[2023] Daily News: Cards off to Hot 2-0 Start

[npklemm]

 

After the first two weeks of the season, the Ball State Cardinals are 2-0. In Week 0, they defeated the UCONN Huskies 17-10 in Storrs, CT, and then followed that up with a 30-27 defeat of the North Carolina Tar Heels here in Muncie in Week 1.

 

Ball State 17 UCONN 10

 

Ball State went into Storrs, CT and barely took down the Huskies. Scott Romero went 23-of-398 for 357 Yards with 1 TD and 2 Picks, as well as taking 4 Sacks. The Sophomore was not happy with his performance, telling us afterwards:

"I left too many easy plays on the field. I was looking to make too many big plays and turned the ball over twice, and left myself open to sacks that should have never happened. It's frustrating because all summer long, that's what I worked on and then that went right out the window as soon as the game started. I'm thankful for my teammates, they kept me going and kept my energy high. I'm just glad we won"

Senior RB Garett Cordier had a good game, gaining 106 Yards on the ground and 36 through the air. He found the endzone once, but did lose a fumble. His touchdown came in the 3rd Quarter. He provided a stabilizing force for the Cards, even if he wasn't able to break open too many plays for big yards. Sophomore WR Dario Lindsay lead the Cards with 7 receptions for 130 Yards and the lone TD. He caught his TD with 3 Minutes left in the game to put the Cards up 17-10, and proved to be the winning score. This was his first game as a contributer in his career, and he certainly did not disappoint.

The Defense lead the way in this game, holding the Huskies to under 340 Yards. Including holding the passing game to under 6 YPA and the running game to 2.5 YPC. UCONN could not get anything going. The Cards were lead by ILB Damien Chachere (Sr), who notched 7 Tackles and 3.5 TFL. He was all over the field. SS Robert Ervin picked off QB Bryce Swanson and SS Bruce Wolfe picked up the Christian Simon Fumble. OLB Aaron Kelemete (Sr) recorded the lone Sack for the Cards. Play in and play out, this unit was up to the task. The only TD scored by the Huskies was a Pick-Six off of Scott Romero in the 2nd Quarter.

Coach Klemm had the following to say about the game:

"Happy with the win, but we had opportunities to do more in this one. Scott and I will spend some more time this week working on this mechanics/decision making. He needs to improve in that area ASAP if we're going to be a successful football team. Very Happy with the Defense today, they played their asses off."

 

Ball State 30 North Carolina 27 (OT)

In their home opener, the Cardinals hosted the Tar Heels from the ACC. Hosting a P5 Team is no small matter for a school like Ball State. And the Cars proved to be up to the task. It was a back and forth game, with no team having more than a 7 Point lead at any time in the game. QB Scott Romero was much improved, going 27-of-40 for 309 Yards with 3 TDs, no INTs or Sacks Taken. The Sophomore showed his potential here as he moved the ball up and down the field for the Cards. Not to be outdone, Sr RB Garett Cordier had 146 Rushing Yards and a TD as well as 79 Receiving Yards and a TD. He combined for 225 Yards on 24 Touches. Most importantly, he took his first carry of OT for 23 Yards, breaking two tackles in the process. He took the next carry into the Endzone for the game winning score. WR Dario Lindsay (So) once again lead the cards in receiving with 6 Catches for 89 Yards and a TD. He now has 219 Yards and 2 TDs in his first two games. WR Fletcher Wood (Sr) had 53 Yards and the final TD from Romero.

The Defense struggled a little bit more this time around. QB Rudy Stribling for UNC went 25-of-37 for 353 Yards and 2 TDs. Unlike in Week 0, the Cards gave up almost 10 Yards per Pass Attempt. They gave up 5 Pass Plays for 30 or More. SS Robert Ervin (Sr) lead the way with 7 Tackles, and 0.5 TFL. DT J.J. Jarrett (Sr) made the biggest impact in the rushing game with 2 TFL. The biggest play made by the defense was the the Sr OLB Aaron Kelemete who once again recorded the only sack for the Cards Defense. Late in the 4th Quarter, North Carolina was driving and had possession on the Ball State 20 with just under a Minute Left. QB Rudy Stribling dropped back for a pass, and was forced to roll out of the pocket by pressure coming from So OLB Monte Morris. As he rolls out, he runs right into Kelemete who sacks him for a loss of 15 Yards. The Heels were forced to settle for a two yard pass on the next play to set up a 51-Yarder for Ivica Lin to potentially win the game. However, his kick was no good and the game went to OT. Without that play, the Heels are likely around the 15 of the Cards for that attempt instead, a ~35 Yarder.

In OT, the Heels moved the ball easily and had a 2nd and 4 at the Ball State 6. However, the Cardinal Defense held firm and forced two incompletions in a row to force a FG Attempt. This one was good. However, it was not enough as the Cards scored in two plays in their possession to win the game outright.

Coach Klemm on the performance:

"Scott was far better this week. He avoided those poor decisions, and was far more effective throwing deeper down the field. We don't win this game with Garett though. He really sets the tone for the team, and leads by example. The Offensive Line was outstanding today, North Carolina has a really good Defensive Line, but our guys won that battle today. Defense gave up some big plays today, but they made the plays late in the game that we needed them to help us win. Very happy with the win today. On to Oklahoma State"

This is the first time in school history that the Cards have started off 2-0.

Edited June 4, 2023 by npklemm