Ball State football officially begins Mid-American Conference play this week.
The Cardinals (1-3) will host the Ohio Bobcats (3-2, 1-0 MAC) at Scheumann Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4. Ball State is coming off its first idle week of the season, while Ohio opened conference play with a 35-20 home victory over Bowling Green last week.
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Ohio is the reigning MAC champion after winning the conference for the first time since 1968 last season. Shortly after winning the MAC Championship, head coach Tim Albin accepted the head coaching job at Charlotte. With former associate head coach and offensive coordinator Brian Smith now at the helm, the Bobcats look just as dangerous so far and are currently the heavy favorite to repeat as conference champions. They nearly defeated Rutgers on the road to open the season, falling 34-31, and defeated West Virginia 17-10 the following week.
“Obviously, it’s a great challenge this week, going up against the defending MAC champs,” Ball State coach Mike Uremovich said. “They are at where we’re trying to get to as a program. They consistently win. They have guys graduate, they replace them with guys they’ve developed.”
Ball State owns a 15-13 record against Ohio but have not won in the matchup since 2012. The Bobcats have prevailed in the last five meetings, including a 42-21 victory last year in Ball State’s 2024 season finale.
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Here’s our scouting report, as well as a score prediction, for Ball State football’s MAC opener vs. Ohio:
Can Ball State continue its offensive ascension?
Ball State’s offense has found its groove in the last two games after struggling mightily through its first two games against Purdue and Auburn. The Cardinals recorded over 400 total yards of offense against both New Hampshire and UConn, and the running game emerged as a legitimate strength. Ball State ran for 308 yards against New Hampshire and 176 more against UConn, averaging a respectable 6.6 yards per carry across those two contests.
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The passing offense, meanwhile, still has room for growth. Quarterback Kiael Kelly is coming off his best game yet, completing 17-of-24 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Huskies. With experienced receivers like Qian Magwood and Eric Weatherly making big plays (both had explosive catches against UConn, and Magwood threw a touchdown to Kelly) and emerging talents like Donovan Hamilton earning more targets, the passing game should continue trending upward.
The offense’s most crucial task against Ohio? Take care of the football. The Bobcats lead the MAC and are tied for fifth in the FBS with seven interceptions, and they took the ball away from Bowling Green quarterback Drew Pyne three times in their conference opener. Kelly has thrown an interception in each of Ball State’s last two games and will need to avoid similar mistakes against an aggressive, ball-hawking Ohio defense.
Ball State redshirt senior wide receiver Qian Magwood (5) lines up at the line of scrimmage against New Hampshire during the second half Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Scheumann Stadium.
How will Ball State’s defense handle Parker Navarro?
Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro is perhaps the most dangerous offensive player in the MAC. He earned second-team all-MAC honors last season after throwing for 2,423 yards with 13 touchdowns and rushing for 1,054 yards with 18 touchdowns. So far this season, Navarro has 1,078 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns to go with 327 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
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Navarro’s elite dual-threat capabilities were on full display in Ohio’s MAC opener, in which he was responsible for all four of the Bobcats’ offensive touchdowns against Bowling Green. Defensively, Ball State has yet to force an interception this season and struggled to contain the quarterback scramble against New Hampshire, surrendering 98 yards and a touchdown to Wildcats QB Matt Lezza.
Keeping Navarro in the pocket will be key to Ball State staying in this game, and if the Cardinals can intercept the experienced Bobcats’ starter, they can find themselves in a good position to get a huge win.
Can Ball State get back to its run-stuffing ways?
The Cardinals’ run defense has had an up-and-down start to the season. Ball State limited Purdue to just 93 yards in the season-opener, but then saw Auburn run for 224 the next week. New Hampshire only managed 132 rushing yards and averaged less than four yards per carry against the Cardinals’ front, but then UConn ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry last week. The fourth quarter was abysmal, as Ball State gave up touchdown runs of 32 and 67 yards to Huskies running back Cam Edwards.
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The defensive front will be tested again by Ohio. The Bobcats’ rushing offense currently ranks second in the MAC with 1,000 yards through their first five games and an average of five yards per carry. Running back Sieh Bangura ranks third in the conference with 414 rushing yards and went for 115 yards on just 18 carries (6.4 yards/carry) against Bowling Green.
Duncan Brune, a sophomore from Germany, is a solid change-of-pace back, and of course, Navarro is always a threat on the ground. The Cardinals’ front-seven will need to be at its best — and hopefully healthiest — to slow down Ohio’s rushing attack.
Score prediction for Ball State football vs. Ohio
Ohio 34, Ball State 24: Unfortunately for Uremovich, Ohio is probably the toughest possible draw for him to make his MAC head coaching debut. Even with their own offseason coaching change, the Bobcats return much of their experience from last season’s conference champion roster. Ball State’s offense has shown continued improvement and could certainly keep things interesting here, but this feels like a game that will come down to the turnover battle.
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So far this season, all signs point to Ohio winning that battle. If the Cardinals want to start conference play with a massive upset win, Ball State’s defense has to get its hands on a ball or two and give the team some momentum.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State football vs. Ohio: Scouting report, score prediction
