It was another rough weekend on the road against Power 4 competition for Ball State football.
Ball State lost 42-3 at Auburn to fall to 0-2 on the season. The Cardinals are now 0-14 all-time against SEC competition and 0-4 all-time against Auburn, who is now their most commonly played SEC opponent.
Ball State will have a good chance to score the first touchdown of the Mike Uremovich era in its home opener next Saturday, Sept. 13, when the Cardinals will host New Hampshire from the FCS ranks.
Here are three takeaways from Ball State’s road loss to Auburn.
Ball State’s pass rush starts hot
Ball State only managed one sack last week against Purdue, but the Cardinals’ defensive line was all over Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold from the get-go. On the Tigers’ first drive, senior defensive tackle Drew Hughes and junior linebacker DeJuan Echoles Jr. each picked up their first career sack. Echoles’ sack came on third down to force an Auburn punt.
In the second quarter, junior linebacker Caden “Smoke” Johnson and senior defensive tackle Scott Hudson got sacks on back-to-back plays. Hudson’s third-down sack forced Auburn to settle for a field goal, but the kick was no good.
Ball State’s four first-half sacks were its most in a half since the Cardinals logged six sacks in the second half at Kent State last season.
Ball State offense smothered by Auburn defense
Ball State’s offense couldn’t get anything going against Auburn’s defense. The Cardinals managed a measly 68 total yards of offense, gave up six sacks and coughed up a fumble. In 12 drives of offense, Ball State went three-and-out on nine of them.
The Cardinals’ best offensive drive came during the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter. Trailing 14-0, Ball State drove the ball 53 yards on 10 plays and got it down to the Auburn 27-yard line. The Cardinals drew an offsides on fourth-and-1 and a face mask on a third-down sack to pick up two first downs that kept the drive alive. On another fourth-and-1 at midfield, quarterback Kiael Kelly found a gaping hole on a QB zone run for a 21-yard gain — his longest of the season.
However, on the next play, Kelly lost his handle on the ball as he looked to throw a screen pass. Auburn recovered the fumble to keep Ball State off the board and reclaim the slight momentum the Cardinals had gained from the solid drive.
First forced turnover leads to first points of Mike Uremovich era
Ball State may have lost by a wider margin than it did last week at Purdue, but the Cardinals at least managed to score the first points of the Uremovich era. To do so, they capitalized on the first forced turnover of the season.
With five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Arnold found tight end Ryan Ghea in the middle of the field. Ball State linebacker Joey Stemler and safety Michael Gravely Jr. combined for a big hit, and Stemler jarred the football loose and pounced on it for the forced fumble and recovery. The play was initially called an incomplete pass, but it was overturned following a replay review.
The sequence that led to Ball State’s first and only points was wild. Kelly connected with receiver Eric Weatherly for a 16-yard gain to set the Cardinals up inside the 10-yard line, but on the next play, he was stonewalled behind the line and had the ball stripped. However, forward progress was called, and Ball State was able to keep the ball.
A face mask penalty on third-and-goal gave them another set of downs from the 5-yard line, but the Cardinals failed to punch it in. Carson Holmer kicked a 22-yard field goal to get Ball State on the board for the first time under Uremovich.
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 smothered by Auburn: Final score, instant takeaways
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
