When the Western Michigan Broncos kicked off to the Ball State Cardinals, each team was 2-2. Western Michigan earned the right to be 3-2 after a 55-3 win against the Cardinals. The Broncos were coming off of two consecutive home wins against the Idaho Vandals and Wagner. Ball State has wins against the UAB Blazers and Tennessee Tech.
Facing a number of injuries, Jack Milas took over the reigns for Ball State at quarterback instead of Riley Neal. Heavy pressure on Milas, coupled with tight coverage of the receivers, kept the Cardinals from getting anything going.