The Star-Tribune is taking an early look at each of Wyoming’s opponents in the order they appear on the Cowboys’ 2021 schedule. Next up are the Ball State Cardinals.
LARAMIE – Wyoming and Ball State are still waiting for their first-ever meeting on the football field.
When it finally happens this fall, it could turn out to be the toughest challenge for the Cowboys in the non-conference.
After winning five games in 2019 – the most in the Mike Neu era up to that point – Ball State completed its turnaround in the Mid-American Conference last fall with a conference championship. Among the Cardinals’ seven wins last fall (they only played eight games in their abbreviated season) was a three-touchdown shellacking of Mountain West champ San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl, the first bowl victory in Ball State history.
The Cardinals’ next shot at a Mountain West foe will come Sept. 18 when UW hosts Ball State at War Memorial Stadium. The Cowboys were supposed to make the trip to Muncie, Indiana, last year, but that game was called off after the Mountain West and MAC decided to play conference-only schedules in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
As is with the case with UW, the NCAA’s decision to grant football players an additional year of eligibility because of the pandemic has significantly benefited Ball State. The Cardinals are set to bring back more than 15 seniors from last season’s roster, making Ball State primed for another MAC title run.
One of those is veteran quarterback Drew Plitt, a second-team all-MAC selection a season ago. Plitt was overshadowed by some of the bigger names at bigger schools around the country, but he ranked in the top 25 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing efficiency (18th) and completion percentage (23rd) for an offense that averaged more than 34 points. His completion rate of 65.6% was the third-highest in a single season in school history.
He has a pair of all-league receivers back at his disposal. Seniors Justin Hall and Yo’Heinz Tyler combined for more than 90 catches and 12 touchdown receptions last season. When looking to dial up a big play, the Cardinals often go to the 6-foot-3 Tyler, who’s averaging more than 16 yards per catch for his career.
Ball State also returns its entire offensive line intact. Leading rusher Caleb Huntley is gone, but the Cardinals still have experience in the backfield. Senior Will Jones and junior Tye Evans, who combined to rush for 636 yards a season ago, could be looking at a platoon situation.
Defensively, Ball State is losing just two starters off a unit that held teams to less than 26 points per game last season. The group is led by MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Martin at linebacker, but the Cardinals are deep and talented at the second level with three other linebackers (Anthony Epke, Christian Albright, Jaylin Thomas) also coming off all-conference seasons last fall.
The Cardinals also return their secondary virtually intact led by all-league safety Bryce Cosby, who will team up on the back end again with fifth-year safety Brett Anderson II. Another senior, Amechi Uzodinma II, is back at corner for a defense that picked off more passes than any in the MAC last season.
Ball State is no slouch on special teams either. Senior Nathan Snyder averaged more than 43 yards per punt last fall while kicker Jacob Lewis was solid last season as a freshman. It all should make the Cardinals a viable threat in the MAC once again and a stiff test for the Cowboys early in the season.
