Football Closes Non-Conference Play With Loss To Georgia Southern

MUNCIE, Ind. – In a final non-conference game before opening Mid-American Conference play next week at Western Michigan, Ball State endured a 40-3 setback as Georgia Southern scored early and kept the Cardinals off the board until late in the fourth period.

The Eagles (3-1) were decisive from the outset while the Cardinals' offense struggled to maintain the consistency that produced 45 points a week earlier. Georgia Southern produced 530 yards total offense, but after scoring touchdowns in its first two possessions, the Eagles were limited to four field goals among five red zone trips the rest of the day.

The Cardinals (1-3) avoided the shutout with 6:27 remaining on a 23-yard field goal by Jackson Courville. With redshirt-sophomore quarterback Kiael Kelly calling the action in the fourth quarter, Ball State drove 69 yards on 12 plays before stalling at the Georgia Southern 6-yard line.

After early touchdowns to take command, Georgia Southern's 16 first-half first downs built a 23-0 advantage by halftime. Ball State was 7-of-13 through the air in the first half, but bottled up on the ground – gaining only 13 yards on eight carries. The Cardinals played from behind throughout the second half and turned to Kelly in the final period.

Through three periods, freshman Kadin Semonza completed 11 of 23 passes for 123 yards for Ball State. He was sacked three times and threw a pair of interceptions, including his final throw. The versatile Kelly finished 3-of-6 passing for 37 yards. Running back Marquez Cooper carried just nine times overall for a net of 16 yards. Defensively, Jordan Riley and Cole Pearce each had season highs with nine tackles.

Football Closes Non-Conference Play With Loss To Georgia Southern

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Team Stats

Kadin Semonza

Kiael Kelly

Players Mentioned

Marquez Cooper

Jackson Courville

Kiael Kelly

Cole Pearce

Jordan Riley

Kadin Semonza

Players Mentioned

Marquez Cooper

Jackson Courville

Kiael Kelly

Cole Pearce

Jordan Riley

Kadin Semonza