Ball State football suffered a second consecutive loss in a thrilling MAC opener. The Cardinals (1-2, 0-1 MAC) lost 37-34 on the road to Central Michigan (2-2, 1-0 MAC) in a back-and-forth affair.
Coming into the 2024 season, one of the biggest concerns with the Ball State roster was the amount of new faces on the defense. With a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Knowles and just one returning starter from 2023 (linebacker Keionte Newson), many expected there to be some growing pains on the defensive side of the ball.
Those growing pains became much more apparent in the first MAC game of the season. Central Michigan had 527 total yards with 335 yards rushing. The Chippewas averaged 10.2 yards per carry and had three different running backs rush for over 70 yards. The Cardinals gave up 12 plays of 20 or more yards, including two runs over 70 yards that set up Central Michigan at the goal line…