After the Big Ten announced a conference-only football schedule for its members that effectively cancelled this year’s CyHawk game, Iowa State found itself looking for another opponent to replace the departed Hawkeyes.
In step the Ball State Cardinals.
The Cyclones and Cardinals have met once previously, with Iowa State walloping the squad from Muncie, IN by a score of 38-0 in 1998 at Jack Trice Stadium.
In 2019, Ball State finished 5-7 (4-4), but played within two scores of both Indiana and NC State (though they also lost 57-29 to Fordham).
The Cardinals are led by junior running back Caleb Huntley, who was named to both the Maxwell and Doak Walker Award watch lists last week.