Vanderbilt Looks to Build on Momentum Against Ball State

Oct 18, 20242 min read

The Vanderbilt Commodores (4-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) will host Ball State (2-4, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. EST at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The Commodores are hot off the heels of back-to-back SEC wins against Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) and Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC).

The Alabama upset established the Commodores as a contender in the SEC and the team has received votes in both The Associated Press and Coaches polls for two consecutive weeks. This matchup will mark the first-ever matchup between Vanderbilt and Ball State.

The contest will be the Cardinals' fourth game against a Power Four opponent the past two years. The team struggled in a 62-0 loss to Miami (Fla.) earlier this season on Sept. 14. Its only win came in its season opener against Missouri State (4-2, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference) on Sept. 7. The Commodores are 11-1 all-time in clashes with MAC opponents. Most recently, they beat Northern Illinois 38-28 in 2022.

The Stakes

Vanderbilt is gaining traction on the national stage after its historic 40-35 victory over Alabama, its first win over the Crimson Tide since 1984. It was the program’s first victory over a No. 1-ranked team and its first top-5 win in program history. Vanderbilt needs a dominant victory to convince the naysayers they are for real. Until that happens, the Bama shocker may stay an anomaly.

This is Ball State’s 100th season as a program and 50th season in the MAC after joining the league in 1973. The Cardinals are playing this one for its coach. Cardinals head coach Mike Neu is seeking his 40th victory, tying Dwight Wallace for the fourth most wins in school history.

Player to Watch: Vanderbilt

Quarterback Diego Pavia made a statement in the Commodores' win against Alabama. He finished the game 16-of-20 with 252 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and an 80 percent completion rate. That is the highest mark by an opposing quarterback against the Tide since 2010. Much has been said about Pavia’s journey from New Mexico State University to Vanderbilt. With another statement game, Pavia could establish himself as one of the top passers in college football.

Players to Watch: Ball State

Brandon Berger sets the tone defensively for the Cardinals. He had a career-high 3 sacks last week while the defense allowed Kent State only 67 rushing yards. Riley Tolsma and Joey Stemler each had 8 tackles and Stemler added 1.5 sacks. The defense will need to step up big if the Ball State wants to have a chance for an upset.

What to Watch

Is Vanderbilt in a position where they could be looking past Ball State? The Commodores needs to stay focused, get their high-powered offense in gear and attack Ball State’s energized defense if it doesn’t want to fall back into old habits. Ball State should play to its strengths, run the ball and control the clock. If they can do that, the Cardinals have scored on 16 of 17 trips into the Red Zone this season with touchdowns on 12 of those drives (8 passing, 4 rushing).