Ball State Cardinals Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
Ball State Cardinals Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Ball State season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Ball State Cardinals Preview
Head Coach: Mike Neu, 7th year, 28-41
2021 Preview: Overall: 6-7, Conference: 4-4
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Ball State Top 10 Players | Ball State Schedule
Ball State Cardinals Preview 2022
Ball State is able to get a little greedy now.
After six straight losing seasons, the program pulled off a surprising MAC championship in 2020, and then wanted even more with several of the key parts returning to 2021.
It was a fine year, but after a bowl loss to Georgia State it turned into a seventh losing season in eight years. Now there’s a bit of an overhaul, but there’s still enough around to push for the first time ever with three straight bowl seasons.
The downfield passing game has to be better, the offense has to be more consistent, and the defense has to be more disruptive and stronger at getting into the backfield.
It’s going to be a fight to get to six wins with this schedule and the lack of depth, but after the last few years, it’s bowl game or bust.
Ball State Cardinals Preview 2022: Offense
It should be John Paddock’s quarterback job to lose. The 5-11, 196-pound senior worked behind Drew Plitt for the last few years and has yet to throw a touchdown pass, but he’s been in the system long enough to know what he’s doing. Getting the ball down the field is a must after way too much dinking and dunking.
The smallish Jayshon Jackson and 6-3 Yo’Heinz Tyler form a good 1–2 reciting punch, and and the backs can catch, too.
The running backs are in place if the line can give them room to move. Paddock won’t run all that much, so the ground game is up to leading rusher Carson Steeler in a rotation with Will Jones, who combined for close to 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns. However, the Ball State ground game averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, but …
The offensive line did a decent job in pass protection and from keeping defenses out of the backfield. There’s a good size of experience and size returning with the tackles set, but the interior needing a little time.
Ball State Cardinals Preview 2022: Defense
The defense was okay. It had its meltdowns, but for the most part it was okay against the run. The pass defense had its problems – it allowed 243 yards per game – partly because there wasn’t enough of a steady pass rush.
It wasn’t what the D full of upperclassmen was supposed to do, and now there’s some reworking to be done. Seven of the top eight tacklers were seniors, but …
The top pass rusher is back. DE Tavion Woodward came up with a team-high five sacks with 8.5 tackles for loss, and now he’s the veteran leader of the front three.
Size is a huge concern up front – there isn’t much. 5-11, 298-pound senior Justen Ramsey will work on the nose, and 6-4, 292-pound senior Jack Sape will be on the other side of Woodward. Those two represent most of the bulk.
The back eight might have lost some of last year’s star, but enough are back to not be in total rebuild mode. CB Ameche Uzodinma is one of those seniors who finished in the top eight in tackles last year. He’s back, and so is Malcolm Lee at one of the safety spots after coming up with 50 stops.
The linebacking corps loses top tackler Jaylin Thomas, but it’s in good shape round Clayton Coll, a good inside linebacker who should be one of the team’s leading tackler.
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Ball State Top 10 Players | Ball State Schedule
Ball State Cardinals: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Ball State Cardinals: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Ball State Cardinals: Key To The 2022 Offense
Take the top off the defense again
It’s not like the 2020 offense went bombs away, but it was able to open things up with big pass play after big pass play. Of course, the stats are a tad skewed with an all-MAC schedule before loading up on a depleted San Jose State for a bowl win, but the big shots weren’t there last year in conference play.
The Cardinals averaged just 6.1 yards per throw after averaging 8.6 a pop in 2020. There were way too many short-range plays, and it showed – the 2021 O averaged ten fewer points per game.
Ball State Cardinals: Key To The 2022 Defense
Find more plays in the backfield
The Ball State defense had its moments in the backfield, but there weren’t enough of them.
To be fair, the program’s defense hasn’t been all that great at getting into the backfield for a long, long time – other than having a few great moments in 2020. However, the D failed to generate more than one sack in six of the last ten games and came up with just 69 tackles for loss.
Ball State Cardinals: Key Player To The 2022 Season
QB John Paddock, Sr.
Drew Plitt wasn’t Patrick Mahomes, but he was a five-year producer – he wasn’t always the starter – finishing with over 9,000 passing yards with 68 touchdowns and 14 rushing scores. Now it’s Paddock’s turn.
There might be other options in the mix, but Paddock has been the main backup for the last three years, waited his turn, and now he’ll get the first shot to run the attack.
Ball State Cardinals: Key Transfer
DT Kyle King, Soph.
The former Michigan State defensive lineman wasn’t able to do too much in his two years, but he’s a 6-4, 270-pounder with a great frame and good quickness. A great recruit for the Spartans, he only made four tackles with three broken up passes. Now he should be a part of the rotation on the Cardinal front three.
Ball State Key Game To The 2022 Season
Western Michigan, Sept. 10
It’s what the world likes to call a tone-setter. It’s not a divisional game – other MAC battles against the East will be more important – but it’s Ball State’s chance to make a big early statement against a Western Michigan team that should be solid with a little bit of time.
Ball State goes on the road for three of its four November games, and going to Central Michigan and hosting defending MAC champion Northern Illinois won’t be easy. Lose the conference home opener, and there’s going to be a problem.
Ball State Cardinals: 2021 Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 136 – Ball State 65
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:21 – Baylor 27:31
– 4th Down Conversions: Ball State 11-of-21 (52%) – Opponents 11-of-21 (52%)
O, D Breakdown | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Ball State Top 10 Players | Ball State Schedule
Ball State Cardinals Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Ball State Cardinals Season Prediction, What Will Happen
There are way too many untested parts to assume Ball State can rise up and take the MAC West for the second time in three years – it’s far tougher of the two divisions.
It’s going to take everything to break right, and even then the finishing schedule kick is a bear.
However, there are way too many new parts in the mix, the depth is going to take a while to emerge, and the team has to go from inconsistent to improved despite losing so many players from the 2020 team that won the MAC title.
Set The Ball State Cardinals Regular Season Win Total At … 5.5
At this point, though, the program won’t settle for anything less than at least a bowl appearance. That might be tough.
Murray State and UConn are the only two almost-certain wins. Ohio will be improved, but that has to be a home win, and so does the date with Eastern Michigan.
It’s going to take a few upsets to get to six wins, but if the offense is more explosive and the defense can generate more pressure to get off the field a bit easier on key downs – and do it after replacing just about everyone – it’ll be a third straight bowl season.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Ball State Top 10 Players | Ball State Schedule
