2023 Ball State Cardinals football team

2023 Ball State Cardinals football
2023 Ball State Cardinals football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
Record	4–8 (3–5 MAC)
Head coach	Mike Neu (8th season);
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Lynch (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Tyler Stockton (5th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Scheumann Stadium
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Miami (OH) xy$	7	–	1	11	–	3
Ohio	6	–	2	10	–	3
Bowling Green	5	–	3	7	–	6
Buffalo	3	–	5	3	–	9
Akron	1	–	7	2	–	10
Kent State	0	–	8	1	–	11
West Division
Toledo xy	8	–	0	11	–	3
Northern Illinois	5	–	3	7	–	6
Eastern Michigan	4	–	4	6	–	7
Central Michigan	3	–	5	5	–	7
Ball State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Western Michigan	3	–	5	4	–	8
Championship: Miami (OH) 23, Toledo 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2023 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals were led by eighth-year head coach Mike Neu and played their home games at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.^[1]^[2] They finished the season 4–8 and 3–5 in conference play^[3]

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 20, the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Ball State was picked to finish fifth in the West.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
East
1	Ohio	63 (9)
2	Miami	52 (2)
3	Buffalo	51 (1)
4	Bowling Green	35
5	Akron	26
6	Kent State	19

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
West
1	Toledo	66 (11)
2	Eastern Michigan	55 (1)
3	Northern Illinois	38
4	Central Michigan	37
5	Ball State	27
6	Western Michigan	23

Rank	Team	Votes
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Toledo	7
2	Ohio	4
3	Buffalo	1

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	12:00 p.m.	at Kentucky*	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	L 14–44	58,286
September 9	12:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Georgia*	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	SECN	L 3–45	92,746
September 16	2:00 p.m.	Indiana State*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell)	ESPN+	W 45–7	15,054
September 23	2:00 p.m.	Georgia Southern*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 3–40	10,118
September 30	3:30 p.m.	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	L 24–42	21,880
October 7	3:30 p.m.	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	L 10–24	18,696
October 14	2:00 p.m.	Toledo	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 6–13	7,675
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 24–17	15,171
November 1	7:30 p.m.	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	ESPN2	L 21–24	6,091
November 7	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	CBSSN	W 20–17	6,282
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Kent State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 34–3	8,554
November 25	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN (Red Bird Rivalry)	CBSSN	L 15–17	8,054
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[5]^[6]

Game summaries

at Kentucky

Game One – Ball State Cardinals (0–0) at Kentucky Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	7	0	7	0	14
Kentucky	3	20	14	7	44

at Kroger Field • Lexington, KY

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: -
Game attendance: 58,286
TV: SEC Network

Game information

First quarter

(13:17) UK – Alex Raynor 41-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:43; Kentucky 3–0)
(1:35) BALL – Layne Hatcher 2-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 7:05; Ball State 7–3)

Second quarter

(11:31) UK – Ray Davis 2-yard run (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:58; Kentucky 10–7)
(6:58) UK – Jalen Geiger 0-yard fumble return (Alex Raynor kick) (Kentucky 17–7)
(1:08) UK – Alex Raynor 46-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:10; Kentucky 20–7)
(0:00) UK – Alex Raynor 46-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 0:31; Kentucky 23–7)

Third quarter

(6:43) UK – Dane Key 5-yard pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 2:37; Kentucky 30–7)
(0:42) BALL – Ty Robinson 5-yard pass from Kadin Semonza (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:01; Kentucky 30–14)
(0:28) UK – Barion Brown 99-yard kickoff return (Alex Raynor kick) (Kentucky 37–14)

Fourth quarter

(0:06) UK – Ray Davis 30 yard run (Alex Raynor kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:16; Kentucky 44–14)

Statistics	BALL	UK
First downs	18	17
Total yards	71–295	51–354
Rushing yards	41–72	20–113
Passing yards	223	241
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–30–0	18–31–1
Time of possession	38:16	21:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Kadin Semonza	15/21, 165 yards, TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	15 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Ty Robinson	5 receptions, 90 yards, TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	18/31, 241 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ray Davis	14 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Dane Key	5 receptions, 96 yards, TD

at No. 1 Georgia

Game Two – Ball State Cardinals (0–1) at No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	0	0	0	3	3
No. 1 Georgia	0	31	14	0	45

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: -
Game attendance: 92,756
Referee: Jason McArthur
TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

no scoring

Second quarter

(14:32) UGA – Mekhi Mews 69-yard punt return (Peyton Woodring kick) (Georgia 7–0)
(10:16) UGA – Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint 7-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 2:25; Georgia 14–0)
(8:45) UGA – Dillon Bell 21-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 30 yards, 0:51; Georgia 21–0)
(1:49) UGA – Peyton Woodring 35-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 42 yards, 5:28; Georgia 24–0)
(0:37) UGA – Kendall Milton 1-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards, 1:04; Georgia 31–0)

Third quarter

(6:27) UGA – Cash Jones 27-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:14; Georgia 38-0)
(0:46) UGA – Roderick Robinson II 12-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:21; Georgia 45–0)

Fourth quarter

(9:05) BALL – Jackson Courville 27-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 55 yards, 6:41; Georgia 45–3)

Statistics	BALL	UGA
First downs	13	22
Total yards	65–224	61–386
Rushing yards	28–77	28–99
Passing yards	147	287
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–37–3	24–33–1
Time of possession	31:28	28:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Layne Hatcher	10/16, 82 yards
	Rushing	Charlie Spegal	4 carries, 32 yards
	Receiving	Ahmad Edwards	4 receptions, 47 yards
Georgia	Passing	Carson Beck	23/30, 283 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Roderick Robinson II	6 carries, 38 yards, TD
	Receiving	Arian Smith	2 receptions, 50 yards

Indiana State

Game Three – Indiana State Sycamores (0–2) at Ball State Cardinals (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana State	0	0	7	0	7
Ball State	0	10	7	28	45

at Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN

Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: -
Game attendance: 15,054
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

(12:13) BALL – Rico Barfield 16-yard pass from Kadin Semonza (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 5:20; Ball State 7–0)
(1:34) BALL – Jackson Courville 23-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:24; Ball State 10–0)

Third quarter

(6:45) BALL – Rico Barfield 24-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, 1:24; Ball State 17–0)
(5:48) ISU – Dakota Caton 49-yard pass from Elijah Owens (Stephen Ruiz kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:50: Ball State 17–7)

Fourth quarter

(13:12) BALL – Marquez Cooper 11-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive:13 plays, 75 yards, 7:29; Ball State 24–7)
(11:32) BALL – Tanner Koziol 8-yard pass from Kadin Semonza (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:54: Ball State 31–7)
(9:20) BALL – Keionte Newson 66-yard fumble return (Jackson Courville kick) (Ball State 38–7)
(3:13) BALL – Charlie Spegal 1-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:49; Ball State 45–7)

Statistics	ISU	BALL
First downs	12	26
Total yards	53–261	66–425
Rushing yards	32–104	42–288
Passing yards	157	137
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	9–21–1	18–24–0
Time of possession	26:59	33:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing	Elijah Owens	9/21, 157 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tee Hodge	9 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Harry Van Dyne	3 receptions, 80 yards
Ball State	Passing	Kadin Semonza	17/22, 137 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	22 carries, 177 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tanner Koziol	7 receptions, 60 yards, TD

Georgia Southern

Game Four – Georgia Southern Eagles (2–1) at Ball State Cardinals (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Southern	14	9	10	7	40
Ball State	0	0	0	3	3

at Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN

Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: -
Game attendance: 10,118
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(11:51) GASO – Evan Lester Jr. 1-yard pass from Davis Brin (Michael Lantz kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 3:04; Georgia Southern 7–0)
(8:47) GASO – Keaton Upshaw 9-yard pass from Davis Brin (Michael Lantz kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:30; Georgia Southern 14–0)

Second quarter

(12:37) GASO – Michael Lantz 41-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 1:37; Georgia Southern 17–0)
(6:36) GASO – Michael Lantz 26-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:18; Georgia Southern 20–0)
(0:00) GASO – Michael Lantz 37-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 0:43; Georgia Southern 23–0)

Third quarter

(8:47) GASO – Khaleb Hood 21-yard pass from Davis Brin (Michael Lantz kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 1:10; Georgia Southern 30–0)
(1:03) GASO – Michael Lantz 35-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 2:11; Georgia Southern 33–0)

Fourth quarter

(13:42) GASO – Anthony Queeley 8-yard pass from Davis Brin (Michael Lantz kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:06; Georgia Southern 40–0)
(7:15) BALL – Jackson Courville 23-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 6:27; Georgia Southern 40–3)

Statistics	GASO	BALL
First downs	25	10
Total yards	77–530	55–197
Rushing yards	27–167	28–37
Passing yards	363	160
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	36–50–0	14–29–2
Time of possession	30:41	29:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Southern	Passing	Davis Brin	34/46, 344 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	OJ Arnold	9 carries, 90 yards
	Receiving	Khaleb Hood	7 receptions, 107 yards, TD
Ball State	Passing	Kadin Semonza	11/23, 123 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	9 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	Rico Barfield	2 receptions, 50 yards

at Western Michigan

Game Five – Ball State Cardinals (1–3) at Western Michigan Broncos (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	3	7	7	7	24
Western Michigan	7	21	7	7	42

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: -
Game attendance: 21,880
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(8:37) BALL – Jackson Courville 27-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:25; Ball State 3–0)
(5:06) WMU – Anthony Sambucci 18-yard pass from Treyson Bourguet (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:31; Western Michigan 7–3)

Second quarter

(13:06) WMU – Zahir Abdus-Salaam 1-yard run (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 92 yards, 3:57; Western Michigan 14–3)
(7:50) WMU – Jalen Buckley 12-yard run (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 2:29; Western Michigan 21–3)
(5:04) BALL – Maximus Webster 2-yard pass from Layne Hatcher (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:45; Western Michigan 21–10)
(0:01) WMU – Anthony Sambucci 2-yard pass from Treyson Bourguet (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 1:27; Western Michigan 28–10)

Third quarter

(11:52) BALL – Qian Magwood 32-yard pass from Layne Hatcher (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:08; Western Michigan 28–17)
(10:14) WMU – Anthony Sambucci 31-yard pass from Treyson Bourguet (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:38; Western Michigan 35–17)

Fourth quarter

(14:15) BALL – Ahmad Edwards 57-yard pass from Layne Hatcher (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:38; Western Michigan 35–24)
(8:53) WMU – Zahir Abdus-Salaam 2-yard run (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 3:22; Western Michigan 42–24)

Statistics	BALL	WMU
First downs	19	26
Total yards	63–364	75–461
Rushing yards	26–48	36–133
Passing yards	316	328
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	26–37–0	24–39–0
Time of possession	29:37	30:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Layne Hatcher	26/37, 316 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	15 carries, 82 yards
	Receiving	Qian Magwood	9 receptions, 110 yards, TD
Western Michigan	Passing	Treyson Bourguet	24/39, 328 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Zahir Abdus-Salaam	8 carries, 53 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Anthony Sambucci	5 receptions, 73 yards, 3 TD

at Eastern Michigan

Toledo

Central Michigan

at Bowling Green

Game Nine – Ball State Cardinals (2–6) at Bowling Green Falcons (4–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	0	7	7	7	21
Bowling Green	7	7	0	10	24

at Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH

Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Cloudy, 37 °F (3 °C) • Wind: SW 7 mph (11 km/h)
Game attendance: 6,091
Referee: Matt Packowski
TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Corey, Rocky Boiman

Game information

First quarter

(07:43) BGSU – Harold Fannin Jr. 23-yard pass from Connor Bazelak (Alan Anaya kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 1:20; Bowling Green 7-0)

Second quarter

(14:06) BSU – Kiael Kelly 6-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 17 plays, 74 yards, 8:27; Tied 7-7)
(04:40) BGSU – Terion Stewart 54-yard run (Alan Anaya kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 54 yards, :20; Bowling Green 14-7)

Third quarter

(05:04) BSU – Marquez Cooper 5-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 8:03; Tied 14-14)

Fourth quarter

(13:20) BGSU – Ta'ron Keith 10-yard pass from Connor Bazelak (Alan Anaya kick) (Drive:12 plays, 75 yards, 5:43; Bowling Green 21-14)
(09:07) BSU – Kiael Kelly 44-yard run (Jackson Courville kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:13; Tied 21-21)
(03:14) BGSU – Alan Anaya 22-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 39 yards, 5:43; Bowling Green 24-21)

Statistics	Ball State	Bowling Green
First downs	16	13
Plays–yards	283	281
Rushes–yards	49–217-3	34–104
Passing yards	66	177
Passing: comp–att–int	9–19–0	15-23-0
Time of possession	33:34	26:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Kiael Kelly	9/19, 66 yards
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper/Kiael Kelly	25 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD/ 25 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDS
	Receiving	Ahmad Edwards	3 receptions, 25 yards
Bowling Green	Passing	Connor Bazelak	13/21, 128 yards, 2 TDS
	Rushing	Terion Stewart	15 carries, 92 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Harold Fannin Jr.	5 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD

at Northern Illinois

Kent State

Miami (OH)

References

^ "Scheumann Stadium". Ball State Athletics.
^ "Mike Neu". Sports Reference.
^ "MAC College Football Standings - 2023". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
^ "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked to win conference championship; BGSU tabbed to finish fourth in MAC East". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
^ "2023 Ball State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
^ "Ball State Cardinals Schedule 2023". ESPN.

[1] "Scheumann Stadium". Ball State Athletics.

[2] "Mike Neu". Sports Reference.

[3] "MAC College Football Standings - 2023". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2023.

[4] "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked to win conference championship; BGSU tabbed to finish fourth in MAC East". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.

[5] "2023 Ball State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.

[6] "Ball State Cardinals Schedule 2023". ESPN.

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v t e Ball State Cardinals football
Venues	Ball State Field (1924–1967) Scheumann Stadium (1967–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Indiana State (Blue Key Victory Bell) Northern Illinois (Bronze Stalk Trophy)
Culture & lore	Charlie Cardinal The Pride of Mid-America Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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