Ball State
Ball State is 3-6 and No. 131 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 19.6 points below an average FBS team. Last game: lost 31-30 at Massachusetts in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Buffalo, Wednesday, Nov 11: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Ball State is No. 131
- Ball State's rating is −19.6: the machine's estimate that Ball State is 19.6 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 131 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −17.3, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 2.3.
- The biggest weekly moves: −4.6 after Week 3 (L 15-51 at Liberty) and +1.8 after Week 8 (W 34-17 vs Sacramento State).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 7 Ohio State, No. 39 Northwestern, No. 52 Liberty, No. 89 Toledo, No. 126 Massachusetts, No. 132 Kent State, by 24.8 points on average. The 3 wins came by 14.0 points on average; the best was over No. 127 Bowling Green. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 89 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 130 Charlotte (−19.1); just below is No. 132 Kent State (−20.5).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Mike Uremovich is in his 2nd season at Ball State (since 2025). This season: 3-6. At Ball State overall: 7-14, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 174-277 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1752 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 11-6 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.5No. 111 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.3%No. 71 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 4.5%No. 46 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 301-1298 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.3No. 73 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 14.2%No. 62 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 19.6%No. 102 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 22.9No. 104 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.33No. 110 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 35.7%No. 103 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 70.8%No. 24 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 9No. 37 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 34.8No. 132 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 6.62No. 130 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 8.5No. 133 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.9No. 114 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 4.7%No. 96 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 8No. 114 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 43.0%No. 115 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Keldric Luster150-238, 1482 yds, 10 TD, 6 INT
- Tyler Mizzell23-38, 260 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- TJ Horton72 carries, 437 yds, 9 TD
- Jalen Bonds64 carries, 356 yds, 4 TD
- Keldric Luster82 carries, 278 yds, 3 TD
Receiving
- Donovan Hamilton28 catches, 354 yds, 1 TD
- Jamarion McDougle25 catches, 298 yds, 3 TD
- Isaiah Thacker17 catches, 216 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Stu Smith45
- Cincear Lewis43
- Gavin Forsha40
Sacks
- Ben Marsh3
- Kaleb Stewart2.5
- Ameir Glenn2
Interceptions
- Kamron Chamble2
- Cedric Franklin II1
- Willizhuan Yates1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Keldric LusterMost passes in the last game8 games238 attempts86%
- Tyler Mizzell4 games38 attempts14%
Carrying
- TJ Horton9 games72 carries37%
- Jalen Bonds7 games64 carries33%
- Johnny Thompson Jr.8 games35 carries18%
- Elijah Jackson4 games8 carries4%
Catching
- Donovan Hamilton8 games28 catches16%
- Jamarion McDougle8 games25 catches14%
- Jabari Smith4 games21 catches12%
- Isaiah Thacker7 games17 catches10%
Tackling
- Stu Smith7 games45 tackles8%
- Cincear Lewis9 games43 tackles7%
- Gavin Forsha9 games40 tackles7%
- Kaleb Stewart9 games39 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 3–56 at Ohio State. The run defense gave ground: Ohio State got 6.8 yards a carry, 3.1 over what it usually gains. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 2 W 41–17 vs Stony Brook. Stony Brook is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 L 15–51 at Liberty. The run game was the strength: 4.8 yards a carry, 1.6 more than Liberty usually allows.
- Week 4 L 13–26 at Kent State. The run game struggled: 1.7 yards a carry, 2.6 less than Kent State usually allows. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 5 L 24–39 vs Toledo. The run defense gave ground: Toledo got 6.9 yards a carry, 2.5 over what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 L 14–45 at Northwestern. The pass defense gave ground: Northwestern got 11.3 yards an attempt, 3.2 over what it usually gains.
- Week 7 W 32–31 at Bowling Green. The pass defense gave ground: Bowling Green got 9.0 yards an attempt, 2.6 over what it usually gains. The machine had Bowling Green by 8.3 (70%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 8 W 34–17 vs Sacramento State. The passing game was the strength: 10.5 yards an attempt, 3.0 more than Sacramento State usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 10 L 30–31 at Massachusetts. The pass defense gave ground: Massachusetts got 12.2 yards an attempt, 5.2 over what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.