It’s homecoming week for Ball State football, and the Cardinals are in need of a bounce-back game on their home turf after a rough outing last week.
Ball State (2-4, 1-1 MAC) will host Akron (2-5, 1-2 MAC) at Scheumann Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Cardinals started conference play with a stunning upset of the reigning MAC champion Ohio, but now find themselves coming off an ugly 42-0 road loss at the hands of Western Michigan. Akron is also coming off a tough conference loss to Miami (Ohio), so both teams will be looking to get back into the win column.
Ball State has not played Akron as frequently as many other MAC schools, with only 25 games between the two. The all-time series record is tied at 12-12-1 with the Cardinals winning the most recent matchup, 35-21, in 2021. Ball State and Akron have not met in Muncie since 2016.
Here’s our scouting report and score prediction for Ball State football vs. Akron:
Can Ball State’s defense stop Akron’s RPO game?
Akron coach Joe Moorhead runs an RPO-heavy offense that thrives on timing and manipulating defenders. Redshirt senior quarterback Ben Finley is an experienced starter who has executed well within that system so far this season, and the Zips have plenty of speedy wideouts that make it work, too. Redshirt freshman receiver Kyan Mason leads the team in receiving with 20 catches for 318 yards, good for an impressive average of 15.9 yards/catch. Redshirt junior running back Jordan Gant is also a major threat out of the backfield and currently ranks third in the MAC with 511 rushing yards.
“Offensively, they’re a really heavy RPO offense,” Ball State coach Mike Uremovich said. “You can’t have bad eyes, you can’t not do your job, you can’t not be focused on what you have to do because the quarterback can pull the ball out at any time and throw it.”
One of the best ways to disrupt the timing of an RPO offense is by applying quick pressure to the quarterback, which Ball State has done a good job of for the most part this season. The Cardinals will need pass rushers like Nathan Voorhis and Darin Conley to step up and throw Finley off his rhythm.
Can Ball State keep Kiael Kelly on his feet?
Ball State is one of the worst teams in college football at giving up sacks. Kiael Kelly has been sacked 20 times this season for an average of 3.33 sacks allowed per game — tied for 126th out of 134 Division I FBS teams. The Cardinals allowed zero sacks in their win over Ohio, but regressed badly against Western Michigan, as the Broncos got to Kelly five times. Ball State’s inexperienced offensive line has been a factor in the high-pressure numbers, but Kelly has also gotten into trouble by trying to extend plays for too long and attempting to create something out of nothing rather than just throwing the ball away.
“Not every sack is on the O-line,” Kelly said. “At times, they’re doing their job, and (the defense) is bringing more than we can block. We’ve got answers for that, but if we’re not connecting on those, then that’s a sack that’s not technically on the O-line. We just can’t panic. (Western Michigan) was horrible for everybody, there’s no one person to blame, but the good thing is we can fix it. Everything we’ve seen on film is fixable.
Ball State’s offense is at its best when Kelly’s dual threat capabilities can shine — he reached 100 yards passing and rushing and had one of each touchdown in both of Ball State’s wins. The Cardinals have to do a better job at picking up blitzes and preventing pressure from becoming a consistent problem, so Kelly has time to make those plays to keep the offense rolling.
Can Ball State’s receivers overcome size disadvantage with Akron’s corners?
Uremovich highlighted the size discrepancy between Ball State’s receivers and Akron’s corners as a key factor in the matchup during Ball State’s Monday press conference. The Zips starting cornerbacks are 6-foot-3 Elijah Reed and 6-2 Malcolm DeWalt IV, while the Cardinals’ top two receivers are 6-foot Qian Magwood and 5-8 Eric Weatherly.
If the smaller receivers find themselves struggling to contend with Akron’s tall, rangy defensive backs, the Cardinals have plenty of big-bodied targets for Kelly to look to. Tight ends Koby Gross and Kameron Anthony could see more targets, as could 6-4 wide receivers Ty Robinson and Donovan Hamilton. Hamilton, a redshirt freshman transfer from Purdue, had a bit of a breakout game against UConn with seven catches for 61 yards, so he could be a key player to watch for as Ball State looks to revive its aerial attack.
Score prediction for Ball State football vs Akron
Ball State 20, Akron 18: Ball State needs a bounce-back victory after getting smothered on the road by Western Michigan, and luckily for the Cardinals, Akron isn’t exactly a top-tier MAC team. The Zips are better than anticipated, particularly on defense, and impressed in their conference win over Central Michigan.
However, the offense has had more bad performances than good. Some members of the Ball State staff coached Akron QB Finley while at North Carolina State, so the Cardinals should have a good idea how to exploit his weaknesses and fluster the Zips’ RPO game. It should be a close fight between two good defenses, but Ball State ultimately pulls out a big homecoming victory.
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: Scouting report and score prediction for Ball State football vs Akron
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
