Saturday, October 19
Nashville, TN
7:00 p.m.
Ball State University
2-5 , 1-2
14
at
24
Vanderbilt
5-2 , 2-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Ball St.
7
0
7
0
14
Vanderbilt
3
11
0
10
24
Cardinals Lose Tough Battle to Vanderbilt
October 19, 2024 | Football
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Ball State Cardinals brought the fight to Nashville on Saturday evening, highlighted by a career-high tackling night for linebacker Joey Stemler and another stellar receiving night for tight end Tanner Koziol. But even after Koziol's game-tying TD midway through the third period, Vanderbilt pulled away from the Cardinals for a 24-14 final score in front of 27,884 at FirstBank Stadium.
Following a 38-yard field goal that gave Vanderbilt a 17-14 advantage just moments into the fourth quarter, Commodores' quarterback Diego Pavia ran the ball five yards into the endzone for the game's final score with 7:48 remaining. Claiming a third straight win, including its monumental upset over top-ranked Alabama on the same field two weeks ago, Vandy moved to 5-2 overall and while Ball State fell to 2-5.
Stemler's career-best 11 tackles were just one part of Ball State's best defensive showing of the season, matching the most by a Cardinal this season. Coming off a three-sack performance against Kent State last week, Brandon Berger secured his fourth sack in two weeks as part of a big third quarter for the Cardinals. Berger also secured a goal-line tackle in the second quarter, preventing a touchdown and causing Vanderbilt to settle one of its three field goals. Defensive leader Keionte Newson managed seven tackles and a key pass break-up in the third period.
The defensive effort put Ball State in position to capitalize and find confidence against a Commodores team that has become one of college football's biggest stories in recent weeks. When Kadin Semonza found Koziol for a 7-yard score midway through the third period, the Cardinals were putting themselves in position for another upset in the Music City.
Ball State's offense was aggressive from the outset, scoring on the game's opening drive with an 11-play, 75-yard series that ended with utility man Kiael Kelly running nine yards to paydirt off a direct snap. Semonza, a redshirt freshman, was a perfect 6-of-6 passing on the drive, and was 7-of-9 in the first quarter. Semonza also was a perfect 5-of-5 in the third quarter, and finished the game completing 72 percent of his attempts for 190 yards.
Ball State even got special teams help behind the efforts of punter Brian Cooey Jr., who averaged 42 yards on six attempts. The Cardinals' punt team twice pinned the Commodores to start drives at their own 3-yard line. Vandy led 14-7 at the intermission, but only after settling for a pair of field goals and using a two-point conversion just before halftime.
The Cardinals kept knocking in the third period and engineered a 94-yard drive to announce their continuing quest for the upset. Five plays into the drive, TJ Horton's 9-yard run on fourth-and-one sparked the tying possession. Cam Pickett made a 29-yard grab just outside the red zone, Justin Bowick corralled a 14-yard pass and Koziol knotted the score as the Cardinals moved methodically in the Nashville night.
Koziol caught nine balls for 68 yards and became the first tight end in Ball State history to eclipse 50 catches and 500 yards in a single season.
While Ball State managed 14 first downs through three quarters, the Cardinals only collected two in the pivotal fourth, with Semonza absorbing both Vanderbilt sacks in the final period.
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play next week while hosting Northern Illinois in the Cardinals' 97th homecoming game. Kickoff at Scheumann Stadium is 3:30 p.m. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network.
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Following a 38-yard field goal that gave Vanderbilt a 17-14 advantage just moments into the fourth quarter, Commodores' quarterback Diego Pavia ran the ball five yards into the endzone for the game's final score with 7:48 remaining. Claiming a third straight win, including its monumental upset over top-ranked Alabama on the same field two weeks ago, Vandy moved to 5-2 overall and while Ball State fell to 2-5.
Stemler's career-best 11 tackles were just one part of Ball State's best defensive showing of the season, matching the most by a Cardinal this season. Coming off a three-sack performance against Kent State last week, Brandon Berger secured his fourth sack in two weeks as part of a big third quarter for the Cardinals. Berger also secured a goal-line tackle in the second quarter, preventing a touchdown and causing Vanderbilt to settle one of its three field goals. Defensive leader Keionte Newson managed seven tackles and a key pass break-up in the third period.
The defensive effort put Ball State in position to capitalize and find confidence against a Commodores team that has become one of college football's biggest stories in recent weeks. When Kadin Semonza found Koziol for a 7-yard score midway through the third period, the Cardinals were putting themselves in position for another upset in the Music City.
Ball State's offense was aggressive from the outset, scoring on the game's opening drive with an 11-play, 75-yard series that ended with utility man Kiael Kelly running nine yards to paydirt off a direct snap. Semonza, a redshirt freshman, was a perfect 6-of-6 passing on the drive, and was 7-of-9 in the first quarter. Semonza also was a perfect 5-of-5 in the third quarter, and finished the game completing 72 percent of his attempts for 190 yards.
Ball State even got special teams help behind the efforts of punter Brian Cooey Jr., who averaged 42 yards on six attempts. The Cardinals' punt team twice pinned the Commodores to start drives at their own 3-yard line. Vandy led 14-7 at the intermission, but only after settling for a pair of field goals and using a two-point conversion just before halftime.
The Cardinals kept knocking in the third period and engineered a 94-yard drive to announce their continuing quest for the upset. Five plays into the drive, TJ Horton's 9-yard run on fourth-and-one sparked the tying possession. Cam Pickett made a 29-yard grab just outside the red zone, Justin Bowick corralled a 14-yard pass and Koziol knotted the score as the Cardinals moved methodically in the Nashville night.
Koziol caught nine balls for 68 yards and became the first tight end in Ball State history to eclipse 50 catches and 500 yards in a single season.
While Ball State managed 14 first downs through three quarters, the Cardinals only collected two in the pivotal fourth, with Semonza absorbing both Vanderbilt sacks in the final period.
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play next week while hosting Northern Illinois in the Cardinals' 97th homecoming game. Kickoff at Scheumann Stadium is 3:30 p.m. The game will be carried live on ESPN+ and the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network.
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Team Stats
BSU
VU
Total Yards
268
420
Pass Yards
190
275
Rushing Yards
78
145
Penalty Yards
10
10
1st Downs
16
21
3rd Downs
2
9
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
25:25
34:35
1st Quarter
BSU 7, VU 0
BSU - Kelly,Kiael 9 yd run (Courville,Jackson kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:54
BSU 7, VU 3
VU - Taylor,Brock 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 66 yards, TOP 06:24
2nd Quarter
BSU 7, VU 6
VU - Taylor,Brock 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 81 yards, TOP 03:32
BSU 7, VU 14
VU - Stowers,Eli 41 yd pass from Pavia,Diego (Spence,Cole pass) 11 plays, 97 yards, TOP 03:45
3rd Quarter
BSU 14, VU 14
BSU - Koziol,Tanner 7 yd pass from Semonza,Kadin (Courville,Jackson kick) 11 plays, 94 yards, TOP 06:34
4th Quarter
BSU 14, VU 17
VU - Taylor,Brock 38 yd field goal 14 plays, 54 yards, TOP 06:14
BSU 14, VU 24
VU - Pavia,Diego 5 yd run (Taylor,Brock kick), 8 plays, 45 yards, TOP 04:03
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
21
TD
1
YDS
190
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
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WR
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P
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DB
/ Football
TE
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LB
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