FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Ball State Welcomes Defending MAC Champs to Open Conference Play

Ball State (1-3, 0-0 MAC) vs. Ohio (3-2, 1-0 MAC)
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MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium following a bye week and a six-point defeat at Connecticut two weeks ago. The Cardinals beat New Hampshire 34-29 in a home-opening win at Scheumann Stadium three weeks ago, behind a 308-yard rushing effort.

-- Saturday's noon matchup celebrates Community Day for Ball State, and features a Hall of Fame weekend that is highlighted by Friday evening's annual induction of the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame. Among six inductees this weekend is former football star and nine-year NFL veteran Willie Snead, who returns to Muncie and Scheumann Stadium this weekend as the third-leading receiver in program history.

-- Trailing 10-7 at halftime and 17-10 through three quarters, Ball State stayed in contention at UConn two weeks ago by amassing 19 first downs and outgaining the Huskies in total offense. Quarterback Kiael Kelly threw for a career highs of 17 completions and 209 passing yards. The Cardinals scored their final touchdown on a pass from Kelly to Dahya Patel, and tried an onside kick with 11 seconds left in the contest.

-- It was the first time a Ball State team compiled more first downs and more total offense in a non-conference road game since beating No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl in 2020.

-- Kelly's exploits were shared by wide receiver Qian Magwood who caught a 53-yard pass late in the first period that was the longest catch of his career and the longest throw of Kelly's. One play later, on the first play of the second quarter, the two connected on a trick-play TD to get Ball State on the scoreboard, with Magwood finding Kelly for a 19-yard score that was Magwood's first career pass and Kelly's first career receiving TD.

-- Defensively, UConn grad Alfred Chea had a career-high eight tackles to pace the Cardinals against his former team. Sniper DJ Fields had a career-best six tackles and a pass breakup as Ball State limited UConn to 181 passing yards. It was the fewest allowed by Ball State this season.

WHAT A WIN MEANS:
-- Ball State will snap a five-game losing skid against the Bobcats. Ball State's last win in the series was a 52-27 rout in 2012.
-- Ball State will win consecutive home games for the first time since beating Central Michigan and Kent State in 2023.

INSIDE THE SERIES: OHIO
-- The Bobcats are riding their longest winning streak in the series history, as they come into Saturday's matchup with five consecutive victories against the Cardinals.
-- Ball State defeated Ohio in the MAC Championship game in 1989, which stands as one of the most historic campaigns in the program's lifespan. The year not only featured a conference title, but the Cardinals' first Div. 1A bowl appearance.
-- Ball State has won 8 of 13 meetings against the Bobcats at Scheumann Stadium, though Ohio has won the past two encounters in 2019 and 2022.
-- The Cardinals scored 52 points in their last home victory against Ohio, in November 2012. It was the most points Ball State has ever scored in the series.
-- Among the Ball State touchdowns scored that day was a 42-yard pass from Keith Wenning to Willie Snead, both of whom are inductees in the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame. Wenning was inducted in last year's class, Snead is to be inducted on Friday evening.
-- The Cardinals and Bobcats met in the final game of the 2024 regular season, the day after Thanksgiving last year. Ohio clinched a trip to the MAC Championship Game with a 42-21 Friday afternoon win over Ball State which was led by interim coach Colin Johnson.

SNEAD TO BE INDUCTED INTO BALL STATE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME ON FRIDAY, OCT. 3
-- A two-time All-MAC wide receiver and a semifinalist for the 2013 Fred Biletnikoff Award, former Cardinals standout Willie Snead has been named to the 2025 Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame induction class that will be honored on Oct. 3 at the Ball State Alumni Center.
-- Snead still ranks first all-time among Ball State receivers in single-season receiving yards (1,516), receptions (106) and touchdowns (15). His 13 games with 100 or more receiving yards remains a Ball State record and he is one of only two players in program history to record two 1,000-yard seasons.
-- Snead's 2,991 career receiving yards trail only Justin Hall (3,385) and Dante Ridgeway (3,030) among Cardinals leaders.
-- Snead had 100-yard receiving games against eight different MAC opponents, but none in two meetings against the Bobcats. His only score against Ohio was the 42-yard TD in Ball State's last home win against the Bobcats, in 2012.
-- He played only his freshman (2011), sophomore (2012) and junior (2013) seasons before declaring for the NFL draft in 2014. He went undrafted, though spent time on practice squads with Cleveland and Carolina during the 2014 season before making his NFL debut with New Orleans in 2015.
-- He represented the Cardinals in bowl games in 2012 and 2013, and recently retired from a nine-year career in the NFL (Browns, Saints, Ravens, Raiders, Panthers, 49ers, Dolphins).

MAGWOOD & KELLY CONNECT
-- Two of the three times that Kiael Kelly and Qian Magwood connected on pass routes at UConn, they were explosive.
-- On the final play of the first quarter, Kelly found Magwood on a screen pass. Magwood sprinted down the right sideline for 53 yards for what was the longest catch of Magwood's career and the longest pass of Kelly's.
-- One play later, to open the second quarter, Kelly handed to Magwood on a reverse, and ventured into his own route in the right flat. On the first pass of his career, Magwood found Kelly for a 19-yard TD, reaching the end zone for Ball State's first score.
-- Two consecutive plays covered 72 yards with career longs and career firsts for both of them.

ALL-PURPOSE ASHLEY
-- Active in the run game, pass game and Ball State's primary kickoff returner, Qua Ashley is averaging 128.0 all-purpose yards per game to lead the Mid-American Conference and rank 18th nationally.
-- He is one of five MAC players averaging over 100 all-purpose yards per game, including Ohio receiver Chase Hendricks, fifth in the MAC at 104.2.
-- Ashley boasts 295 rushing yards over four games, with 47 receiving. He owns 170 yards on kickoff returns.

BETTER CALL SAUL
-- Transfer punter Adam Saul ranks fourth in the MAC and 35th nationally with a 44.4-yard punting average.
-- Saul owns three punts of at least 50 yards this year, including a 55-yard boot at UConn and his career-long 67-yarder at Purdue.
-- Six of his 21 punts have landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

SACK LEADERS
-- Through its first three games, Ball State led the Mid-American Conference and was fourth in the nation in total sacks, with 11.
-- After recording none at UConn, the Cardinals currently are sixth in the MAC.
-- Ball State senior Nathan Voorhis collected 4.5 sacks over his first three games and remains the MAC leader in total sacks. Central Michigan's Michael Heldmen also boasts 4.5 sacks, though over five games.
-- Voorhis' 1.13 sacks per game currently are tied for third nationally.

VOORHIS LEADING DEFENSIVE LINE SURGE
-- Nathan Voorhis (pronounced VORR-is) has had a sack in three of Ball State's four games. His 2.5 sacks against New Hampshire set a career-high and his 4.5 sacks through three games were ranked fourth nationally among all FBS players.
-- Despite no sacks at UConn, his average sacks per game now rank third nationally.
-- He is one of 13 FBS players with at least 4.5 sacks overall.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
-- Current sack leader Nathan Voorhis boasts 4.5 sacks on the year, already just one shy of last year's leader, Riley Tolsma, who had 5.5.
-- Since 2000, only five Ball State players have registered at least eight sacks in a season. Voorhis is vying to become the sixth.

INTO THE BACKFIELD
-- Against Auburn and New Hampshire, the Ball State defense generated exactly five sacks and eight TFL in consecutive games.
-- The Cardinals defense thrived in the New Hampshire backfield on Sept. 13, allowing just two offensive touchdowns and forcing four field goal attempts.
-- Despite allowing 42 points during a Sept. 6 visit to Auburn, the Cardinals got consistent pressure into the Tigers' backfield. Ball State managed eight tackles for loss that totaled 41 yards. The Cardinals recorded five sacks and forced four fumbles.
-- At Connecticut, the Cardinals didn't record a sack but they limited the Huskies to just 181 passing yards -- the fewest by an opposing offense this season. Linebacker Jack Beebe and sniper Ashton Whitner were credited with tackles for loss at UConn.

LIMIT THE FLAGS
-- Ball State has been penalized 20 times for 163 yards so far in 2025. The 163 penalty yards is the third-fewest in the MAC and ranks 20th among FBS teams.
-- Only UMass and Akron boast fewer penalty yards than the Cardinals thus far.
-- Ball State ranks fifth in the MAC and 26th nationally with just 40.75 penalty yards per game.

STRONG IN RUN GAME IS UREMOVICH MANTRA
-- Since hired last December, head coach Mike Uremovich has preached a strong run game.
-- Ball State rushed 37 times for 176 yards at UConn. The Cardinals have averaged 242 rushing yards over their past two games.
-- Ball State's 308 rushing yards against New Hampshire were the most Ball State rush yards since Nov. 23, 2019 when they ran for 330 at Kent State.
-- The Cardinals had 243 yards on just 15 carries at halftime against UNH. It was just the 15th 300-yard rushing game in Ball State's 101-year football history.

ASHLEY THE FEATURE BACK
-- Qua Ashley carried a career-high 18 times at UConn for 86 yards. He has averaged 120 rushing yards over his past two games.
-- Ashley's 154 rushing yards against New Hampshire were the most by a Ball State back since Marquez Cooper had 162 vs. Central Michigan in 2023.
-- Ashley's 72-yard TD run against the Wildcatss was Ball State's longest run play since a 73-yard TD run by Walter Fletcher against Ohio in 2019.
-- Ashley's 72-yard TD run vs. UNH was the longest run of his career and the longest offensive play of Ball State's season.
-- It was the first 100-yard rushing game of Ashley's career.

MORE RUSHING: 100 x 2
-- Qua Ashley (154) and Kiael Kelly (101) both rushed for 100+ yards against New Hampshire.
-- The last time two Ball State players had 100+ rushing yards in the same game was in Kelly's last home start: Kelly and Marquez Cooper and both had 136 yards vs Miami (Nov 25, 2023). Kelly's 136 rushing yards in that game are a career high.

KELLY PASSING HIGHS
-- Kiael (pronounced ky-ELL) Kelly had career highs with 17 completions and 209 passing yards at UConn two weeks ago, in addition to catching the first touchdown pass of his career.
-- Kelly's 53-yard strike to Qian Magwood, one play before his 19-yard TD reception from Magwood, was the longest throw of his career.
-- In the midst of a 100-yard rushing game against New Hampshire two games ago, Kelly also tossed two passing TDs for the first time in his career.

KELLY AS QB1
-- Kiael Kelly has appeared in 28 career games and been a starter in 13 games overall (twice at WR, once as utility QB).
-- But in the 10 games in which he has started as Ball State's primary QB, Kelly has amassed 807 rushing yards on 165 carries, for an average of 80.7 yards per game.
-- He has rushed for 90+ yards in five of his 10 starts as QB1.
-- Ball State finished 3-3 after Kelly took the quarterback reins in Week 7 of the 2023 season.
-- With Kelly at the helm in 2023, Ball State averaged 235.3 rush yards over its last six games.

RUSH AND PASS FOR 100
-- Against New Hampshire, Kiael Kelly became the first Ball State player with 100 yards rushing (101) and passing (105) since 2000.
-- Since at least 1995, it was just the third time a Ball State player has rushed and passed for over 100 yards in the same game.

CAREER RUSHING BY A CARDINALS QB
-- Kiael Kelly is always a threat to gain yards with his legs, and he enters the Ohio game 545 yards shy of the Cardinals' career record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He is currently third in career rush yards by a QB.
-- He tallied 83 yards in one game as a reserve in 2022. He rushed for 724 yards during a six-game stint as starter in 2023, and he compiled 91 lining up as a QB or wildcat last season.
-- Those 724 yards over just six games in 2023 stand as a Ball State single-season record for a quarterback.
-- He boasts 1,068 career rush yards overall through four games of the 2025 season.

Ball State Career Rushing Yards by a Quarterback
Player   Yards   Carries
1.   Art Yaroch, 1973-76   1,613   421
2.   Riley Neal, 2015-18   1,363   325
3.   Kiael Kelly, 2022-present   1,068   240
4.   Dave Wilson, 1976-79   693   320
5.   Talmadge Hill, 2000-03   582   309

GAMES WITH 100 RUSHING YARDS BY A QB
-- Kiael Kelly is just the second quarterback in Ball State history to rush for at least 100 yards in two different games. The other, Art Yaroch (pronounced yuh-ROW), quarterbacked the Cardinals from 1973-76 -- in Ball State's first season in the MAC in 1975, and in their first league championship season a year later.

SIX TIGHT ENDS
-- Likely the Cardinals' deepest position, five primary tight ends see regular action for Ball State -- Kameron Anthony, Drew Cassens, Koby Gross, Maximus Webster and Tate Hoover. Another, veteran Jackson Constantine who has played at LB, DL, OL and now TE, is a regular on special teams units.
-- In fact, in the game at UConn, all six had played within the game's first two offensive series. Constantine played on the Cardinals' kickoff team and when Ball State took over on offense, Anthony, Cassens and Hoover all lined up on the first play. Gross and Webster were quick substitutions during a 3-and-out offensive series.
-- Anthony is a highly regarded redshirt freshman who caught his first career pass against New Hampshire, for a 10-yard touchdown. He is the biggest target of all of them.
-- Cassens is a transfer from Butler where he played with Uremovich in 2024. He also logged two seasons at Northern Illinois.
-- Gross is a transfer from Florida A&M who hails from San Ramon, California. He was All-SWAC for the Rattlers before arriving at Ball State.
-- Webster, is the fastest of the tight end crew, and with good hands is a staple in the pass game.
-- Hoover, a junior college transfer from Kansas, has started in three games and also is active on special teams.
-- So far this year, Gross has four catches, with one apiece by Anthony, Cassens and Webster.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RECEPTION
-- Wide receiver Eric Weatherly has caught a pass in 27 consecutive games, counting 23 over every game with Bucknell the past two seasons.
Only 12 receivers in the country have caught passes in more consecutive games.

CAREER DAY FOR HAMILTON
-- Redshirt freshman Donovan Hamilton (also goes by DJ) hauled in seven catches for 61 yards in the loss at Connecticut. His 21-yard catch against New Hampshire was the first of his career.
-- It was the best single game by a Ball State receiver this year, vaulting him with a single catch of Cardinals' leading pass-catcher Eric Weatherly (9 catches).
-- Hamilton attended Purdue last year, but did not play as a true freshman.

BY THE NUMBERS
10 - While Ball State outpassed UConn and gained more first downs two weeks ago, 10 of 19 first downs were gained through the air.
44.4 - Senior punter Adam Saul ranks fourth in the MAC and 35th nationally with an average of 44.4 yards per punt.
128 -  All-purpose yards per game by Qua Ashley lead the MAC and rank 18th in FBS. He totals 295 rushing yards, 47 receiving and 170 on KOR.
228 - Team passing yards at UConn were the most in any game led by Kiael Kelly at QB. It was the first 200-yard passing game (209) of his career.

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Ball State Welcomes Defending MAC Champs to Open Conference Play

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Players Mentioned

Kameron Anthony

Qua Ashley

Jack Beebe

Drew Cassens

Alfred Chea

Jackson Constantine

Koby Gross

Donovan Hamilton

Tate Hoover

Kiael Kelly

Qian Magwood

Dahya Patel

Adam Saul

Riley Tolsma

Nathan Voorhis

Eric Weatherly

Maximus Webster

Ashton Whitner