 19 | 29 |
| Total yards | 250 | 522 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 236 |
| Passing yards | 173 | 286 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–38–3 | 21–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:41 | 26:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 22/35, 168 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 14 carries, 72 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Tanner Koziol | 9 receptions, 78 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 20/28, 280 yards, 5 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | Wayne Knight | 6 carries, 63 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Taylor Thompson | 5 receptions, 91 yards, TD |

### Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 21 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
| Cardinals | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 10,342
* Referee: Andrew Speciale
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
| Statistics | WMU | BALL |
| First downs | 23 | 23 |
| Total yards | 397 | 461 |
| Rushing yards | 197 | 68 |
| Passing yards | 264 | 329 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 32:30 | 27:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 26/29, 264 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jaden Nixon | 14 carries, 124 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Anthony Sambucci | 9 receptions, 74 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 21/34, 307 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 18 carries, 65 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Tanner Koziol | 9 receptions, 102 yards |

### at Kent State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 7,322
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |
| Kent State | Passing |
| Kent State | Rushing |
| Kent State | Receiving |

### at Vanderbilt

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Commodores | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, TN
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 27,884
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Statistics | BALL | VAN |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 268 | 420 |
| Rushing yards | 78 | 145 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 275 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–29–0 | 17–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:25 | 34:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 21/29, 190 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Rushing | Vaughn Pemberton | 5 carries, 32 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Tanner Koziol | 9 receptions, 68 yards, TD |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Diego Pavia | 17/31, 275 yards, TD |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 13 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Eli Stowers | 8 receptions, 130 yards, TD |

### Northern Illinois (Bronze Stalk Trophy)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kaspar (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Illinois | Passing |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |

### Miami (OH)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| RedHawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Tuesday November 5, 2024
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Miami (OH) | Passing |
| Miami (OH) | Rushing |
| Miami (OH) | Receiving |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |

### at Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Ball State | 7 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 48 |
| Buffalo | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 51 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: Tuesday November 12, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,708
* Referee: Matt Packowski
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Adam Breneman (analyst)
| Statistics | BALL | UB |
| First downs | 24 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 74–520 | 78–470 |
| Rushing yards | 37–193 | 41–206 |
| Passing yards | 327 | 264 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–37–1 | 19–37–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:13 | 26:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 25/37, 327 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Kadin Semonza | 4 carries, 53 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Justin Bowick | 7 receptions, 148 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 19/37, 264 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 27 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 8 receptions, 131 yards, TD |

### Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Je'Rod Cherry (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Bowling Green | Passing |
| Bowling Green | Rushing |
| Bowling Green | Receiving |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |

### at Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Bobcats | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio
* Date: Friday November 29, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Ball State | Passing |
| Ball State | Rushing |
| Ball State | Receiving |
| Ohio | Passing |
| Ohio | Rushing |
| Ohio | Receiving |