After a 2-10 2017 campaign that went haywire mostly due to a rash of injuries, the Ball State Cardinals are looking to have a bounce-back season in 2018 starting this weekend when they host FCS opponent Central Connecticut State Saturday night. On paper, the Cards should roll on Saturday as they have won five straight games against FCS opponents, but the Blue Devils won their conference and made the FCS playoffs a season ago.
Offensively for BSU, junior quarterback Riley Neal and junior running back James Gilbert are coming off of medical redshirt seasons but they have been productive throughout their careers as Neal has accounted for nearly 6,000 yards of offense in his career and Gilbert being named to the All-MAC First Team in 2016.