The past two weeks have been a fever dream for Vanderbilt Football. After shocking the world and taking down former-No. 1 Alabama (along with the FirstBank Stadium goal post), many expected the Commodores to come back down to Earth with a tough road matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats had already upset then-No. 6 Ole Miss and held then-No.1 Georgia to just 13 points earlier this season. Instead, the Commodores and Diego Pavia kept the ball rolling with a dominant 20-13 win, leading the Wildcats for all 60 minutes of the game. Now Vanderbilt will return home and take on Ball State with a chance to do something special.
Vanderbilt now sits just 16 points outside of its first AP poll ranking since 2013 and returns to FirstBank Stadium this weekend with an energized fanbase — and brand new goalpost.
The 2024 season hasn’t been nearly as exhilarating for Ball State fans. The Cardinals suffered a pair of 50+ point losses to Miami and JMU and two crushing defeats against. Central Michigan and Western Michigan early this season. Last week, they barely scraped together a win with a two-point victory against the 0-6 Kent State Golden Flashes. The Cardinals are grasping for any signs of life in what looks to be a chalked season.
While the Commodores look to forge ahead with a dominant non-conference victory, the Cardinals will hope to reverse their disappointing start with a strong showing against an explosive SEC opponent. For an exclusive look at this week’s matchup, The Hustler went behind enemy bylines and interviewed Elijah Poe, a football beat reporter for The Ball State Daily News.
Vanderbilt Hustler: How will Ball State approach being the first opponent at FirstBank Stadium since the chaos that ensued after the Alabama upset?
Elijah Poe: They’re used to the SEC atmosphere. They went to Kentucky and Georgia last year. Where it really differs, in my own opinion, is that it’s a night game in SEC country. [Ball State has] a lot of night game experience, but I do think it’s a different level going down to Vanderbilt.
VH: How does Ball State match up against Vanderbilt’s unique rushing offense, led by dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia?
EP: I think it’s going to be interesting. The defense for Ball State is almost entirely new. It graduated 10 seniors last year and [has] only one returning starter. They also have a new defensive coordinator [and], the rushing defense is definitely the focal point for the Cardinals. They’ve let up 230 [rushing] yards three times this season, 14 rushing touchdowns and they’re averaging just over 190 yards per game [let up] on the ground. So, obviously, it’s going to come down to what Ball State’s rushing defense does against Vanderbilt.
VH: Is there an offensive X-factor on Ball State that Vanderbilt fans should look out for?
EP: You’re gonna look at senior running back Braedon Sloan. He transferred last year and he has put in some great work. He has over 400 yards on the ground and 4 rushing touchdowns. If the offense gets going with Braedon, it definitely opens up the passing game.
VH: How about on the defensive side?
EP: Senior linebacker Keionte Newson is the sole returner from last year’s defensive squad and has really led the Cardinals this year. He has the mark of “True Cardinal 1,” which is essentially the leader of the program on both sides of the ball. He leads by example, and you can tell with his energy on the field.
VH: What can this Ball State team do to surprise Vanderbilt and pull off the upset?
EP: [The Cardinals] have to put together four quarters. They haven’t really done [that] yet, [but] they’ve gotten close a few times. They had three quarters against Central Michigan that went really well but ended up losing in the fourth quarter. This past weekend against Kent State they put up a really good three quarters, but things got close in the fourth. They have to put up four perfect quarters to have a shot against [Vanderbilt, which] is currently America’s team.
VH: What’s your final score prediction?
EP: 45-14, Vanderbilt. I’m just not sure that the Ball State defense can put a tamper on Vanderbilt’s mojo. It might be closer; it might be even more of a deficit. [Ball State] has allowed teams to put up 60-plus points twice this season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a wide margin.
Vanderbilt Football will look to extend its win streak to three when it hosts Ball State at FirstBank Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 19 at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
