2021 Ball State Cardinals football team

2021 Ball State Cardinals football
Camellia Bowl, L 20–51 vs. Georgia State
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
Record	6–7 (4–4 MAC)
Head coach	Mike Neu (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Lynch (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tyler Stockton (3rd season)
Home stadium	Scheumann Stadium
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Kent State xy		6	–	2					7	–	7
Miami (OH)		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ohio		3	–	5					3	–	9
Bowling Green		2	–	6					4	–	8
Buffalo		2	–	6					4	–	8
Akron		1	–	7					2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$		6	–	2					9	–	5
Central Michigan x		6	–	2					9	–	4
Toledo		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ball State		4	–	4					6	–	7
Eastern Michigan		4	–	4					7	–	6
Western Michigan		4	–	4					8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals were led by sixth-year head coach Mike Neu and played their home games at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.

Schedule[edit]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Western Illinois*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 31–21	13,149
September 11	3:30 p.m.	at No. 11 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	FS1	L 13–44	105,323
September 18	4:00 p.m.	at Wyoming*	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	Stadium	L 12–45	23,467
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Toledo	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 12–22	14,902
October 2	5:00 p.m.	Army*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 28–16	13,713
October 9	3:30 p.m.	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	W 45–20	11,403
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 38–31	15,258
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN (Red Bird Rivalry)	ESPN+	L 17–24	15,703
November 2	7:00 p.m.	at Akron	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	CBSSN	W 31–25	7,683
November 10	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN2	L 29–30	7,894
November 17	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPNU	L 17–37	5,602
November 23	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 20–3	6,112
December 25	2:30 p.m.	vs. Georgia State*	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL (Camellia Bowl)	ESPN	L 20–51	7,345
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Rankings[edit]

Ranking movements
Legend: RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV
Coaches	RV	RV
CFP	Not released															Not released

Game summaries[edit]

Western Illinois[edit]

Western Illinois at Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total Western Illinois 0 7 7 7 21 • Ball State 7 0 14 10 31 Date: September 2, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 13,149 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BSU –31.0	58.5

Statistics	Western Illinois	Ball State
First downs	17	18
Total yards	437	404
Rushing yards	70	216
Passing yards	367	188
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	31:02	28:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Illinois	Passing	Connor Sampson	30/43, 367 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Myles Wanza	8 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Dennis Houston	12 receptions, 237 yards, 2 TDs
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	17/28, 188 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Will Jones	18 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Justin Hall	8 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TDs

At No. 11 Penn State[edit]

Ball State at No. 11 Penn State

1 2 3 4 Total Ball State 0 6 0 7 13 • No. 11 Penn State 14 10 10 10 44 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 105,323 Television network: FS1

Pregame line	Over/under
PSU –22.5	58.0

Statistics	Ball State	Penn State
First downs	20	32
Total yards	295	493
Rushing yards	69	240
Passing yards	226	253
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	25:51	34:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	25/39, 176 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Carson Steele	7 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	4 receptions, 42 yards
Penn State	Passing	Sean Clifford	21/29, 230 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Noah Cain	20 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jahan Dotson	5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

At Wyoming[edit]

Ball State at Wyoming

1 2 3 4 Total Ball State 0 0 6 6 12 • Wyoming 10 21 0 14 45 Date: September 18. 2021 Location: War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 23,467 Television network: Stadium

Pregame line	Over/under
WYO –6.5	53.0

Statistics	Ball State	Wyoming
First downs	19	19
Total yards	260	378
Rushing yards	118	177
Passing yards	142	201
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	30:11	29:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	John Paddock	13/20, 82 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carson Steele	13 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	10 receptions, 92 yards
Wyoming	Passing	Sean Chambers	14/23, 201 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Xazavian Valladay	14 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Isaiah Neyor	4 receptions, 84 yards

Toledo[edit]

Toledo at Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total • Toledo 7 7 0 8 22 Ball State 6 3 0 3 12 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 14,902 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
TOL –4.5	56.5

Statistics	Toledo	Ball State
First downs	19	17
Total yards	444	312
Rushing yards	272	122
Passing yards	172	190
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	33:03	26:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Toledo	Passing	Carter Bradley	10/18, 144 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dequan Finn	12 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Devin Maddox	2 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	21/35, 190 yards
	Rushing	Justin Hall	5 carries, 64 yards
	Receiving	Justin Hall	7 receptions, 97 yards

Army[edit]

Army at Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total Army 0 14 0 2 16 • Ball State 21 0 0 7 28 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 5:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 13,713 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
ARMY –10.0	47.0

Statistics	Army	Ball State
First downs	18	12
Total yards	279	269
Rushing yards	213	36
Passing yards	66	233
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	33:03	26:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Army	Passing	Jemel Jones	5/11, 66 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tyhier Tyler	24 carries, 63 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Isaiah Alston	2 receptions, 36 yards
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	17/28, 233 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Carson Steele	8 carries, 17 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Yo'Heinz Tyler	5 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

At Western Michigan[edit]

Ball State at Western Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Ball State 7 10 7 21 45 Western Michigan 14 3 3 0 20 Date: October 9. 2021 Location: Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 11,403 Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
WMU –12.5	57.5

Statistics	Ball State	Western Michigan
First downs	18	23
Total yards	361	376
Rushing yards	51	119
Passing yards	310	257
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	23:37	36:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	15/25, 310 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Carson Steele	10 carries, 41 yards
	Receiving	Yo'Heinz Tyler	5 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TDs
Western Michigan	Passing	Kaleb Eleby	19/33, 257 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	La'Darius Jefferson	21 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Skyy Moore	7 receptions, 81 yards

At Eastern Michigan[edit]

Ball State at Eastern Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Ball State 14 3 7 14 38 Eastern Michigan 0 14 3 14 31 Date: October 16. 2021 Location: Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 15,258 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –1.0	55.5

Statistics	Ball State	Eastern Michigan
First downs	29	27
Total yards	433	385
Rushing yards	200	46
Passing yards	233	339
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	32:43	27:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	27/35, 207 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Steele	18 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Justin Hall	10 receptions, 58 yards
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	35/48, 331 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Jawon Hamilton	8 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Dylan Drummond	7 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

Miami (Ohio)[edit]

Red Bird Rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total • Miami (OH) 10 6 0 8 24 Ball State 7 3 7 0 17 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 15, 703 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –3.5	53.0

Statistics	Miami	Ball State
First downs	18	20
Total yards	360	327
Rushing yards	126	100
Passing yards	234	227
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	34:32	25:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami	Passing	Brett Gabbert	20/24, 207 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Tyre Shelton	14 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Jack Sorenson	8 receptions, 138 yards
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	22/34, 227 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carson Steele	11 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	9 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD

At Akron[edit]

Ball State at Akron

1 2 3 4 Total • Ball State 7 14 7 3 31 Akron 3 7 0 15 25 Date: November 2, 2021 Location: InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 7,683 Television network: CBSSN

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –20.0	58.0

Statistics	Ball State	Akron
First downs	25	20
Total yards	425	458
Rushing yards	240	127
Passing yards	185	331
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	29:54	30:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	18/31, 185 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Carson Steele	27 carries, 154 yards
	Receiving	Justin Hall	8 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Akron	Passing	Zach Gibson	24/31, 331 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Jonzell Norrils	17 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Michael Mathison	8 receptions, 154 yards, 1 TD

At Northern Illinois (Bronze Stalk Trophy)[edit]

Bronze Stalk Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total Ball State 10 7 9 3 29 • Northern Illinois 0 17 3 10 30 Date: November 10, 2021 Location: Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 7,894 Television network: ESPN2

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –3.0	59.0

Statistics	Ball State	Northern Illinois
First downs	17	26
Total yards	372	475
Rushing yards	246	211
Passing yards	126	264
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	23:16	36:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	11/26, 126 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Steele	21 carries, 109 yards
	Receiving	Jalen McGaughy	1 reception, 45 yards
Northern Illinois	Passing	Rocky Lombardi	23/38, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jay Ducker	24 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Trayvon Rudolph	8 receptions, 108 yards

Central Michigan[edit]

Central Michigan at Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total • Central Michigan 7 21 6 3 37 Ball State 7 10 0 0 17 Date: November 17, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 5,602 Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –2.5	57.0

Statistics	Central Michigan	Ball State
First downs	26	18
Total yards	567	329
Rushing yards	285	159
Passing yards	282	170
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	32:47	27:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	20/25, 283 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	32 carries, 219 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Kalil Pimpleton	7 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	21/39, 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carson Steele	20 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	6 receptions, 61 yards

Buffalo[edit]

Buffalo at Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total Buffalo 0 3 0 0 3 • Ball State 14 3 3 0 20 Date: November 23, 2021 Location: Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 6,112 Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
BALL –6.0	59.5

Statistics	Buffalo	Ball State
First downs	22	13
Total yards	336	230
Rushing yards	148	54
Passing yards	188	176
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	29:40	30:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing	Matt Myers	18/39, 188 yards, 4 INTs
	Rushing	Matt Myers	16 carries, 78 yards
	Receiving	Ron Cook Jr.	4 receptions, 56 yards
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	19/31, 176 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Steele	25 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	9 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Georgia State (Camellia Bowl)[edit]

Camellia Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • Georgia State 14 6 28 3 51 Ball State 7 6 0 7 20 Date: December 25, 2021 Location: Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:30 p.m. EST Television network: ESPN

Pregame line	Over/under
GAST –4.5	50.0

Statistics	Georgia State	Ball State
First downs	21	22
Total yards	464	367
Rushing yards	259	74
Passing yards	205	293
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	26:46	33:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia State	Passing	Darren Grainger	15/19, 203 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Darren Grainger	11 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Aubry Payne	8 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TDs
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	27/46, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carson Steele	15 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	12 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD

References[edit]