Cardinals welcome UConn for non-conference clash

MUNCIE, Ind. – After a pair of hard-nosed, physical Mid-American Conference West Division games, Ball State wraps up non-conference play when it welcomes UConn to Scheumann Stadium Saturday afternoon. It'll be the fourth meeting in series history and the second visit to Muncie for the Huskies, which was a 29-0 win for the Cardinals on Nov. 18, 2000.

"I have a lot of respect for what Coach (Jim) Mora has done is his first season there," head coach Mike Neu said. "This is the first time they've had three wins since 2017. I think it speaks volumes to the job that he has done there. This is a good football team that is coming in here. We've got to clean up our mistakes and be ready to go against a team that is on the rise and is going to be a tough opponent."

Saturday's matchup - which is set for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff - will be a bit uncommon as Ball State will be hosting a non-conference opponent this late in the season. The Cardinals have welcomed a non-conference foe to Muncie later than Oct. 15 just three times since 1990, which includes the aforementioned matchup with UConn.

The Cardinals also hosted Indiana State on Oct. 27, 1990 and Georgia State on Oct. 17, 2015.

Ball State is coming off back-to-back double-digit comeback wins against Northern Illinois (Oct. 1) and Central Michigan (Oct. 8). Against the Huskies, the Cardinals trailed 21-0 to begin the game before rattling off the third-biggest comeback in program history to win 44-38 in double overtime. Last week, Ball State was down 10-0 before scoring 17 of the game's final 23 points to earn a 17-16 victory at Central Michigan.

Three of Ball State's games have been decided by eight points or less, all of which have been in MAC play. The Cardinals' mark of three one-possession league games is tied for the third most in the country, trailing only Boston College and Stanford, who have had four conference games decided by eight points or less so far this season. Ball State is 8-4 in one-possession games over the last three campaigns, including 2-1 this season.

Ball State's duo of punter Lucas Borrow and running back Carson Steele were named the Mid-American Conference West Division Players of the Week. Borrow had his arguably his best game in a Cardinal uniform with nine punts for an average of 45.6 yards per boot. The sophomore landed four punts land inside the 20-yard line and launched three punts over 50 yards, including a career-long 62-yard boot. Steele led the offensive output with 124 yards on 28 carries in Ball State's second double-digit comeback in consecutive weeks. Steele had 109 yards in the second half alone as he helped the Cardinals erase a 10-point deficit.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on the airwaves with Voice of the Cardinals Mick Tidrow, Nick Traub and Jack McMullen on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network, WLBC and SiriusXM 982. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 with Jim Barbar and Adam Breneman describing the action.

Ready for our next challenge.

See you Saturday at The Scheu ??#1AAT x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/PeoFxJO5qW
— Ball State Football (@BallStateFB) October 13, 2022

Inside the Series: UConn

Ball State and UConn have met on the gridiron three times in series history. The Cardinals have taken all three results in all three duels that have taken place between 2000-02.

The Huskies are in their second full season of being a FBS Independent, joining Army, BYU, Liberty, New Mexico State, Notre Dame and UMass. Ball State is 9-7 against teams that currently independent in the FBS. The Cardinals earned a 28-16 win over Army last season at Scheumann Stadium in their latest battle with a team outside of a conference.

Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton got his coaching career kicked off at UConn as he was a graduate assistant from 2014-15 under head coach Bob Diaco.

Coach Neu on UConn…
"Coach Mora has done a great job. This is the first time since 2017 that they've had three wins and they're staring at the halfway point of their season. This is a good team that is trending in the right direction. UConn is going to come in here and be ready to go. They run the ball at a high level. They take care of the ball. They're one of the least penalized teams in college football. They play good defense and make you earn it. You don't see a bunch of big plays given up on tape. We've got to be ready to go."

Cardiac Cards: Back-to-Back Comebacks

Ball State has picked up wins its last two games with double-digit comebacks against Mid-American Conference foes.

First, the Cardinals reeled off a 21-point comeback to reclaim the Bronze Stalk in a 44-38 win over Northern Illinois, marking the third-largest comeback in program history, trailing only a 22-point comeback vs. Eastern Michigan on Nov. 12, 2005 and a 27-point come-from-behind win vs. Toledo on Oct. 9, 1993 that was quarterbacked by none other than head coach Mike Neu. Ball State improved to 8-2 all-time in overtime, which includes wins in each of its last four instances.

Against Central Michigan last week, Ball State was behind 10-0, but scored 17 of the game's final 23 points to secure a 17-16 win - its third consecutive win in Mount Pleasant.

Cardinals and the State of Indiana

Over the last three seasons, Ball State has been among the most successful football programs in the state of Indiana. Since the 2020 season, the Cardinals have appeared in back-to-back bowl games and racked up 16 wins, which is ahead of Purdue (15) and Indiana (11) and trails only Notre Dame (24).

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Players Mentioned

Lucas Borrow

Carson Steele