2020 Ball State
7–1 (5–1 Mid-American Conference), coached by Mike Neu, finished No. 23 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 23 Buffalo 38–28Dec 18
Buffalo was ranked No. 23 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat Eastern Michigan 38–31Nov 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | at Miami (OH) | L 31–38 | 36% |
| Nov 11 | vs Eastern Michigan | W 38–31 | 57% |
| Nov 18 | vs Northern Illinois | W 31–25 | 67% |
| Nov 28 | at Toledo | W 27–24 | 39% |
| Dec 5 | at Central Michigan | W 45–20 | 38% |
| Dec 12 | vs Western Michigan | W 30–27 | 59% |
| Dec 18 | vs 23BuffaloMid-American Championship Game | W 38–28 | 36% |
| Dec 31Bowls & playoff | vs 25San José StateArizona Bowl | W 34–13 | 45% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat San José State 34–13 in the Arizona Bowl; No. 23 in the final AP poll; Mid-American Conference champions.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 61 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Final: 23
Mid-American Conference champions5–1 in the conference, won the Mid-American Championship Game
- Record
- 7–1
- Conference
- 5–1 2nd in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- No. 23 peak No. 23
- Points
- 274–206
- Coach
- Mike Neu
- Elo
- 1602 +153 this season
- SP+ rating
- -6.7 No. 97 of 130; offense No. 80, defense No. 104
- Returning
- 76% of last season’s EPA, No. 39 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 122 roster talent No. 118 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Kevin Lynch
- Defensive coordinator
- Tyler Stockton
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.17 | 47% | 1.19 | 38th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.07 | 47% | 1.19 | 44th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.17 off 0.04 def | 47% off 45% def | — | 30th off 25th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 33 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 3.1 | own 30 | 19% caused |
CORE rating 10.3, 22nd of 127 (offense 7.0, defense -3.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Drew Plitt QB | 2,154 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Drew Plitt QB | 17 TD |
| Rushing yards | Caleb Huntley RB | 437 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Caleb Huntley RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Justin Hall WR | 665 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Yo’Heinz Tyler WR | 8 TD |
| Tackles | Brandon Martin LB | 90 tkl |
| Sacks | Anthony Ekpe LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Antonio Phillips CB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Qian Magwood WR | ★★★ | No. 1041 |
| Latrell Fordham ATH | ★★★ | No. 1774 |
| Brayden Evans S | ★★★ | No. 1921 |
| Donovan Marcus RB | ★★★ | No. 1998 |
| Mark Brownlee RB | ★★★ | No. 2053 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.825 |
| Receivers | 3 | 2.7 | 0.814 |
| Offensive line | 5 | 2.6 | 0.798 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.804 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 2.5 | 0.802 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.3 | 0.787 |
| Whole class | 19 | 2.7 | 0.805 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 115
The 2020 roster115 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 45 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 5–0 | 6–1 | 25 |
 Ball State | 5–1 | 7–1 | 23 |
 Kent State | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Toledo | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Central Michigan | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Akron | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
| Northern Illinois | 0–6 | 0–6 | |
 Bowling Green | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.