Ball State Defense Riding Five-Game Interception Streak

Joderick Lewis Interception versus Kent State

Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics

Ball State Defense Riding Five-Game Interception Streak

November 18, 2025 | Football

MUNCIE, Ind. -- After opening the 2025 season without a single interception through the first five games, Ball State's defense has flipped script in the takeaway column, recording interceptions in five straight contests heading into the season's final stretch.

The streak began at Western Michigan (Oct. 11), when Eric McClain grabbed Ball State's first interception in the fourth quarter against the MAC-leading Broncos. A week later, the Cardinals produced their first multi-interception game of the season as Roman Pearson and Joedrick Lewis picked off Akron on back-to-back drives to seal a 42–28 homecoming win. It marked the program's first two-interception performance since Nov. 12, 2024, against Buffalo.

Lewis continued his momentum Oct. 25 at Northern Illinois, intercepting a pass near the goal line to halt an early Huskies scoring threat. The turnover set up a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard scoring reception from Kiael Kelly to Drew Cassens.

Against Kent State (Nov. 5), Lewis added his third interception of the season in the fourth quarter, stopping the Golden Flashes' comeback attempt and becoming the first Cardinal since Amechi Uzodinma in 2022 to record three interceptions in a single campaign.

Ball State's most recent outing produced another pair of takeaways, as Michael Gravely Jr. and Muheem McCargo each recorded the first interceptions of their careers in a two-turnover performance against Eastern Michigan (Nov. 15). It marked the second time this season the defense has generated multiple interceptions in a game.

The five-game, single-season streak is Ball State's longest since a six-game run in 2020 that included both the MAC Championship and the Arizona Bowl. The last time the Cardinals posted a longer overall stretch was a seven-game span bridging the 2020 and 2021 bowl seasons.

The Cardinals enter the final stretch of their 2025 campaign on the road, starting with a battle against the Toledo Rockets Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. at Glass Bowl Stadium. Broadcast of the game will be available on ESPN+ and WLBC 104.1 FM.