5 Things You Need to Know About the Ball State Cardinals

It is officially football time in the Bluegrass once again. The Kentucky Wildcats football season gets started with a Noon EST kickoff against the Ball State Cardinals at Kroger Field. It’ll be a warm one by the afternoon, but we’ve experienced the beginnings of a crisp fall morning air recently to signal the return of football. Now, the pads go on and it is finally time to hit somebody. Expectations are high, excitement is boiling over, and even beer will be flowing inside the stadium.

At this point, our team at Kentucky Sports Radio is tired of talking. It has been a long offseason and there is only so much you can break down heading into Week One. The Ball State Cardinals have been covered thoroughly all week long here at the dot com. Per usual, Adam Luckett has released his detailed scouting report of this week’s opponent. Additionally, Freddie Maggard has outlined Kentucky’s goals for the game. Drew Franklin even came through with a tip of the cap to legendary Ball State alum David Letterman with his own spin on a Top Ten rundown. You won’t want to reach kickoff without consuming those three great pieces of content.

However, once you’ve done that homework, let’s dive into five things you need to know about the Ball State Cardinals.

Cardinals Feature a Pass-Heavy Offensive Attack

Ball State head coach Mike Neu is known as an offensive mind after spending time as the quarterback coach of the New Orleans Saints among other stops. Entering year number eight in Muncie, Coach Neu has been known to have his teams sling the ball around the field. The Cardinals have averaged over 30 pass attempts per game each season under Coach Neu. That pass-happy attack culminated in a high of just over 40 pass attempts per game last year.

You can expect to see a pro-style offense, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is always effective. The Cardinals were a Top 50 offense in the country when they posted a 7-1 record in the shortened 2020 season. However, since then, they have consecutive finishes outside the Top 100. In order to get back to success on the gridiron the Cardinals will have to improve offensively this time around. Kentucky’s secondary will get an early test as you can expect the ball to be thrown 30-40 times on Saturday afternoon.

Veteran Quarterback Layne Hatcher Will Take the Snaps

The Ball State Cardinals are the fourth stop in six seasons of Layne Hatcher‘s college football journey. While he has bounced around a lot, the veteran signal-caller has produced along the way. In 44 career games, Hatcher has thrown for over 10,000 yards and has 84 touchdowns to 35 interceptions. After redshirting at Alabama, Hatcher led Arkansas State to eight wins including a Camellia Bowl victory against Florida International in 2019. Then, as a redshirt sophomore, he averaged over 10 yards per attempt while posting an impressive 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He finished his stint at Arkansas State with an ugly 2-10 season before winning four games a year ago for the Texas State Bobcats.

After his journeys through the south, Hatcher will now try his hand in the MAC. As discussed above, he will certainly get the chance to throw the ball around in Coach Neu’s system. The two definitely could mesh and create some high-powered offense in 2023 for the Cardinals. However, fall camp saw true freshman Kadin Semonza push the veteran for week one starting honors. Whether that says more about Hatcher or Semonza remains to be determined.

Kentucky’s ability to put some pressure on the sixth-year quarterback will go a long way to disrupting his rhythm on Saturday afternoon. Time in the pocket will be a good thing for Hatcher and the Cardinals. However, a strong pass rush could really take Ball State out of their offensive game.

Talent at Tight End

Kentucky Football fans are well-versed in wanting to throw the ball to the tight ends. However, the Ball State Cardinals actually deliver on that by hitting their tight ends at a high rate. Brady Hunt is the leading returning receiver after catching 46 balls for 498 yards and five touchdowns a year ago. The 6’6″ 249-pound athlete was questionable due to an ankle injury, but he has made the trip to Lexington and is expected to suit up.

Alongside Hunt, fellow tight end Tanner Koziol had 35 receptions for 373 yards and a team-leading seven scores as a true freshman. The 6’7″ 240-pound behemoth is back to lead a very big Cardinals receiving corps. You can expect both of these big targets to be red zone favorites of Layne Hatcher’s this season. Now, the question is, will the Cardinals reach the red zone often enough against the Wildcats defense?

Ball State’s Offensive Line is a Strength

If you are looking for the Ball State Cardinals’ strength, look no further than the offensive line.

A veteran trio of three-year starters headlines possibly the best O-Line in the MAC. Center Ethan Crowe (6-5, 307, RJr.), right tackle Damon Kaylor (6-5, 315, RSr.), and left tackle Corey Stewart (6-6, 303, RJr.) headline the position group. There are 63 combined starts between those three guys. Crowe leads the returning trio as a second-team All-MAC selection last season.

A year ago, Ball State’s offensive line was ninth nationally with a sack rate of just 2.6%. Furthermore, their stuff rate allowed was 35th at 15.3%. This group has a lot of continuity and will absolutely battle Kentucky in the trenches.

Strong Front Seven Leads Cardinals Defense

This is absolutely going to be a battle in the trenches. The Ball State Cardinals’ pass rush will go against a Big Blue Wall that struggled mightily a year ago. Offensively, the Cardinals’ veteran offensive line will protect against a Kentucky pass rush that didn’t get much action in 2022. Against a MAC opponent, the ‘Cats absolutely have to come out on top in the trenches. However, it is a strength of Ball State and won’t necessarily come easy on Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.

A ton of returning production in the Cardinals’ front seven could lead to this being one of the best defenses in the MAC. Last season, Ball State posted a Top 100 defense in college football that could flirt with Top 50 status this time around. Kentucky will feature a potentially high-powered offense, but they will be tested in week one. Ball State’s strength defensively begins with a couple of All-MAC level linebackers.

All-MAC selection Clayton Coll is back for a super senior season in Muncie after accumulating 251 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defended, four forced fumbles, four sacks, and two interceptions in his career. He will be the heart and soul of what the Cardinals do defensively. Coll will be flanked by fellow super senior Cole Pearce. The former walk-on recorded 85 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, six passes defended, and five sacks last season. This duo will attempt to stuff the run game and create some havoc against the UK offensive attack.