December 4, 2020 at 5:09 p.m.
Cardinals have exciting squad
Take it to the Bank
Hello, I’m here to talk about Ball State University football.
The team that has never won a bowl game? That hasn’t won a Mid-American Conference title since I was born?
Yep, that one.
And regardless of how you feel about Muncie’s darling football team, this team is fun to watch, and any football fan is doing themselves a disservice by not tuning in to these high-flying red birds, who are 3-1 in this COVID-19 shortened season.
It’s a good time to dust off the ol’ Ball State cap as well, as the team would secure its first winning season since 2013 with a victory Saturday at Central Michigan University.
A win against the Chippewas would set up a win-or-go-home MAC West title game next week against the equally entertaining Western Michigan University squad.
To sum it up, the Cardinals have a real chance to go to the MAC Championship for the first time since their undefeated regular season in 2008.
Led by quarterback Drew Plitt, who has already surpassed the 1,000-yard benchmark in just four games, the team boasts proven offensive talent in fellow seniors Justin Hall and Caleb Huntley.
Huntley, a running back, leads the team in rushing yards (437) and touchdowns (six) despite playing in just three games this year. Hall, a receiver, often takes carries in motion from the far end of the field and has already accumulated 512 yards from scrimmage.
We also have to recognize this defense, which has struggled a few times in the second half but may be the best defensive unit fifth-year head coach Mike Neu has ever had since he took the reins of his alma mater in 2016.
Ball State would not be competing for a conference title were it not for linebackers Brandon Martin, who leads the team in tackles (49), and Anthony Ekpe, who has already tallied four sacks.
The Cards also have Amechi Uzodinma II, Antonio Phillips and Bryce Cosby manning this hard-hitting secondary. Cosby went to the same theatre class as I did when we were both freshmen but I can attest he didn’t learn how to play safety there.
Despite us both being from the south side of Indianapolis (shoutout Perry Meridian High School, where we are both highly regarded alumni), I admit I lost faith in Neu after the team lost four straight in 2019 and squandered its chances at a bowl game berth.
My vendetta was mostly rooted in the fact that I would graduate from Ball State without ever going to a bowl game as a student.
But I’m relieved to admit I was wrong about Neu and he has assembled a team that has a real shot at winning the MAC West and possibly its first bowl game.
If it ends up playing in Detroit for a conference title, it will likely play the undefeated Buffalo University Bulls.
Odds wouldn’t be in Ball State’s favor, but as with every other game BSU has played this year, I’m sure the Cardinals will at least find a way to make it entertaining.
The team that has never won a bowl game? That hasn’t won a Mid-American Conference title since I was born?
Yep, that one.
And regardless of how you feel about Muncie’s darling football team, this team is fun to watch, and any football fan is doing themselves a disservice by not tuning in to these high-flying red birds, who are 3-1 in this COVID-19 shortened season.
It’s a good time to dust off the ol’ Ball State cap as well, as the team would secure its first winning season since 2013 with a victory Saturday at Central Michigan University.
A win against the Chippewas would set up a win-or-go-home MAC West title game next week against the equally entertaining Western Michigan University squad.
To sum it up, the Cardinals have a real chance to go to the MAC Championship for the first time since their undefeated regular season in 2008.
Led by quarterback Drew Plitt, who has already surpassed the 1,000-yard benchmark in just four games, the team boasts proven offensive talent in fellow seniors Justin Hall and Caleb Huntley.
Huntley, a running back, leads the team in rushing yards (437) and touchdowns (six) despite playing in just three games this year. Hall, a receiver, often takes carries in motion from the far end of the field and has already accumulated 512 yards from scrimmage.
We also have to recognize this defense, which has struggled a few times in the second half but may be the best defensive unit fifth-year head coach Mike Neu has ever had since he took the reins of his alma mater in 2016.
Ball State would not be competing for a conference title were it not for linebackers Brandon Martin, who leads the team in tackles (49), and Anthony Ekpe, who has already tallied four sacks.
The Cards also have Amechi Uzodinma II, Antonio Phillips and Bryce Cosby manning this hard-hitting secondary. Cosby went to the same theatre class as I did when we were both freshmen but I can attest he didn’t learn how to play safety there.
Despite us both being from the south side of Indianapolis (shoutout Perry Meridian High School, where we are both highly regarded alumni), I admit I lost faith in Neu after the team lost four straight in 2019 and squandered its chances at a bowl game berth.
My vendetta was mostly rooted in the fact that I would graduate from Ball State without ever going to a bowl game as a student.
But I’m relieved to admit I was wrong about Neu and he has assembled a team that has a real shot at winning the MAC West and possibly its first bowl game.
If it ends up playing in Detroit for a conference title, it will likely play the undefeated Buffalo University Bulls.
Odds wouldn’t be in Ball State’s favor, but as with every other game BSU has played this year, I’m sure the Cardinals will at least find a way to make it entertaining.
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