Ball State’s Ground Attack Drives Three-Game Offensive Edge
October 07, 2025 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State's offense has produced more yards than its opponent in each of the last three contests, matching a mark last achieved during its 2020 MAC Championship season.
In its last three outings, Ball State has averaged 391.3 total yards per game while holding opponents to 382.3. The streak began at home against New Hampshire (413-391), continued at Connecticut (404-400), and carried into last weekend's showing in the 20–14 win over Ohio (357-356). Despite dropping the UConn game, Ball State has shown greater offensive cohesion behind a strong rushing attack, averaging 219 yards on the ground during the span.
The last time the Cardinals achieved this kind of offensive edge was during the 2020 campaign, outgaining Miami (Ohio) (478-422), Eastern Michigan (536-477), and Northern Illinois (415-412) in consecutive weeks. The victories over EMU and the Huskies were the start of a seven-game win streak that ended with the MAC title and Ball State's first bowl victory in school history. That 2020 stretch shared several similarities with this season's run: balanced yardage distribution, high red-zone efficiency, and consistent third-down execution.
Statistically, however, the 2020 team's production leaned more heavily on the passing game (252 passing yards per game to 225 rushing), while the 2025 squad's yardage has come through the ground attack (219 rushing yards per game to 173 passing). The current group's 6.5 yards per play average across the three-game span mirrors the 6.4 mark from 2020's streak, but this season's offense has done so while controlling time of possession more consistently and converting in the red zone at a higher rate.
Around the MAC, only two other programs, Western Michigan and Toledo, have also recorded three straight games with more total offense than their opponent this season. Western Michigan achieved its streak while winning their three most recent contests, while Toledo's streak came to start the year with a 2–1 mark.
One team's streak will come to an end Oct. 11 when Ball State travels to Kalamazoo, Mich. to battle the Broncos. The contest will be live on WLBC 104.1 FM. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 P.M. ET