2024 MAC Football Week 6 Game Recap: Western Michigan Broncos 45, Ball State Cardinals 42

The recent history between the Ball State Cardinals (1-4, 0-2 MAC) and the Western Michigan Broncos (2-3, 1-0 MAC) suggested it wouldn’t be a game to miss, and Saturday at Scheumann Stadium proved the notion right, as the two programs combined for 87 points— including 35 combined points in the first quarter alone— in what was ultimately a 45-42 win for the visiting Broncos.

Both teams were desperate for a win coming into the contest, with Ball State already down 0-1 in league play due to a one-score road loss against Central Michigan while WMU was seeking their first win against an FBS side— a mark Ball State was also looking to do the get out from under.

After forcing an early punt to start the game, it would be the visiting Broncos who struck first, scoring 14 unanswered points with a 21-yard Jaden Nixon touchdown run and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Wolff to Blake Bosma set up by a Jacob Wahlburg fumble recovery on Ball State’s first play of their previous drive to put some early pressure on the home side.

With the defense ceding two scores and the offense posting up a punt and a fumble on two possessions, Malcolm Gillie took it upon himself to answer the call on special teams.

Gillie handled the ball on his own three-yard line, evaded the first gunner, then followed his blocking 97 yards into paydirt to give the Cardinals their first points of the day at the 7:29 mark of the first quarter at 14-7.

The fun was only just getting started, as Ball State was pinned to their own five-yard line after forcing a 60-yard punt by Ryan Millmore. On third-and-eight from their own seven-yard line, Kadin Semonza hit running back Braedon Sloan on the flat route and Sloan took the ball 72 yards down the right sideline— setting up a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ty Robinson to tie the game.

WMU replied quickly, with Jaden Nixon galloping forward to score a 57-yard touchdown and take the lead back at 21-14 less than a minute later.

One could feel the air escaping the ball after that, as the Cardinals would span the first and second quarters with a drive lasting 15 plays over 9:10 of game clock before Cam Pickett took a jet sweep into the endzone for the tying score with 9:54 to go in the first half.

The Broncos would move on an extended drive of their own, going 10 plays for 74 yards over five minutes, but they came away with nothing after Keionte Newsom sniffed out the give on the T-formation handoff and dragged Jaden Nixon down behind the line.

WMU got their revenge on the next Ball State possession, with Dillon Moore and Tate Hallock combining to stuff Braedon Sloan behind the line on fourth-and-one from the WMU 49-yard line— but a 10-yard sack by Darin Conley would effectively force the Broncos to be content with a 21-21 halftime score.

They didn’t have to dwell on it for long, as Malique Dieudonne slipped past the defense on a long crossing route and hauled in a 43-yard pass from Hayden Wolff to put the Broncos back up just over three minutes into the second half.

Ball State pulled into their bag of tricks after that, catching the Broncos vulnerable after back-to-back defensive penalties with a 22-yard halfback pass from Braedon Sloan to backup tight end Christian Abney to pull steady at 28-all with 9:50 to go in the third quarter and following it up by converting forced fumble on Jaden Nixon into a Semonza passing touchdown to defensive lineman/fullback Drew Hughes to swing the momentum firmly back to the hosting side at 35-28.

WMU didn’t flinch; instead, they answered right back with a 17-point run of their own, with Luke Zurak kicking a 39-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 35-31 to end the third quarter, then converting a Kadin Semonza interception into a 23-yard Jaden Nixon rushing score (his third of the day) and notching a one-yard connection in the corner of the endzone between Hayden Wolff and Anthony Sambucci after a seven-play, 63-yard drive to give WMU a crucial 10-point lead with 7:43 remaining.

The situation looked dire for Ball State late, especially after Kadin Semonza’s overshoot of Qian Magwood with 5:56 remaining somehow found its way into Aaron Wofford’s hands instead of the ground. But the defense rallied to force the punt and Semonza repaid them with an excellent 27-yard connection to Cam Pickett to pull within three points with 1:47 remaining.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they wouldn’t have the time to complete the deed, as WMU recovered the onside kick and never ceded possession to take home the 45-42 victory.

It was a great day to be a running back, as Jaden Nixon’s 124 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries carried the Broncos to a win, while Braedon Sloan had 155 total yards on 18 carries and three receptions, scoring once on the ground and once through the air on the HB pass play.

WMU’s Jalen Buckley, last season’s MAC Freshman of the Year, returned from injury to carry the ball 11 times for 48 yards, while Zahir Adbus-Salaam notched 45 yards on 10 carries.

WMU QB Hayden Wolff was three passes away from a perfecto, finishing 26-of-29 for 264 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Anthony Sambucci was once again the reliable target, leading the Broncos with nine catches for 74 yards and a score. Blake Bosma finished with seven catches for 54 yards and a touchdown as well.

Ball State QB Kadin Semonza had a tougher outing, finishing 21-of-35 for 307 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Change-of-pace QB Kiael Kelly also committed a turnover.

Tanner Koziol led the Cards with 102 yards on nine catches, with no other primary passcatcher accumulating more than three catches or 90 yards (Cam Pickett)— though four different Cards did haul in a touchdown pass.

For the Bronco defense, linebacker Donald Willis led the team with nine total tackles, while Isaiah Greene and Corey Walker each had a solo sack. Tate Hallock was the X-Factor for WMU, with seven tackles, a half-TFL, an interception and a fourth-down stop.

The Cardinals defense was highlighted by Keionte Newson’s 11 total tackles (including seven solo stops.) Darin Conley and Riley Tolsma each had a solo sack on the day, with Jordan Coleman picking up a key pass break-up. Jack Beebe and Brandon Berger assisted another team tackle-for-loss.

Ball State continues to look for their first MAC win, and will travel to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes for a noon Eastern time kickoff next Saturday.

WMU will return home to Waldo Stadium to play host to the Akron Zips. The game is scheduled to kick off next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.