FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Ball State Tackles Wildcats in Chicago's New Stadium

Ball State (1-4, 0-2 MAC) at Northwestern (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
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MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State steps away from Mid-American Conference play this week to travel into Chicago and face Big Ten foe Northwestern. The game marks the Wildcats' second game at their New Ryan Field, constructed on the site of the original Ryan Field. Northwestern opened the stadium last Friday by defeating Penn State.

** Having played already at Big Ten foe Ohio State, the Cardinals face two Big Ten programs in the same season for the first time since making back-to-back road trips to Purdue (Sept. 18) and Iowa (Sept. 25) in 2010. Ball State faces Northwestern for the first time since 2015 and just the second time in program history. It is the fourth time Ball State has faced a Big Ten opponent since 2021.

** Last week, Ball State led 10-6 just before halftime against MAC rival Toledo, but a safety, a missed field goal and a late Rockets touchdown spelled a 15-10 Toledo lead at halftime. Keldric Luster returned as the Cardinals' starting quarterback after missing the game at Kent State. He passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-33 passing, but his mobility was limited. Three Ball State receivers had big games: Donovan Hamilton grabbed six passes for 70 yards; Jabari Smith nabbed six for 60 yards and a 33-yard TD; and Jamarion McDougle caught five Luster aerials for 58 yards, including a 37-yard, one-handed highlight-reel catch in the second quarter.

** With Luster hobbled behind center, Ball State employed a tandem QB to start last week's game against Toledo. Luster took nine snaps and Tyler Mizzell four, as the Cardinals managed a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive to open the game at 7-0. The drive was aided by three Rockets' penalties and capped by a four-yard pass from Luster to tight end Alex Scherle for his first career touchdown. For the day, Mizzell completed 1 of 2 passes for 14 yards, and ran three times for 18 yards.

** One week after the Cardinals allowed 354 yards in total offense to Kent State, Ball State allowed 352 rushing yards to Toledo. Those aren't numbers for boasting, but specifically against Toledo, the Cardinals were effective in the Red Zone, twice limiting the Rockets to field goals, and on two other occasions stopping Toledo on fourth down.

WHAT A WIN MEANS:
** Ball State will win on the road for the first time in the Mike Uremovich Era. It would mark the Cardinals' first road win since Oct. 12, 2024 at Kent State (37-35). Uremovich has begun his tenure at Ball State with 12 of his first 19 games on the road (7 in 2025; first 5 in 2026).
** The Cardinals will defeat a Big Ten opponent for the first time since a 41-39 thriller at Indiana on Sept. 15, 2012.

BY THE NUMBERS
12 - Ball State has played 12 of 18 schools in the B1G -- all except Maryland, Michigan State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.
13 - Quentavius Scandrett's 13 tackles vs. Toledo were the most by a Cardinal (without OT) since Cole Pearce had 15 stops vs. EMU in 2022.
66 - TJ Horton's 66-yard TD run vs. Toledo was Ball State's longest run from scrimmage this year, and his his fourth touchdown of the season.
13-150 - Donovan Hamilton has had 13 catches for 150 yards over the past two weeks. His 80 receiving yards at Kent State were a career high.

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Ball State Tackles Wildcats in Chicago's New Stadium

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Players Mentioned

Donovan Hamilton

TJ Horton

Keldric Luster

Jamarion McDougle

Tyler Mizzell

Quentavius Scandrett

Alex Scherle

Jabari Smith

Ball State University Athletics