Ball State Cardinals
| Ball State Cardinals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 2016 |
| Head coach | npklemm 3rd season, 16–21 (.432) |
| Stadium | Scheumann Stadium (Capacity: 25,400) |
| Year built | 1967 |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Muncie, IN |
| League | NCAA |
| Division | West |
| All-time record | 29–67 (.302) |
| Bowl record | 2–0 (1.000) |
| Colors | Cardinal and White |
| Fight song | Ball State Fight Song |
| Marching band | Pride of Mid America Marching Band |
The Ball State Cardinals are a college football team playing in the Mid-American Conference that started playing in the 2016 season. Coached by npklemm, the Cardinals play at Scheumann Stadium in the MAC's Western Division.
Contents
History
Drakecoach era (2016)
The Ball State Cardinals began playing in 2016. They were led by head coach Drakecoach and Offensive Coordinator cooperfontenot for the first 5 games, before Drakecoach retired for health reasons.
ou77-am0 era (2016-2017)
ou77-am0 took over at Ball State partway through the 2016 season. He managed to guide the team to their first bowl game, walking away with a win. He left the team after the 2017 season had finished.
Doc era (2018)
At that beginning of the 2018 season, Ball State found itself without a head coach. Their first game of the season was played under an interim HC. By week 2, Doc had taken the reigns. However, he left the position a few short weeks later.
lrickar1 era (2018-2020)
Midway through the 2018 season, the head coaching job was taken over by lrickar1. This was his first job as a head coach. The lack of consistent coaching and recruiting has really been hurting the Cardinals, but the team has been improving under lrickar1 and most of their losses in the 2019 season came by a touchdown or less. The 2020 season however, was not as good. Despite the talent on the field, the offense could not do anything. A late season change of QB improved the offensive production, but they still could not manage a win. At the end of the 2020 regular season, lrickar1 left Ball State for a position at MTSU.
npklemm era (2021- )
Following a successful 2020 in which the Virginia Cavaliers won the ACC and made the playoffs, Head Coach npklemm decided to leave the University and go to his Alma Mater, Ball State. Spirits and Expectations were high for Ball State to break the Streak of 1-Win Seasons. The Cardinals accomplished that in Week 5 against UAB to reach 2-2. The Cards would reach 3-2 the following week after a win at Central Michigan to be over .500 for the first time since 2016. 4-Straight losses made the Bowl Hopes bleak as they fell to 3-6. A Week 13 Win at Miami (OH) gave the Cards one last hope before falling to 4-7 the next week at Notre Dame. However, the season ended on a high note as Ball State earned its first win in the Bronze Stalk Rivalry Series with Northern Illinois, 27-16. 5-7 is the 2nd best finish in school history.
All-time record vs. MAC opponents
These are the Cardinals' football records against current Mid-American Conference opponents through the 2021 season.
| School | Total Games | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | First Year | Last Year | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 121 | 132 | 2016 | 2023 | W1 |
| Bowling Green | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 64 | 46 | 2016 | 2022 | W3 |
| Buffalo | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 96 | 91 | 2016 | 2023 | W2 |
| Central Michigan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 167 | 182 | 2016 | 2023 | L2 |
| Eastern Michigan | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 131 | 192 | 2016 | 2023 | W1 |
| Kent State | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 69 | 90 | 2016 | 2022 | W1 |
| Miami (OH) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 96 | 126 | 2016 | 2023 | W2 |
| Northern Illinois | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 165 | 186 | 2017 | 2023 | W1 |
| Ohio | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 34 | 64 | 2016 | 2022 | L2 |
| Toledo | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 109 | 264 | 2016 | 2023 | L8 |
| Western Michigan | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 145 | 208 | 2016 | 2023 | L5 |
| 11 Opponents | 63 | 22 | 41 | 0 | .349 | 1,197 | 1,581 | 8 Seasons |
Season-by-Season Records
| National Champions | Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
| Coach(es) | Year | Conference | Record | Bowl | Final CP Ranking | |
| Wins | Losses | |||||
| Ball State Cardinals | ||||||
| Drakecoach | 2016 | MAC | 3 | 2 | Won Foster Farms Bowl vs Boise State (17-14) | - |
| ou77-am0 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| 2017 | 3 | 9 | - | - | ||
| Vacant | 2018 | 0 | 1 | - | - | |
| Doc | 0 | 4 | ||||
| lrickar1 | 1 | 6 | ||||
| 2019 | 1 | 11 | - | - | ||
| 2020 | 1 | 11 | - | - | ||
| npklemm | 2021 | 5 | 7 | - | - | |
| 2022 | 3 | 9 | - | - | ||
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | Won Camellia Bowl vs South Alabama (28-21) | - | ||
| Total | 29 | 67 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bowl games
The Cardinals have appeared in 2 bowl games, posting a record of 2-0.
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History and Awards
Head Coaches
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Record | Pct | Cnf. Record | Pct | Cnf. Titles | Bowls | Nat. Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drakecoach | 2016 | 1 | 3-2 | .600 | 3-2 | .600 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ou77-am0 | 2016-17 | 2 | 7-11 | .389 | 5-7 | .417 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Doc | 2018 | 1 | 0-5 | .000 | 0-1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Irickar1 | 2018-2020 | 3 | 3-28 | .097 | 3-18 | .143 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| npklemm | 2021–Present | 3 | 16-21 | .432 | 9-13 | .409 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Individual Award Winners
Players
All Americans
None
All MAC
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External links
