Auburn vs. Ball State Prediction and Preview

Though, given the porousness of the Ball State passing defense and an injury to Damari Alston, I would expect Hugh Freeze and the Tigers to lean into the passing attack. Freeze also expressed a desire to get freshman quarterback Deuce Knight in, saying that if Arnold comes out Knight would be the first to enter in his place.

“There’s no doubt,” Freeze said this week. “I mean all of us are anxious to see if we can throw and run the right routes and be on time and be effective in that. Because you’re gonna have to have that.

“We’re obviously confident in the receivers’ ability, but it’s not just about ability. It’s about us being on the same page, on the same timing, us protecting, and all of those things that come with it.

“They want to throw and catch it,” Freeze said with a grin. “But we’re gonna play to win the game, whatever that means.”

Jordan-Hare should be in full voice with a night game scheduled, with the potential to rattle a team that was hurt in the transfer portal.

If Ball State wants to put up a fight in this one, the Cardinals are going to need to replace some key pieces. Last year’s Cardinal quarterback Kadin Semonza now finds himself at Tulane, and the top two receivers Cam Pickett and Justin Bowick transferred to Kansas and Illinois, respectively.

The team’s leading pass catcher was tight end Tanner Koziol, who also transferred and is now a Houston Cougar.

As for the rushing attack, the leading rusher for the Cardinals in 2024 was running back Braedon Sloan, who was also fourth on the team in receiving yards. Sloan graduated and has not been signed by an NFL team to this point. Backup running back Vaughn Pemberton also transferred and is now a Boston College Eagle.

The new look offense struggled against Purdue, gaining just 203 yards over the course of the game. Redshirt senior Kiael Kelly, a converted wideout, started at quarterback for the Cardinals. Kelly completed 10 passes on 16 attempts in Week 1 for just 87 yards, throwing neither a touchdown nor an interception. He also added 63 rushing yards on 22 carries.

The Cardinals brought in Kennesaw State’s Qua Ashley and Purdue’s Elijah Jackson to play running back in the offseason. Ashley saw the bulk of the touches in Week 1, carrying the ball 10 times for 45 yards. No other back had more than 7 yards.

The receiver room was a mix-and-match project against the Boilermakers, as eight players caught a pass. However, only two players caught more than one. Ty Robinson recorded 2 catches for 9 yards and Ashley recorded 2 catches for 2 yards.

As for the defense, linebacker Joey Stemler led the Cardinals with 5 tackles, and Nathan Voorhis recorded the team’s lone Week 1 sack. Ball State runs a fairly conservative quarters scheme, content to keep the opposing offense in front of them. Because of the conservative scheme, the Cardinals often struggle to create negative plays, especially against the run.

Overall, the Auburn faithful should not have much to worry about vs. Ball State.

Prediction:
Auburn 51 Ball State 6