100 Yards of Ball State Football History

A century of games and 100 great moments celebrate the Cardinals' history on the gridiron. The following is a listing of every yard on a football field, and a corresponding event during the 100-year history of Ball State football.


From Ball State's Goal Line	Toward Opponent's Goal Line
Goal Line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49	50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Goal Line
No. 23-ranked Toledo took a 20-17 lead with 3:26 to play in the 2001 homecoming game, but Corey Parchman returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the winning score. It was the second time that Ball State upset an undefeated, nationally ranked Toledo team. Parchman is one of four in Ball State history with a 100-yard kickoff return, including Malik Dunner (2019), Dante Love (2007) and Stevie Nelson (1980).

1-yard line
Justin Hall returned the opening kickoff for 99 yards and a touchdown to lift the lid on a 28-16 victory over previously unbeaten Army on Oct. 2, 2021.

2-yard line
As part of the Cardinals' biggest comeback in program history, quarterback Mike Neu connected with Brian Oliver on a 98-yard touchdown pass with 11:02 left in the game against Toledo, pulling the Cardinals within 30-18. Ball State once trailed 30-3 in the 1993 homecoming contest that featured Neu's 469 passing yards which remain a program record. The 98-yard pass play is the longest in Ball State history.

3-yard line
A Week 2 crowd with more than 10,000 students and a national ESPN audience witnessed Ball State clear its first real hurdle in what would be a historic 2008 season. On a Friday night against Navy, it was a defensive stand that helped secure a 35-23 win. With the Midshipmen on the march for a go-ahead score while trailing 28-23, Drew Duffin and Bryant Haines stood up Navy's Jarod Bryant on a fourth-and-1 at the BSU 3-yard line.

4-yard line return to top
As a freshman in 2005, Dante Love managed a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Ohio. Love remains the Cardinals' record holder for career kickoff return yards and also turned in a 100-yard return in 2007.

5-yard line      return to top
The longest punt return in Cardinals history is owned by Bill Hajec, who brought back an Indiana State punt 95 yards on Oct. 30, 1965 during a 52-15 win in Terre Haute. Two years later on Oct. 21, 1967, Phil Faris returned an interception 95 yards for a homecoming score against Butler, for what was the longest interception return in Cardinals history. The 65-7 win over Butler, in the first game ever played at Scheumann Stadium, remains the largest margin of victory in program history.

6-yard line      return to top
Early in the 2012 homecoming game, on 2nd-and-goal from the 6-yard line with the score knotted at 7, Western Michigan's pass was intercepted at the goal line by Eric Patterson. The teams tied at 24 through regulation and went on to play the second of three overtime games in the Broncos-Cardinals series. Jahwan Edwards' 15-yard run won it for Ball State on the first possession in OT.

7-yard line      return to top
In the longest game in Ball State history, at Western Michigan in 2005, momentum turned at the 7-yard line. In the fifth overtime, WMU reached the seven on just two plays, but Bryant Haines' strip-sack and recovery halted the Broncos' possession. Four plays later, Brian Jackson's 30-yard field goal gave the Cardinals a hard-earned win.

8-yard line      return to top
On Sept. 8, 2018 in the Cardinals' only trip to Notre Dame Stadium, Ball State surrendered an Irish touchdown on the opening possession and began its first drive from the 8-yard line. Nineteen plays and seven minutes later, Morgan Hagee hit the first of three field goals to cap an 85-yard drive to keep the Cardinals on pace with the eighth-ranked Irish.

9-yard line      return to top
Sean Baker intercepted a Central Michigan pass at the 9-yard-line with 27 seconds left in regulation to thwart the Chippewas' comeback attempt and preserve Ball State's 11-0 regular season in 2008 with a 31-24 victory.

10-yard line      return to top
In the second half against Ohio in 1987, MAC Freshman of the Year Bernie Parmalee took a handoff from the 10-yard line. He rambled 42 yards for what was his longest gain in a game featuring a career-high 211 rushing yards. He ran for two scores in the 30-17 win, and caught a 23-yard pass for another. His 1,064 rush yards as a freshman broke a MAC record.

11-yard line      return to top
Pinned at the 11-yard line, Ball State embarked on a 14-play, 89-yard drive that featured Keith Wenning's 4-of-5 passing and a 9-yard touchdown grab by Willie Snead. It was the first score of back-and-forth Go Daddy Bowl vs. Arkansas State that capped the 2013 season. The Red Wolves scored a winning TD with 32 seconds remaining for a 23-20 final score.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 12-yard line      return to top
In the waning seconds of the 1970 homecoming game, Evansville staged a late rally while trailing 21-14. On the tenth play of a drive from the Ball State 12-yard line, Kim Hayden intercepted an Aces' pass at the goal line to secure the win. It was the last of Ball State's six interceptions which tied a program record.

13-yard line      return to top
In 2006, in front of a stunned Michigan Stadium crowd of 109,359, Ball State forced a punt by No. 2-ranked Michigan and took over at its own 13-yard line with 6:38 to play. A pair of Nate Davis to Dante Love passes put the Cardinals in Michigan territory, and a pair of runs by Larry Bostic gave the Cardinals a first-and-goal at the Wolverines' 8-yard line. Ball State failed to connect on a fourth-down pass, however, and Michigan escaped.

14-yard line      return to top
Two plays and 86 yards were all it took for Jahwan Edwards to reach the endzone in the 2012 season opener against Eastern Michigan. After an 11-yard gain on first down, Ball State's career rushing leader recorded the longest run of his career, 75 yards, to break a 13-13 tie and spark the Cardinals to a 37-26 win.

15-yard line return to top
At James Madison in 1997, LeAndre Moore recorded the longest rushing play in Cardinals' history with an 85-yard touchdown. Ball State beat the Dukes 24-6, the only time the schools have met on the gridiron.

16-yard line return to top
At Kent State in 2003, Phillip Ems booted the longest punt in Cardinals history, with a 78-yard boot from Ball State's 16-yard line. He equaled a kick by Mark O'Connell in 1980, and matched again in 2006 by Chris Miller.

17-yard line return to top
A four-play scoring drive from its own 17-yard line was typical while producing an all-time record 652 yards in total offense against Central Connecticut in the opening game of 2018. Two runs by Caleb Huntley moved the Cardinals all the way to the Blue Devils' 35-yard line. After an incomplete pass, James Gilbert's 35-yard score pushed Ball State in front, 28-0.

18-yard line      return to top
A 2020 win over Western Michigan ended with a play for the ages. It began from WMU's 49-yard line with 0:06 on the clock and Ball State leading 30-27. Lasting 62 seconds before a whistle blew, the Broncos employed a series of rugby-style laterals that appeared finished when Ball State linebacker Jimmy Daw rolled over a loose ball back at the 18-yard line. The Cardinals' sideline erupted onto the field in celebration; but the ball squirted from under Daw and the Broncos completed two final exchanges while dancing through the mass of Cardinals players at midfield. As a WMU ballcarrier escaped and ran into the end zone, officials raised their hands to signal a touchdown. Officially, the play was ruled dead due to at least one illegal forward lateral.

19-yard line      return to top
After being shutout by Temple a week earlier, the Cardinals got an early field goal at Ohio in 2011, then began an 81-yard scoring drive from the 19-yard line. Jahwan Edwards ran 28 yards for the score as Ball State began a consecutive games scoring streak that has reached a record 149 games heading into the 2024 season.

20-yard line      return to top
James Gilbert rushed for 264 yards on 34 carries in 2016 at Buffalo, in what was the second-best single-game effort in Cardinals history. Gilbert's 80-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals a 21-14 lead they never relinquished, on the way to a 31-21 victory.

21-yard line      return to top
At Eastern Michigan in 2009, MiQuale Lewis set the Cardinals' single-game record with 301 rushing yards. His long carry was a 66-yard burst from Ball State's 21-yard line in the fourth quarter. Lewis added a 51-yard run in the third period, and a 48-yard touchdown run that gave the Cardinals a 20-13 lead before halftime. Ball State won, 29-27, behind a ground attack that averaged 8.1 yards per carry and produced 463 yards.

22-yard line return to top
Navy's triple-option attack, which accounted for 521 rushing yards on the night of Sept. 15, 2017, maneuvered its way into field goal range on its final drive. The Midshipmen attempted a game-winning FG from 32 yards on the last play of regulation. But BSU defensive end Brandon Crawford, a 31-year-old former Marine, blocked the kick to send the game to overtime at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Ball State earned a 34-31 victory with a field goal of its own.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 23-yard line return to top
Tim Brown not only took the first play of the game for a 77-yard score, but his 25 points against Illinois State still stand as a Ball State single-game scoring record. Brown grabbed Ed Corazzi's forward pass on the opening play, then added the extra point to begin a 31-14 rout at Illinois State in 1958. A future NFL star and actor, Brown finished with 232 all-purpose yards which included a 61-yard kickoff return. His scoring record has stood for 66 years, counting three touchdowns, a PAT and three two-point conversions.

24-yard line return to top
Nate Davis' 46-yard burst up the middle, at Illinois in 2007, was the longest carry of his hall-of-fame career. Trailing 21-17, Davis' run from the Cardinals' 24-yard line keyed a 13-play drive that stalled eight plays later at Illinois' 9-yard line

25-yard line return to top
The regular season finale in 2013 featured a 75-yard touchdown pass from Keith Wenning to Jordan Williams which gave the Cardinals a 52-14 lead during a 55-14 rout of the Miami RedHawks. Wenning matched his career-high of 445 passing yards which ranks second in program history. Ball State matched its all-time record with six passing TDs in a single game, and the win secured Ball State an invitation to the GoDaddy Bowl.

26-yard line      return to top
Tied at 24 in the fourth period vs. Central Michigan in 2008, Ball State's game-winning drive began at its 26-yard line and was literally carried by MiQuale Lewis who ran six times in the drive for 63 yards. Nate Davis capped the drive with an 11-yard pass to Briggs Orsbon to preserve an 11-0 regular season record.

27-yard line      return to top
Trying to stage a comeback at Bowling Green in 1983, Dave Naumcheff managed 237 receiving yards, the second-most in Ball State history. Naumcheff, who doubled as the Cardinals' punter, caught a 56-yard touchdown pass to pull Ball State within 35-27 early in the fourth quarter. Ball State's next possession began from the 27-yard line with Naumcheff making a 39-yard catch to spur another scoring drive. Nine of his 12 receptions covered at least 10 yards.

28-yard line      return to top
A 72-yard TD pass from Keith Wenning to Jordan Williams at Virginia in 2013 broke Ball State's mark for career passing yards. Wenning was 23-of-41 passing for 346 yards. He threw for two TDs and ran for another. After the Cardinals' 48-27 road win over the ACC Cavaliers, coach Pete Lembo remarked, "We have had three BCS wins the last two years, but nothing compares to this."

29-yard line return to top
From the 29-yard line on the Cardinals' first possession, Earl Taylor's 2-yard carry the first of 34 totes in the 1976 season finale against Eastern Michigan. Taylor emerged with a school-record 260 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns – two rushing, one receiving. Taylor's exploits helped Ball State to a 52-3 blowout win and its first Mid-American Conference title, in just its second year in the league. Taylor's 260-yard day remains the third-best rushing effort in Cardinals history.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 30-yard line      return to top
Amos VanPelt's 70-yard carry staked Ball State to a 23-0 lead at St. Joseph's in 1966, highlighting his 228 yards on 24 carries that stood as the Cardinals' single-game rushing mark for 10 years.

31-yard line      return to top
Minutes into the second quarter of a 42-20 victory at Indiana in 2008, versatile receiver Dante Love sustained a career-ending spinal injury following a 2-yard catch at the Ball State 31-yard-line. Love finished his career second in BSU history in receptions and receiving yards, and fourth in receiving TDs. The tragic injury, coupled with an emotional win against the Hoosiers, served as motivating factors while propelling Ball State through the rest of an unbeaten regular season.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 32-yard line      return to top
In a November road loss at Western Michigan in 1972, Kevin Canfield set a Ball State record with 15 catches. Canfield, who finished with a career-high 198 receiving yards, had seven catches for 100 yards in the first half. Targeted six times during a 12-play scoring drive in the second quarter, his 12-yard reception from Phil Donahue opened the series and earned a first down at the 32-yard line.

33-yard line return to top
In his final home game, Marcus Merriweather authored the last of his school-record 19 100-yard rushing games by turning in a 224-yard performance vs. Buffalo in 2002. Ball State never trailed in a 41-21 win, thanks to Merriweather's four rushing TDs including a 67-yard jaunt to open the scoring with just 12 seconds left in the first period.

34-yard line return to top
Keionte Newson's 66-yard fumble return vs. Indiana State was the Cardinals' longest play in 2023 and its only defensive score. Loren Strickland's strip sack was corraled by Newson who extended the Ball State lead to 38-7 as part of a 45-7 home-opening triumph.

35-yard line return to top
Nic Jones collected the first of two interceptions in a 2022 shutout of Murray State, corralling a first-quarter pass at the 35-yard line and returning to the Ball State 47. He blocked a punt early in the second quarter and added his second interception in the fourth period during a 31-0 win at Scheumann Stadium.

36-yard line return to top
Eighteenth-ranked Toledo left Ball State Stadium in November 1997 as the highest-ranked opponent the Cardinals have ever beaten. Leading 7-0 after being stood up in a goal line stand on their previous possession, the Cardinals scored on two plays from their own 36-yard line. Jake Josetti found Adrian Reese for a 43-yard pass and Ball State's longest play of the day, then hit Larry Davis with a 21-yard throw for the touchdown. Ball State never trailed and routed the Rockets 35-3.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 37-yard line return to top
In a 42-13 homecoming win over Evansville at Ball Field in 1965, Nickey Baker nabbed one of his school-record eight interceptions that season, and returned it 63 yards for the game's final score. Baker, a defensive halfback, also served as the Cardinals' punter. His single-season record was matched in 1974 by Shafer Suggs.

38-yard line return to top
Reaching the Las Vegas Bowl for the second time in four seasons, 1996 MAC champion Ball State got a 62-yard touchdown run from LeAndre Moore, to cut Nevada's lead to 9-7 in the second period. The Cardinals got a late touchdown and two-point conversion in the fourth, but dropped an 18-15 decision to the Wolfpack.

39-yard line      return to top
With the defense getting 12 tackles from Brady Hoke and three sacks from MAC Defensive Player of the Year Ken Kremer, Ball State clinched its second MAC title with a 31-13 win at Northern Illinois in 1978. With NIU trailing 24-13, though driving into Ball State territory, Kremer had back-to-back sacks totaling 18 yards that pushed NIU backward from the 21-yard line to the 39 and out of field goal range.

40-yard line      return to top
On 3rd-and-8 from the 40, Chris Clancy's 36-yard run was Ball State's longest play of the game and extended a fourth-quarter drive that produced the Cardinals' final score in the 2008 International Bowl against Rutgers.

41-yard line      return to top
Ball State's opening series began on the 41-yard line vs. Kent State in 1991, and featured 13 run plays with 11 from Corey Croom. Croom's 1-yard plunge capped the 13-play drive and gave the Cardinals an early lead in a 28-27 see-saw win. Croom totaled 165 rush yards on what was then a program record with 44 carries.

42-yard line      return to top
Nate Davis' 58-yard TD pass to Dante Love put Ball State ahead of Nebraska, 31-28, in a wild, back-and-forth affair in 2007 that ended with Davis' school-record 479 yards in total offense. The Cornhuskers won a 41-40 shootout despite Davis and the Cardinals outgaining No. 22-ranked Nebraska, 610 yards to 552.

43-yard line      return to top
Sports Illustrated's Defensive Player of the Week following a 1989 win over Miami in which he tallied 17 tackles and a record three interceptions, Greg Garnica grabbed his second interception and rambled 25 yards to put Ball State in scoring position at the Miami 32. Each of Garnica's interceptions led to touchdowns in a 37-9 rout. The MAC's Defensive Player of the Year, Garnica shares the program mark for single-game interceptions with Sean Baker (2008), Mike Lecklider (1975), Doc Heath (1966) and Bob Burkhardt (1966).

44-yard line      return to top
Tracey Key forced a first-quarter Army fumble that was recovered by Michael Ayers, and on the first play of Ball State's ensuing drive, Jahwan Edwards' 56-yard TD burst was the Cardinals' longest carry of the 2014 season. Edwards' TD tied the score at 7, but Army got the win in West Point, 33-24.

45-yard line return to top
After a Ball State touchdown, No. 23-ranked Toledo drove to the Ball State 15-yard line in the final minutes of the 2001 homecoming game, trying for a late score to overcome Ball State's 24-20 advantage. Three straight holding penalties sent the Rockets backward to the Cardinals' 45-yard line. Then, with 28 seconds remaining, the Cardinals' Quentin Manley picked off Toledo's 1st-and-40 pass and returned it 47 yards to ignite the homecoming celebration.

46-yard line return to top
Freshman running back Horatio Banks scored on long runs of 54 yards and 21 yards during Ball State's 52-27 loss at No. 12 Clemson in 2012. The 54-yarder got Ball State on the board with 1:42 left in the first quarter.

47-yard line return to top
The Cardinals jumped on Mountain West champ San Jose State early, scoring twice in the first five minutes and tallying four TDs in the opening 14 minutes. Cornerback Antonio Phillips started the scoring in the game's first possession, taking an interception 53 yards for a touchdown. It was the first of four interceptions as Ball State blitzed the Spartans, 34-13, to win the Offerpad Arizona Bowl in 2020.

48-yard line return to top
John Diettrich's 62-yard field goal against Ohio in 1986 remains a Ball State and MAC record. Diettrich also holds the program record with 63 career field goals, and in 1985 he set the single-game standard with five field goals at the Hoosier Dome against Indiana State. Against the Sycamores, he connected from 50, 42, 22 and 41 yards before winning the game with a 30-yard kick just 17 seconds from the final horn.

49-yard line return to top
In a 31-10 win over Central Florida in 1996, punter Brad Maynard proved his value. From the Cardinals' 49-yard line, his first punt pinned UCF at its 6-yard line. From across the 50, his next two punts pinned the Knights at the 1- and 8-yard lines. His next punt left UCF at its 7. Maynard became the first punter in Div. IA football history to earn conference MVP honors when he was named the MAC's 1996 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.


From Ball State's Goal Line	Toward Opponent's Goal Line
Goal Line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49	50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

50-yard line
Wide receiver and return man Malik Dunner mastered the midfield yard stripe, recording 50-yard TD runs against Western Michigan in 2016 and Buffalo in 2017.

49-yard line return to top
In 2015, Zach Ryan recovered a Northwestern fumble at the Wildcats' 49-yard line and, eight plays later, Morgan Hagee's 30-yard field goal staked Ball State to a 3-0 lead in its only trip to Evanston, Ill. In a 24-19 defeat to the 17th-ranked Wildcats, Hagee capped the scoring with a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

48-yard line return to top
On New Year's Eve in 2020, Yo'Heinz Tyler caught four passes for 113 yards and scored Ball State's fifth and final touchdown, a 48-yard catch from Drew Plitt, to ice a 34-13 victory over No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl.

47-yard line      return to top
Scoreless in the fourth period at Indiana State in 1978, QB Dave Wilson turned a third-down, busted pass play into an 11-yard run landing at the ISU 47. So began a 66-yard drive resulting in the game's only score. Ball State won 7-0 on a blustery day that extended the Cardinals' season-opening win streak to five games, 13 overall dating to 1977. The '77-78 streak is Ball State's longest in the modern era.

46-yard line      return to top
Sophomore Darian Green's 46-yard run in the fourth period of the 2015 season opener against VMI tied a program record with his fourth touchdown of the game, helping the Cardinals to a 48-36 win. Green had TD runs from 2 and 4 yards, and corralled a 35-yard TD pass from Jack Milas for his other score. Green is one of seven Cardinals ever to score four TDs in a single game, joining MiQuale Lewis (2008), Marcus Merriweather (2002), Michael Blair (1994), Bernie Parmalee (1987), Rick Morrison (1977) and Larry Hamell (1963).

45-yard line      return to top
In the final game of the 1976 season, Art Yaroch's 45-yard TD pass to Mike Andress capped a 95-yard scoring drive and staked the Cardinals to a 28-3 lead at Eastern Michigan as Ball State clinched its first MAC title. His third scoring pass of the day, it was his 11th of the season which, at the time, was Ball State's single-season record.

44-yard line      return to top
Dante Ridgeway's 44-yard TD catch from Cole Stinson was his first of three touchdowns during the Cardinals' 41-14 victory over Western Michigan in 2004. Ridgeway later caught TDs of 69 and 6 yards, contributing to a career-high 217 receiving yards which ranks fourth in Cardinals history. He ranks second in receiving yards for a single season and career.

43-yard line      return to top
Adam Wilson's 43-yard run on the Hoosier Dome turf put Ball State in control of state rival Indiana State, 17-0, midway through the fourth period. It was his second score of the day, helping the Cardinals to a 24-10 win while finishing a solid 1988 campaign at 8-3.

42-yard line      return to top
Brian Jackson's 52-yard field goal gave Ball State a 17-0 edge over Indiana on Sept. 9, 2006, in front of what was then a Scheumann Stadium attendance record: 23,813. The Cardinals led 23-7 at intermission, but surrendered 17 second-half points in a 24-23 defeat.

41-yard line return to top
Trailing 17-0 through most of three quarters vs. Ohio in 1996, Damon Hummel recovered a Bobcats fumble at the Ohio 41-yard line and the comeback began. Michael Blair scored a 1-yard TD to start the fourth. Howard Simms recovered another Ohio fumble on the ensuing possession and Brent Baldwin scored another 1-yard TD as Ball State cut its deficit to 17-14. After a Brent Lockilear field goal tied it, both teams traded late TDs to produce the first overtime in program history. Justin Bivins' 11-yard TD run on the second possession of OT sealed a 30-27 homecoming victory.

40-yard line return to top
After Indiana pulled within 21-20, Sean Baker's 40-yard interception return gave Ball State a 28-20 halftime advantage during its 2008 road win against the Hoosiers. IU never scored again and the Cardinals scored two fourth quarter TDs for a 42-20 romp.

39-yard line return to top
In a 2020 showdown at Eastern Michigan, Caleb Huntley put the Cardinals on his back with a career-high 204 rushing yards as his sixth of seven straight 100-yard rushing games. Huntley scored three TDs on the day, including the game-winning score from a yard out with six seconds remaining. His second score was more unique. Ball State covered the final 39 yards of a 70-yard drive with Huntley's 13-yard catch from Drew Plitt, followed by an EMU penalty for 13 more yards. Huntley's drive-capping 13-yard run pulled the Cardinals within 24-21 with 4:34 left in the third.

38-yard line return to top
Ball State's career leader in points by a kicker, Ian McCarvey kicked the longest field goals of his career with 48-yarders against New Hampshire and Western Michigan in 2009. He had a 47-yarder among three field goals in the same win over New Hampshire.

37-yard line return to top
Ian McGarvey put the Cardinals ahead of Kent State 34-14 through three quarters during the 2008 homecoming game. McGarvey's 47-yarder was his second of the period and the longest of the Cardinals' unbeaten season in 2008.

36-yard line return to top
On 3rd-and-9 from the Kansas 36-yard line in the 1992 season opener, linebacker Mark Parris nabbed a Jayhawks pass at the KU 45. Parris ran 21 yards to the 24 before pitching to Blaine Bishop, who rambled 20 more yards to the 4-yard line. It set up a Ball State field goal just before intermission.

35-yard line      return to top
Trey Lewis' 35-yard interception return staked the Cardinals to a 38-14 lead while clinching a 12-0 regular season in a 2008 win over Western Michigan. Nationally ranked Ball State finished 8-0 in the MAC and clinched a bid in the MAC Championship Game.

34-yard line      return to top
Among three touchdown runs and a career-high 198 rushing yards, Carson Steele scored from 38, 34 and nine yards during a 28-21 loss at Toledo in 2022. It was one of his five straight games with 100 or more rushing yards; one of six in the last seven games.

33-yard line       return to top
Ball State opened its undefeated MAC season in 2008 with a 41-24 win at Akron. Breaking open an early 10-10 tie, Ball State got three consecutive touchdowns with a pair of short runs by MiQuale Lewis sandwiched around a 33-yard fumble recovery TD by Sean Baker. Baker, tabbed a Freshman All-American in 2008, also added three interceptions to tie a single-game program record. He finished his career with a Ball State record 18 interceptions.

32-yard line return to top
Steven Schott came on for a 42-yard field goal from the left hash mark on the final play of Ball State's 2012 victory over Indiana. Schott knocked it down the middle to secure the victory as time expired. His teammates lifted him into the air as the Cardinals celebrated at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.

31-yard line return to top
Minutes after LeAndre Moore's 92-yard kickoff return, Adrian Reese caught a 31-yard TD pass from Jake Josetti that pulled the Cardinals within 34-31 and spurred Ball State's comeback against Central Michigan in 1997. Brent Lockliear hit a field goal to send the game to overtime, and another to win it in OT. It was the second overtime game in program history.

30-yard line return to top
Anthony Jones' workmanlike performance carried Ball State to a 15-13 win at Miami in 2000. He set a program record with 46 carries (187 yards), 18 of them over two fourth-quarter drives to ice the victory. On 4th-and-1 with less than two minutes remaining, his 3-yard dive gave the Cardinals a new set of downs from the Miami 30-yard line. It extended a 14-play drive that consumed nearly seven minutes.

29-yard line return to top
On Nov. 3, 1990, defensive end Toby Beegle set a Cardinals' record with five sacks in a 13-3 road win at Central Michigan. Beegle helped limit the Chippewas to just 60 yards on 8-of-24 passing. Protecting a 10-3 lead, his fourth sack produced a 14-yard loss on third down from the CMU 29-yard line.

28-yard line return to top
Despite not winning the MAC in 1988, many Ball State football historians believe that 8-3 team was among the best in school history. After trailing 17-7 midway through the fourth quarter at Northern Illinois, Ball State rallied and Kenny Stuckey's 38-yard, game-winning field goal with only 10 ticks remaining lifted the Cardinals to an 18-17 win.

27-yard line return to top
Scott Secor's 37-yard field goal against Akron in 2014 was one of five field goals that tied Ball State's single-game kicking record. The Cardinals came back from a 21-6 deficit to beat the Zips, with Secor scoring 17 of Ball State's points in a 35-21 win. In similar fashion, Brent Lockliear's 37-yarder not only beat Central Michigan in overtime in 1997, but it broke Ball State's record for consecutive field goals.

26-yard line      return to top
Freshman placekicker Jackson Courville gave the Cardinals one of their biggest moments in 2023, hitting a 36-yard field goal with no time remaining during a 20-17 #MACtion road win at Northern Illinois.

25-yard line      return to top
The Cardinals moved to 9-0 in 2008 with a 45-14 Bronze Stalk win over Northern Illinois at Scheumann Stadium. Daniel Ifft caught a 25-yard pass from Nate Davis to push Ball State to a 21-0 lead with 1:53 before halftime.

24-yard line      return to top
On Northern Illinois' 3rd-and-6 from its 24-yard line, Brandon Crawford's sack and forced fumble set up the Cardinals' final score in a 27-21 road win. Kenny Meeks recovered the fumble at the 15-yard line and, moments later, Ian McGarvey's field goal put the Cardinals on top 27-14 as Ball State clinched a share of the 2007 MAC West Division Co-Championship and earned a trip to the International Bowl.

23-yard line      return to top
Herb Jackson set a program record with 138 punt return yards during a 37-9 homecoming win over Miami in 1989. Jackson had returns of 40, 13, 38 and 47 yards. His 38-yarder with 8:30 left in the third period put the Cardinals in position to score at the Miami 23-yard line. Three plays later, he caught a pass from David Riley to stake Ball State to a 17-9 advantage.

22-yard line      return to top
In one of the most memorable Ball State games on record, Brian Oliver snared a pair of Mike Neu passes during a record-breaking comeback against Toledo in 1993. Oliver set the school's single-game receiving mark with 297 yards on 12 catches that included a 22-yard score with 2:24 left in the third quarter to ignite the rally. Oliver scored the first two TDs in the rally, and Ball State beat the Rockets 31-30.

21-yard line return to top
With Ball State leading Illinois 21-16 in the third period in the 2017 season opener, Anthony Winbush recorded an 8-yard sack to force Illinois to punt from their own 13-yard line. It was the first of his three sacks that day – all in the second half – and contributed to leading the Cardinals in sacks for a third straight season. His 25 career sacks match Keith McKenzie's record set in 1995.

20-yard line return to top
Indiana led 17-14 at the half but did not score again until the final minute of the game. Keith Wenning's 20-yard touchdown pass to Connor Ryan gave Ball State its first lead at 24-17 late in the third quarter. The Cardinals hung on for a 27-20 season-opening win at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2011. It was the second of Ball State's three consecutive victories over the Hoosiers.

19-yard line return to top
With the 13th of his career-high 14 catches, Willie Snead's 19-yard grab from Keith Wenning cut Kent State's lead to 42-36 with 6:08 to go in a 2012 MAC showdown. Snead corralled those passes for a career-high 216 yards that still ranks fifth in program history.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 18-yard line return to top
In Ball State's first bowl appearance, the Grantland Rice Bowl in 1965, QB Frank Houk connected with Jim Todd on an 18-yard forward pass that put the Cardinals ahead of Tennessee State, 14-6. The Mideast College Football Championship finished with a tie score, 14-14, after Tennessee State knotted the score in the fourth period. Houk was named the game's MVP, completing 6 of 8 passes for 84 yards and both touchdowns.

17-yard line      return to top
Nate Davis' 17-yard run tied the score at 7, early in the 2009 GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama., but it was the Cardinals' only touchdown in a bowl defeat to Tulsa. It marked the first time Ball State had attended bowl games in consecutive years, and it was the latest in any calendar season, January 6, that Ball State has ever played a game.

16-yard line      return to top
In front of a crowd of 23,718, then the largest in Scheumann Stadium history, Brian Jackson booted field goals of 39, 29 and 26 yards as part of a 19-11 season-opening defeat to Boston College in 2004. Ball State led 2-0 following a safety on the game's first possession.

15-yard line      return to top
The Cardinals upset No. 23-ranked Toledo on the road in 2012, capped by Jahwan Edwards' 15-yard TD run with 1:43 remaining, for a 34-27 lead and the final score.

14-yard line return to top
Tied 31-31 on the first overtime possession in Annapolis, Md., Ball State's Chris Allen forced a Navy fumble that was recovered by Bryant Haines. The Cardinals picked up a first down and then sent freshman kicker Jake Hogue on for a 24-yard, game-winning field goal in 2007.

13-yard line return to top
Marcus Merriweather's 13-yard TD run was his second of three touchdowns in the second quarter in a 2000 game at Central Michigan. The second-leading rusher in Ball State history, Merriweather's three scores contributed to a 38-34 Ball State win and a career-high 257 rushing yards, fourth in Cardinal annals.

12-yard line return to top
Keith Wenning threw three touchdown passes during the Cardinals' 41-39 victory at IU's Memorial Stadium in 2012, two of them to tight end Zane Fakes. Wenning also caught a 12-yard TD pass from Jamill Smith on a gadget play in the third quarter to stake the Ball State to a 31-25 lead.

11-yard line return to top
Keith Wenning's 11-yard pass to Zane Fakes with 10:35 in the third period capped a string of 37 unanswered points as the Cardinals took a 37-7 lead over visiting Army in 2013. The play followed a Ball State field goal by Scott Secor just moments earlier, but on the ensuing kickoff Aaron Hepp recovered a fumble on Army's 11-yard line to set up the Cardinals' seventh consecutive score, just one play later.

10-yard line return to top
Riley Neal hit Nolan Givan with a 10-yard TD pass to cap a 13-play, 79-yard drive to pull Ball State within 24-13 at No. 8-ranked Notre Dame in 2018, just minutes into the fourth quarter. Placekicker Morgan Hagee hit the last of three field goals later in the period to bring the Cardinals within 24-16 in their only visit to Notre Dame Stadium.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 9-yard line return to top
On Sept. 30, 1967 in the final game ever played at Ball Field, Ball State forced Evansville to punt from its 9-yard line late in the first quarter. An Aces miscue, however, resulted in a safety for Ball State, and the Cardinals led 2-0. Ball State led 16-0 before Evansville got on the board, and the Cards coasted to a 31-10 win before moving to its new stadium three weeks later.

8-yard line return to top
Ball State drove 83 yards in five plays to go on top of Virginia, 7-3, in a rousing 2013 road victory in which Jahwan Edwards ran for three scores and set the program record for rushing touchdowns in a career. With the Cardinals on the 8-yard line, Edwards reached the end zone with consecutive carries of five and three yards. His 32-yard TD in the third quarter broke a 24-24 deadlock to tie the career record. He later broke the mark with a 17-yarder. He still holds the career record with 51 rushing TDs.

7-yard line return to top
Trailing 21-0 at halftime of the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl against Nevada, senior quarterback and MAC Offensive Player of the Year Mike Neu connected with Erin McCray on a 7-yard scoring pass that launched a 33-point second half and a frantic rally for the Cardinals. Neu later caught a 2-yard TD pass from freshman Michael Blair to pull Ball State within 35-17 through three quarters. The Cardinals continued to rally but fell 42-33.

6-yard line return to top
A 6-yard pass from Mike Neu to Erin McCray tied Toledo 30-30 as time expired in a 1993 comeback for the ages. Once trailing 30-3, that pass and a PAT by Matt Swart completed the biggest comeback in Cardinals history.

5-yard line return to top
Ball State went 89 yards in 13 plays on its first possession against Western Michigan in 1978, capping the drive with a 5-yard run by QB Mark O'Connell. The Cardinals never trailed in a 20-14 victory, and stayed unbeaten in the MAC (7-0).

4-yard line return to top
MiQuale Lewis' 4-yard run was the first of his two touchdowns in the 2008 MAC Championship Game against Buffalo. His first TD knotted the score at 7, and his second staked the Cardinals to a 17-14 lead midway through the third period.

100th Season logo (pre-Mid-American Conference) 3-yard line return to top
Amos Van Pelt's 3-yard touchdown run was the first score in the Grantland Rice Bowl, an NCAA college division bowl game for Ball State. Played Dec. 9, 1967 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Eastern Kentucky got the best of the Cardinals, 27-13.

2-yard line return to top
In front of the largest crowd ever to witness a Ball State football game – 109,359 at Michigan Stadium – Larry Bostic's 2-yard touchdown run on Nov. 4, 2006, set the scene for a near-upset of the No. 2 team in the country. Bostic's TD pulled the Cardinals within 34-26 with 8:45 left in the game, but neither team scored again.

1-yard line return to top
Two of MiQuale Lewis' three touchdown runs against Western Michigan in 2008 came from 1-yard out as he broke Ball State's record for single-season touchdowns. Nationally ranked Ball State capped an unbeaten regular season to clinch a trip to the 2008 MAC Championship Game. The game was played before the largest crowd ever at Scheumann Stadium: 23,861.


From Ball State's Goal Line	Toward Opponent's Goal Line
Goal Line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49	50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A century of games and 100 great moments celebrate the Cardinals' history on the gridiron. The following is a listing of every yard on a football field, and a corresponding event during the 100-year history of Ball State football.

Players Mentioned

Jackson Courville

Keionte Newson

Loren Strickland

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