Central Michigan and Ball State take a brief break from their out-of-conference schedules to play a conference tilt.
The first conference game of the year is always a tone-setter.
For both Central Michigan (1-2) and Ball State (1-1), this weekend presents a unique opportunity to jump ahead on the league table and establish themselves as a team on the rise coming off uneven performances to start the season.
When these two teams meet each season, it’s almost never boring; seven of the last 10 contests between the two sides have been decided by one score or less, with the other three being blowouts of the extreme variety. (2017’s game saw CMU win 56-9, which stands as the matchup’s biggest margin of victory.)
What can we expect looking into this contest?
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 at 1 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
- Viewing options: The game will be available exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (color) will provide the commentary.
- Radio options: For Central Michigan, Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU call for WUPS-FM 98.5. For Ball State, Mick Tidrow (play-by-play) and Chris Radican (color) will provide the Ball State call for WMUN-AM 1340.
- Gambling considerations: Central is a 6.5-point favorite on Family Day and Hall of Fame Day, with an over/under of 53, per DraftKings.
- All-time series: Ball State took the all-time series lead with a win last season, and now sits at 28-27-1 over the Chippewas.
Getting to know the Cardinals
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The Cardinals will want to wash the taste of a bitter 62-0 defeat in Miami Gardens out of their mouths with a rebound performance this week.
This is only their third game of the young season, with the other being a closer-than-expected contest against FCS Missouri State, so it’s hard to really know what team will be coming in to Mt. Pleasant on Saturday.
What we do know is that Eastern Kentucky transfer Braedon Sloan appears to be the real deal in the backfield. Sloan so far has 116 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, and has also hauled in 10 receptions for 86 yards and a score, proving to be the team’s most productive skill position player.
Unlike last year’s matchup, when Kiael Kelly ran the equivalent of an option offense, Ball State has reverted back to a more typical pro-style concept. That means a lot of tight end play, and good news for BSU: Tanner Koziol is back and healthy. He’s leading the receiving charge with 11 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown thus far. Sophomore receiver Cam Pickett has stepped up on the outside, with 77 yards and nine catches. Qian Magwood and Malcolm Gillie are also back from last season to contribute to the offense.
Redshirt freshman Kadin Semonza is the general behind center, and to this point, has had two very different performances. To this point, he’s completing 67 percent of his passes, with 262 yards, two touchdowns and four interception. Semonza did not play in last season’s contest due to the offensive change, so it will be curious as to how he’ll match up against Central’s staunch passing defense (152.3 yards allowed per game, 32nd in NCAA.)
The BSU defense has been nothing to write home about through two games, sitting at 132nd in pass defense (382.5 yards per game, eight opposing touchdowns) and 88th in rushing defense (152.5 yards per game allowed, four opposing touchdowns.)
DD Snyder and Keionte Newsom lead the top of the tackle charts, with 11 and 10 total stops, respectively. Newsom is the team’s highlight player, leading the Cards with two tackles-for-loss, a pass break-up and a QB hurry. As a unit, they’ve collected just one sack. They’re hoping to take advantage of a skittish Joe Labas to get some crucial tackles-for-loss and sacks.
Getting to know the Chippewas
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CMU is coming off a solid performance against Illinois when they face the Cardinals this weekend. Despite the scoreboard reading 30-9, the Chippewas showed some prowess on the defensive front, scoring eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks on an offensive line which featured several of the Big Ten’s more talented prospects.
As a unit, the defense has forced 23 tackles-for-loss and six sacks, and (as previously mentioned) are in the top third of the NCAA in pass defense through three games. This ferocity in the air has allowed CMU to be one of the top situational defenses in the country as well, ranking 45th in third-down conversions (12-of-37).
Jordan Kwaitkowski has quickly established himself as a jack-of-all-trades linebacker in the middle of the defense. He picked up a career-high 12 tackles vs. Illinois last week, putting his total up to 22 over three games. He’s also tallied a pass break-up and two TFLs. Five Chippewas have at least two TFLs on the defense, with defensive tackle Jonah Pace setting the pace at 3.5. Linebacker Fernando Sanchez III leads the team with 1.5 sacks to go on top of eight tackles and 2.5 TFLs. At least three Chips have a sack each— with two coming on defensive back blitzes.
Cornerback Donte Kent had a good performance in Champaign, getting the best of Zakhari Franklin for most of the afternoon’s contest and forcing other receivers to step up. Kent officially notched one pass break-up but had several hard-fought wins in close quarters as well, including one in the endzone. He’s CMU’s likeliest chance at a draft pick in the upcoming class, and should have a good day against a struggling receiver corps.
Offense are where the question marks emerge for Central.
One of those question marks is the quarterback situation, as Bert Emanuel Jr. (507 total yards, four total touchdowns in four games in 2023) is seemingly on the mend for a hamstring injury suffered late in fall camp. If he’s a go, he brings a unique dynamic to the offense thanks to his explosive running ability— though it does come at the cost of the passing game due to his 51 percent career completion rating. Head coach Jim McElwain said during press availability playing him vs. Illinois last week was considered, but he was kept out to be 100 percent sure— a suggestion he could come back as soon as this week.
If Emanuel Jr. can’t go, it’s up to Joe Labas, who sits at 618 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions in three starts after transferring in from Iowa.
Either QB will have plenty of weapons to help out, as CMU runs four deep at running back (with 193 combined net yards last week) and several role receivers.
Myles Bailey has showed out so far as the primary back, with 171 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, while Marion Lukes— who saw a lot of work in the Wildcat last week— hopes to get going after coming off an injury to start the season. BJ Harris (81 yards, TD) and Nahree Biggins (65 yards) will also get chances to run.
Central’s top four pass-catchers average 15-or-more yards per reception for CMU’s vertical offense, with Solomon Davis (152 yards, two TDs) and Evan Boyd (124 yards, TD) on top of the charts. Howard transfer tight end Gavin Harris has also stepped up as well, with 66 yards and a score.
One would think this is an easy game for the Chips from a talent advantage. They have an NFL-ready cornerback in the defensive backfield, a hard-charging defensive line and an offense capable of gobbling up points.
But Ball State did show a lot of tenacity in their Week 1 victory in a game where the circumstances weren’t always ideal. Don’t underestimate a team that is looking for something to prove.
The previous two contests have been decided by less than a score, but it feels as if we’re due for a double-digits result on this day, given it’s been three seasons since the last one. Given the talent disparity, it might just be possible for Central. Ball State would have to win by snatching one like they did last season.