Ball State football suffered another midweek setback to fall out of the race for bowl eligibility.
After a brief weather delay pushed kickoff back by 15 minutes, Ball State lost to Buffalo, 28-7, in a rain-soaked MACtion affair Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Cardinals’ defense played perhaps its most complete game of the season, but the offense failed to provide adequate support and did not produce any points. Ball Satte’s only touchdown came from recovering a blocked punt in the end zone.
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Former Ball State head coach Pete Lembo is now 2-0 against the Cardinals since taking over as Buffalo’s head coach, having previously beaten his old team in another midweek MACtion game at Buffalo back in 2024. Ball State, meanwhile, is now 5-11 in midweek MACtion games over the last five seasons and was eliminated from bowl eligibility with the loss, marking the fifth-straight season that the Cardinals will not play in the postseason.
More: Ball State football vs Buffalo, MACtion live updates | Score, highlights
Here’s three instant takeaways from Ball State football’s MACtion loss to Buffalo.
Up-and-down night for Ball State special teams
Ball State’s special teams had a huge impact on the game, for better and for worse. The Cardinals nearly blocked Buffalo’s first punt after its opening drive, and on the Bulls’ next drive, they got home for the block as tight end Leo Collins pushed a Bulls blocker right into the path of the punt. The ball ricocheted off the backside of the Buffalo player and settled in the end zone where defensive back Gabe Aramboles fell on it to give Ball State a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
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Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their kicking game continued to struggle. Brody Boehm, who missed an extra point in each of Ball State’s last two games, went 0-for-3 on field goals. The first one fell short from 47 yards out but was not on Boehm, as the heavy rain seemed to affect the snap-hold operation and threw off his timing. The second miss had a much cleaner snap and hold but still went wide right from 44 yards out. The third miss came in the third quarter, this time sailing wide left from 39 yards out.
Ball State defense starts strong
Ball State’s defense has been pretty porous for most of the season, but the Cardinals’ effectively shut down Buffalo for most of the first half. Ball State limited Buffalo’s run-heavy offense to just 78 rushing yards with a 3.3 yards per carry average in the first half and forced the Bulls to punt on each of their first four drives. The Cardinals also sacked Buffalo quarterback Jason Wright three times in the first half, with Jared Badie, Sam Feeney and Mikeah Webster each recording one. Buffalo did manage a six-minute, 80-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter to make it a 7-7 tie at half.
Even as the game wore on, Ball State’s defense stayed strong. They came out strong in the second half by forcing another three-and-out thanks to Badie’s second sack of the night, but the Bulls’ next drive was another six-minute, 80-yard touchdown drive. Still, the Cardinals’ defense kept giving the offense chances, forcing Buffalo to punt on its next two drives. The offense continued to squander its chances, though, and the Bulls eventually broke through for two late rushing touchdowns to put the dagger into the Cardinals’ season.
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Ball State offense at its worst
Despite the rainy and windy conditions, Ball State’s offense strung multiple successful drives together. The Cardinals ran the ball effectively, racking up 181 yards on 31 carries for an impressive average of 5.8 yards per carry. With last week’s breakout star running back Jalen Bonds out with an injury, TJ Horton led the backfield with 10 carries for 91 yards. The passing offense was relatively ineffective, as quarterback Keldric Luster went 19-of-35 for 131 yards, but the Cardinals still managed to get six drives past Buffalo’s 30-yard line.
Despite 325 total yards, Ball State’s offense was completely shut out. On the six drives that got into scoring range, the Cardinals were stuffed on fourth-down conversions three times and settled for field goals three times — all of which were missed by Boehm. In a game where they finally had defensive support for most of it, the offense’s failure to score any points at all doomed Ball State’s chances.
What’s next for Ball State football?
Ball State (3-7, 2-4 MAC) will play its third and final midweek MACtion game of the season on the road at Ohio (7-3, 5-1 MAC) on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Cardinals and Bobcats will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.
Ball State head coach Mike Uremovich runs on the field during Spring Showcase Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Scheumann Stadium.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Three takeaways from Ball State football’s miserable loss to Buffalo
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
