FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Cardinals Visit UConn in Final Tuneup Before MAC Opener

Ball State (1-2, 0-0 MAC) at Connecticut (1-2)
Game 4 - at Connecticut	Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET Live Stats \| CBS Sports Network
Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network	Radio Pre- and Postgame: 2:30 p.m. ET on WMUN 92.5 FM/1340 AM Game Broadcast: 3:30 p.m. ET on WLBC 104.1 FM WMUN Listen Live \| WLBC Listen Live
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MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State rides momentum from its first win in 2025, a 34-29 home-opening win over New Hampshire, while traveling this week to battle the Connecticut Huskies for the fifth time since 2000. The Cardinals and Huskies meet in Ball State's final non-conference matchup before opening their 51st season of play in the Mid-American Conference.

-- Ball State used an aggressive defensive effort and its most productive run game in seven years to get past the Wildcats last Saturday. The Cardinals posted exactly five sacks and eight tackles for loss for the second straight week, and amassed 308 rushing yards -- 243 on 15 carries by halftime. It was the Cardinals' most rushing yards in a game since 2019.

-- Just as the Cardinals managed five sacks and eight TFL at Auburn on Sept. 6, Ball State's defensive surge produced the same numbers against New Hampshire, led by 2.5 sacks from Nathan Voorhis. Others joining the sack party were DeJuan Echoles Jr., Micah Wing, Darin Conley an Drew Hughes.

-- Ball State's 11 sacks through three games are tied for fourth among all FBS teams, with only Southern Cal (14), West Virginia (13) and Pitt (12) boasting more. Ironically, UConn (10) ranks right behind the Cardinals, with Ball State led by Voorhis (4.5) who played the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Huskies.

-- The Cardinals defense allowed just two offensive touchdowns against New Hampshire. The Wildcats scored its other points by way of a blocked punt for touchdown, a safety and two field goals.

-- First-year head coach Mike Uremovich has preached a strong run game, and the Cardinals produced just that against New Hampshire. Transfer back Qua Ashley used a 72-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to spur a career-high 154 rushing yards. Quarterback Kiael Kelly added 101 rush yards of his own, and the Cardinals rushed for more yards, 308, than in any game last season.

WHAT A WIN MEANS:
-- Ball State will win its fifth straight game against UConn.
-- Ball State will win consecutive games for the first time since beating Northern Illinois and Kent State in November 2023.
-- The Cardinals will finish the non-conference season at 2-2, winning a non-league road game for the first time since beating San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl in 2020.

INSIDE THE SERIES: CONNECTICUT
-- When the Cardinals met UConn for homecoming in 2022, it was a 25-21 win in Ball State's favor at Scheumann Stadium. Current Kansas City Chiefs star Carson Steele rambled for 179 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Cardinals victory.
-- As UConn transitioned from the I-AA ranks in 1999, the Cardinals and Huskies met in three consecutive seasons -- 2000, 2001 and 2002 -- before colliding again in 2022.
-- Apart from their first contest in 2000, which saw Ball State on top in a shutout, 29-0, games between the Cardinals and Huskies have been decided by an average of four points.
-- Ball State makes its first appearance at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. UConn began playing at the Rentschler Field site in 2003, a year after the Cardinals visited UConn in 2001 and 2002. The stadium officially took on its new name in 2015.

BACK-TO-BACK IN THE MAC FOR HUSKIES
-- UConn hosts the Cardinals this week, and travels to Buffalo, next week, for matchups with Mid-American Conference schools in consecutive weeks.

FORMER HUSKIES
-- Three current Cardinals spent at least two seasons recently at UConn. Alfred Chea and Nathan Voorhis both began their college careers at UConn. Both are tied as the Cardinals' third-leading tacklers this season, with 12 stops apiece.
-- Special teams coordinator Nick Fiacable was a special teams analyst with the Huskies the past two seasons, hired at Ball State immediately following UConn's appearance in the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
-- Chea, a grad transfer linebacker at Ball State this year, spent five seasons with the Huskies, stemming to his redshirt campaign in 2020. He played 11 or more games with UConn in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
-- Voorhis played 10 games with the Huskies in 2022 and 11 in 2023, prior to transferring to Bryant University in search of more playing time.

FIRST IN MAC, FOURTH IN FBS
-- Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference and is fourth in the nation in total sacks, with 11. Connecticut, with 10 team sacks, is next.

INTO THE BACKFIELD
-- The Ball State defense has 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.

VOORHIS LEADING DEFENSIVE LINE SURGE
-- Nathan Voorhis (pronounced VORR-is) has had a sack in all three games. His 2.5 sacks last Saturday set a career-high and his 4.5 sacks through three games not only lead the team, but are ranked fourth nationally among all FBS players.
-- Playing with Bryant University last year, he earned a streak of five straight games with a sack. He totaled 47 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a forced fumble.
-- With UConn in 2022 and 2023, he recorded seven tackles over 21 games, without a sack.

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.

STRONG IN RUN GAME IS UREMOVICH MANTRA
-- Since hired last December, head coach Mike Uremovich has preached a strong run game.
-- Ball State's 308 rushing yards 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. It was just the 15th 300-yard rushing game in Ball State's 101-year football history.

ASHLEY BURSTS FREE
-- Qua Ashley's 154 rushing yards were the most by a Ball State back since Marquez Cooper had 162 vs. Central Michigan in 2023.
-- Ashley's 72-yard TD run 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 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 on Saturday.
-- 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.

RUSH AND PASS FOR 100
-- Kiael (pronounced ky-ELL) Kelly is 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.
-- In the midst of all the rushing numbers last Saturday, Kelly also tossed two passing TDs for the first time in his career.

CAREER RUSHING BY A CARDINALS QB
-- Kiael Kelly is always a threat to gain yards with his legs, and he enters the Connecticut game 572 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 1,041 career rush yards overall through three weeks 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   1,041   228
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.

KELLY AS QB1
-- Kelly has appeared in 27 career games and been a starter in 12 games overall (twice at WR, once as utility QB).
-- But in the nine games in which he has started as Ball State's primary QB, Kelly has amassed 780 rushing yards on 153 carries, for an average of 86.7 yards per game.
-- He has rushed for 90+ yards in five of his nine 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.

FIVE 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.
-- All five have already started at least one game.
-- 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, started the season's first two games and also is active on special teams.
-- So far this year, Gross has two catches, with one apiece by Anthony, Cassens and Webster.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RECEPTION
8 Wide receiver Eric Weatherly has caught a pass in 26 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.

BY THE NUMBERS
4.5 - Sacks this season by Nathan Voorhis, who spent two seasons at UConn. Last year's Ball State sacks leader, Riley Tolsma, finished with 5.5.
100 - Kiael Kelly became the first Ball State player with over 100 rushing and passing yards since QB Talmadge Hill in 2000, vs. Central Michigan.
154 - Qua Ashley's career-high rushing output vs. UNH was the most by a Cardinal since Marquez Cooper had 162 vs. Central Michigan in 2023.
1,000 - Career rushing yards for QB Kiael Kelly (1,041) are third-most by a quarterback in Ball State history.

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Cardinals Visit UConn in Final Tuneup Before MAC Opener

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Players Mentioned

Kameron Anthony

Qua Ashley

Drew Cassens

Alfred Chea

Darin Conley

DeJuan Echoles Jr.

Koby Gross

Tate Hoover

Drew Hughes

Kiael Kelly

Riley Tolsma

Nathan Voorhis

Eric Weatherly

Maximus Webster

Micah Wing