Cardinals set for MAC West tilt at Eastern Michigan

MUNCIE, Ind. – When Ball State lines up for kickoff at Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon, it will do so having won 12 of the last 16 duels against the Eagles, including seven of the last eight at Rynearson Stadium. However, the last two tilts have been one-possession games with the Cardinals needing to produce comeback efforts of at least nine points.

Last season, Ball State, down 24-13, outscored Eastern Michigan 25-7 across the final 19:30 to secure a 38-31 victory inside Scheumann Stadium. Caleb Huntley punched it in from six yards out with six seconds remaining in the game to highlight the win.

In 2020 in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Cardinals overtook the Eagles in the fourth quarter and held off Eastern Michigan in the closing seconds for a 29-23 win. Ball State trailed 23-14 midway through the third quarter and scored the game's final 15 points to secure the victory.

Something that would help mitigate the need for a comeback yet again this Saturday would be to get off to a fast start, which is what the Cardinals have been able to do each of the last two games against Army and at Western Michigan.

"It's something you always talk about every game," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "You want to get off to a good, fast start. You want to establish great effort and physicality. Those are things that you always focus on that are very important to start a game. As we know, not every single game goes the way you try to script it or set it up, but the last two weeks have been awesome.

"Against Army, you start with an opening kickoff for a touchdown, the defense does a tremendous job, then on the first offensive play you score a touchdown. When you script it, that's what you hope for. It was great to be able to do that the last two weeks."

A stout opponent awaits Saturday afternoon as Eastern Michigan brings the Mid-American Conference's second-best scoring offense (29.3 points per game) and scoring defense (22.8). The Eagles have also converted at an impressive 44.9 percent on third downs this season.

The game will be carried on 104.1 WLBC, online at BallStateSports.com and on the Varsity Network app with the Ball State Radio Network trio of Joel Godett, Rich Spisak and Jack McMullen breaking down the action. The game will also be available on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi and Je'Rod Cherry on the call.

Inside the Series: Eastern Michigan

Ball State and Eastern Michigan are set to square off for the 63rd time in series history Saturday in Ypsilanti. The Cardinals have won 12 of the last 16 meetings overall, including seven of the last 10. In addition, Ball State has won seven of the last eight on the road at Eastern Michigan. Since the turn of the millennium, the Cardinals are 15-6 against the Eagles, including 8-2 inside Rynearson Stadium.

Coach Neu on Eastern Michigan...
"Eastern Michigan is a good team. They're 1-1 in the conference. They've done a good job at home and haven't lost a game at home yet. We've had battles with them the last two years. It's another MAC West opponent. You're going to get their best shot, so we've got to be ready to play. They've got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football. Coach Creighton and his staff have done a great job there. They are consistent. You know what you're going to get from them week in and week out. It's a great challenge for us and we'll be ready to go."

Fast Starts ... Like, Really Fast

Over the last two games, Ball State has been up 7-0 before some fans have reached their seats. Against Army, WR Justin Hall returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in just 12 seconds. At Western Michigan, QB Drew Plitt connected with WR Jalen McGaughy for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage that took only 11 seconds.

Big-Time Defense

The defense has showed up in a big way since the beginning of the second half at Wyoming. Over the 14 quarters played since then, the Cardinals have allowed just 61 points defensively, which does not count a pick-6 and two safeties. That averages out to 17.4 points per game, which would rank 19th in the country.

Cardinals set for MAC West tilt at Eastern Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Justin Hall

Caleb Huntley

Jalen McGaughy

Drew Plitt