FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Cardinals Visit Kent State For Opening Game of Mid-American Conference Slate

Ball State (1-2, 0-0 MAC) at Kent State (1-2, 0-0 MAC)
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MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State travels to Kent, Ohio, this Saturday, to face Mid-American Conference rival Kent State and open the Cardinals' 52nd season in the MAC. The Cardinals have won four straight meetings in the series with Kent State, and boast a .758 win percentage against the Golden Flashes -- Ball State's largest against any MAC opponent.

-- The Cardinals have won four straight in the series with Kent State, and six of the past seven meetings. Ball State has also won 11 of 16 matchups at Dix Stadium. But despite Ball State's recent success in the series, six of the past eight encounters have been decided by 7 points or less -- including a 37-35 win in Ball State's last visit to Kent, and a 17-13 win last year at Scheumann Stadium.

-- Ball State fell 51-15 at Liberty last week in a game that was wrought with 11 Cardinals penalties to mark the second straight game Ball State was bit by penalty flags. Last year, in head coach Mike Uremovich's first season, the Cardinals took pride in limiting yellow hankies, ranking among MAC and FBS leaders for fewest flags and fewest penalty yards.

-- Ball State drove 75 yards on nine plays for its first score at Liberty last week, for what was the Cardinals' longest offensive series of the season. From that point, however, Ball State managed just 184 yards in total offense and was flagged seven times for 61 yards in penalties. TJ Horton's 25-yard run sparked the Cardinals' first scoring drive and was Ball State's longest play from the scrimmage all day. Horton capped the drive with a two-yard scoring run, the first of his two TDs against the Flames. He finished the day with eight carries for 79 yards (9.9 yards per carry).

-- Defensively, safety Sterling Smith tallied a career-high nine tackles against the Flames, while adding a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. But for a second-quarter punt and a third-period fumble recovery by Ball State nose tackle Ameir Glenn, Liberty scored points on 8 of 10 possessions against the Cardinals.

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).
-- Ball State will win its MAC opener for the second straight season, yet just the third time since 2019. Ball State upended defending MAC champion Ohio in last year's MAC kickoff, 20-14 in Muncie. The Cardinals dropped MAC openers in five consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2024.

INSIDE THE SERIES: KENT STATE
-- The Cardinals and Golden Flashes have met 33 times on the gridiron with Ball State claiming 25 victories, including a 37-35 road win in 2024 and last year's 17-13 home victory in Muncie.
-- Ball State's .758 winning percentage against Kent State is the Cardinals' highest mark against a MAC opponent.
-- Ball State has won six of the past seven meetings against Kent State and has triumphed in 11 out of 16 matchups at Dix Stadium.
-- The Cardinals have won the past two meetings at Kent State -- 27-20 in 2022, and the 37-35 thriller two years ago.
-- Kent State has won consecutive games in the series just twice. Ball State's longest streak of consecutive wins was 11 -- at one point winning 14 out of 15 meetings between 1986 and 2008.
-- The series has been noted for some big and wild combined statistics:
    -- The most combined yards of total offense in Ball State history were recorded in 2019 at Dix Stadium: 538 by Ball State, 635 by Kent State, 1,173 combined.
    -- A year earlier, the teams combined for the most combined penalties in Cardinals history: 11 by Ball State, 17 by Kent State, 18 total.
    -- In 1982, Ball State's 10 fumbles (four lost) were the most in Ball State annals.
    -- In 1988 at Kent State, Ball State controlled the ball for a program record 41 minutes, 46 seconds

BY THE NUMBERS:
6 -- Fourth-year RB TJ Horton is one is six FBS players to average at least 9.0 yards per carry, after more than 20 attempts this season.
19 -- Sterling "Stu" Smith paces the Ball State defense with 19 tackles over three games. He led the Cardinals with six at Ohio State and nine at Liberty.
208 -- TJ Horton's 208 rushing yards through three games rank third in the MAC with 69.3 yards per game. He averages 9.0 yards per carry.

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: Cardinals Visit Kent State For Opening Game of Mid-American Conference Slate

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Players Mentioned

Ameir Glenn

TJ Horton

Ball State University Athletics