Ball State football's bounce-back homecoming win over Central Michigan: What we learned

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State football finally broke through.

The Cardinals (2-6, 1-3 MAC) broke their four-game losing streak by beating Central Michigan (4-4, 2-2 MAC) 24-17 at Scheumann Stadium on Saturday, their first homecoming victory since 2019 and first FBS win since Nov. 1, 2022.

BSU leaned on a tremendous rushing attack (243 yards) and staunch defense, putting together its first complete effort of the season.

Here's what we learned:

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Ball State football's defense is getting better and better

BSU entered its homecoming contest with its defense trending up, and that unit continued to build on the improvement it showed in previous outings at Eastern Michigan and against Toledo.

In the first half, the Chippewas, who entered averaging 356.3 yards per game (fifth in the MAC), were held to just 96 yards and were outgained by running back Marquez Cooper (102 rushing yards).

Cardinals defenders stood tall on CMU's opening drive, tightening in the red zone to give up a 45-yard field goal and then forcing four consecutive punts thereafter.

Linebacker Cole Pearce was particularly impactful in the second quarter, generating two third-down quarterback hits that caused punts. Linebacker Sidney Houston Jr. also had a sack to put Central Michigan in a third-and-25, and safety Jordan Riley had a clutch pass breakup on a deep pass to the goal line.

CMU in the half averaged just 2.7 yards per rush and, besides a 24-yard pass, had little success through the air as well.

The Chippewas did find success on their only possession of the third quarter, using 11 plays to go 79 yards and finishing with a highlight one-handed TD grab in the back-right corner of the end zone. Previously, they narrowly converted a 4th-and-2 to keep the drive alive.

But after BSU's offense scored to keep it a 14-point game, the defense kept momentum by forcing a three-and-out. A CMU TD drive later in the frame cut BSU's lead to 24-17, and after back-to-back punts by the offense, the defense was called upon for one last stop.

Central Michigan got the ball back on its own 8-yard line with 2:11 minutes to play and zero timeouts. It chipped its way to near midfield, but a clutch second-down sack by Houston, his second of the game, put CMU behind the chains and eventually caused a turnover on downs.

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Ball State football's offense found its footing

For the first time all season, Ball State offense's scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the game.

It was a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended in quarterback Kiael Kelly's first career rushing TD.

Although the Cardinals never again found the end zone in the first half, they did a solid job of ball control and avoiding severe mistakes. Cooper led the way with 11 carries for 102 yards — his 15th 100-plus-yard performance and second as a Cardinal — while Kelly kept the defense off balance with a good mix of running and passing.

A season-high 39-yard burst by Cooper in the second frame set up a 33-yard field goal to take a 10-3 lead.

Ball State did mismanage its final possession of the first half, essentially letting the clock run out despite starting with one minute left and getting the ball past midfield, but the unit's overall execution put the team in ideal position entering the locker room.

BSU replayed the winning formula again to start the second half, this time set up by a long kickoff return by Malcolm Gillie to midfield. The Cardinals took advantage, going 50 yards in eight plays and finding the end zone on a 15-yard run by Cooper that ended with him diving past the pylon.

It marked just Cooper's second TD of the season.

After CMU responded with a long scoring drive of its own, the Cardinals match it with an extended drive that carried into the fourth quarter.

It lasted 6:27 and ended with a fourth-down TD run by Kelly, his second of the afternoon, as he kept a read-option and dove over top defenders to break the goal line.

The score put BSU up 24-10 with 13:02 remaining, which proved to be just enough to give the Cardinals a win. The offense could've done more on its final two drives to milk the clock or put the game out of reach, but 24 points proved to be just enough to end the team's four-game losing streak.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on X (platform formerly known as Twitter) @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State football homecoming win v. Central Michigan What we learned