‘Cats clinch a spot in the championship game with a win, while Ball State can toss a wrench in the works with an upset.
Get your Black Friday shopping done early folks because the Mid-American Conference has something extra special happening at noon.
There is a three-way tie for two spots in the MAC championship game which will be resolved before dinner time on the East Coast, and Ohio (8-3, 6-1 MAC) is one of those programs which could lock up a spot in the title game with a win versus BSU. The Miami RedHawks and Bowling Green Falcons are also tied for first and play against each other at the same time with the winner heading to the championship.
Ball State (3-8, 2-5 MAC) travels to Athens looking to play the part of spoiler and to showcase their skills while representing the Cardinals in a nationally televised contest. A Cardinals win would toss a grenade into the MAC title race, as it would allow Buffalo (who sits at 6-2 in league play) an outside chance of sneaking in.
Game notes
- Time and date: Friday, November 29, 2024 at Noon ET
- Location: Frank Solich Field (“The Frank”) at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio
- TV network options: The game will be available exclusively on CBSSN. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
- Radio options: For Ball State, Mick Tidrow (play-by-play) and Chris Radican (color) will provide the Ball State call for WMUN-AM 1340..while Marty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5.
- Gambling considerations: Ohio are 17-point favorites, with an over/under of 52.5, per DraftKings.
- All-Time Series: Ball State leads the all-time series with a 15-12 record.
- Special Events: Third-annual Pups at Peden event
About the Ball State Cardinals
Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
BSU heads to Ohio looking to end things on a high note after a tough campaign. The Cardinals spent the non-conference schedule acclimating new players, particularly defensively. While BSU improved early in the conference schedule, they just couldn’t get over the hump, ultimately losing four conference games by less than a touchdown each.
Before last week’s game, leadership dismissed long-time head coach Mike Neu in favor of a new plan heading into 2025. Offensive line coach Colin Johnson was appointed interim head coach.
In the midst of the inevitable turmoil of a coaching change, BSU lost last week to Bowling Green 38-13.
However, it was not all bad for the Cardinals this year as they delivered a 25-23 homecoming win over bitter rival Northern Illinois to secure the Bronze Stalk Trophy and have also developed players with exciting futures starting with quarterback redshirt freshman Kadin Semonza.
The gunslinger from Huntington, California leads a prolific scoring offense, ranking fourth in MAC play at over 31 points per game average. Semonza also leads the MAC during the conference season in several categories, including first in passing touchdowns (16) and second in passing yards (1,840).
Perhaps the biggest area of improvement for Semonza regards interceptions. While he has ten on the season, he has thrown only three in the past six games.
The plan for Ball State offensively this year has been obvious and effective: get the ball to Tanner Koziol early and often. A sound plan with the six-foot, seven-inch tight end and future Sunday player racking up 84 catches for 751 yards and seven touchdowns this year.
Don’t sleep on wideouts like Cam Pickett, who can rise up any given week and make an impact. On the year, Pickett has 40 catches for 400 yards and two scores.
The Cardinals haven’t gone to the run as much in conference play, with 122 yards per game on average. Leading the charge for the Cardinals in the ground game are backs Braedon Sloan and Vaughn Pemberton with 566 and 272 yards rushing respectively.
Defensively, the Cardinals have shown some improvement over the course of the year but come into the contest averaging 36 points per game allowed in MAC play, which is 11th in the MAC.
Statistically, the Cardinals have fared better against the run than pass this season, ranking sixth in MAC play with 166 yards rushing per game while allowing 260 yards passing per game for eleventh in conference play.
About the Ohio Bobcats
Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Ohio passed a major test last week in beating perennial contender Toledo on the road 24-7. Down 7-0 at halftime, the Bobcats showed championship mettle in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points behind a stifling and opportunistic defense and a grind-it-out offense that prevailed on enough tough, physical battles to pull away late in the game.
The team’s success is rooted in a defense that has no major weaknesses at any level in the starting lineup. As such, the Bobcats are prolific nationally, ranking 11th in the FBS in fewest yards allowed per game with just 298 while. The unit also ranks first in MAC play in fewest rushing and passing yards allowed as well as fewest points allowed per game with 14.
The defense has taken its game to a new level in recent weeks by forcing ten turnovers in the last four games including three critical takeaways in the win last week versus Toledo.
On the other side of the ball, the ‘Cats running game was the point of emphasis last week against Toledo with 54 attempts for 238 yards. A very good Rockets defense held the Bobcats largely in check in the first half with 62 yards rushing allowed but couldn’t hold up in the second half as the number of attempts mounted and Ohio’s physicality took its toll.
Leading the charge against the Rockets for Ohio was running back Anthony ‘Tre’ Tyus III with 33 carries which is the 10th most by an FBS running back in a single game this season. With two or three games remaining, Tyus III is closing in on 1,000 yards with 851 entering the game this week.
Quarterback Parker Navarro continues to do whatever it takes to win games, picking up his third MAC Offensive Player of the Week award, this time for his effort versus Toledo. Navarro has rushed for over 100 yards four times this season and is second in the MAC with 11 rushing touchdowns, including six in the last two weeks.
Tyus III and Navarro are part of the effort in moving the chains with Ohio converting 3rd-downs at 45% success rate which is 27th in the FBS out of 133 teams.
Ohio relies less on its passing game which is ranked 9th in conference play averaging 188 yards per contest. Yet, the Bobcats showed some depth last week as wideout Caleb Gossett stepped up with a career best six catches for 86 yards.
Wideout Coleman Owen was banged up last week and missed the second half but enters the contest with the second most receiving yards in the MAC with 890. We’ll see if he’s healthy enough to play come Friday.