Ball State football suffered its first loss in Mid-American Conference play, getting blanked 42-0 on the road by Western Michigan.
The Cardinals (2-4, 1-1 MAC) got off to another slow start offensively, but unlike in last week’s win over Ohio, they were never able to find any sort of offensive groove against the stout Broncos defense. Western Michigan (4-3, 3-0 MAC) dominated Ball State on both sides of the ball and moved to first place in the MAC as the only 3-0 team in the conference.
The loss marks Ball State’s fourth-straight to Western Michigan and their first loss in MAC play. The Cardinals will look to bounce back next week when they host Akron for homecoming.
Here are three takeaways from Ball State’s road loss at Western Michigan.
Ball State defense torched by Western Michigan QB Broc Lowry
Western Michigan quarterback Broc Lowry had his way with the Ball State defense, making big plays with both his arm and his legs. The Cardinals’ defense stuffed him on a fourth-and-3 rush on the Broncos’ first drive, but that was one of the only times they were able to stop him. His very next snap was a 52-yard bomb downfield to receiver Malique Dieudonne to set up the Broncos at the three-yard line, and they punched in their first touchdown two plays later.
Lowry completed 23-of-27 passes (85%) for 241 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 13 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown with zero sacks taken. Western Michigan finished with 461 total yards of offense.
Miserable day for Ball State offense
Ball State’s offensive line was completely overwhelmed by Western Michigan’s stout defensive front. The Broncos entered the matchup with an FBS-leading 23 sacks, and they added to that number by getting to quarterback Kiael Kelly five times. Western Michigan was aggressive when it came to dialing up blitzes, and neither Kelly nor the offensive line seemed to know how to handle it. Broncos defensive lineman Nadame Tucker — a transfer from Houston — finished with 3.5 sacks.
The Broncos defense also bottled up Ball State’s running game. The Cardinals finished with a measly 20 rushing yards — though the minus-31 sack yards and negative game script contributed to that exceptionally low number. The passing offense wasn’t much better, as Kelly finished 13-of-22 for just 68 yards. The Cardinals also fumbled the ball away twice. For the game, Ball State managed 88 total yards including just 10 yards in the second half.
Cardinals dominated on third downs
Third downs were a struggle on both sides for Ball State. The Cardinals’ offense got one first down on third-and-1 thanks to a Broncos penalty in the first quarter, and Kelly scrambled for 13 yards on a third-and-4 in the second quarter for Ball State’s longest run of the game. That was the only third-down conversion the Cardinals would manage though, as they finished 1-for-13 on third downs. Ball State punted the ball 10 times and went three-and-out six times, including on its first four drives of the second half.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ defense couldn’t get off the field on third downs. Western Michigan’s offense was 8-for-14 on third downs and dominated the time of possession as a result. Western Michigan held the ball for 35:37 compared to 24:23 for Ball State. In the second half, the Broncos offense held the ball for a whopping 22:04 compared to just 7:49 for the Cardinals.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State football blanked on the road by Western Michigan in miserable road loss
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
