| Mode: | football |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Team: | Ball State Cardinals |
| Conference: | Mid-American Conference |
| Division: | West Division |
| Short Conf: | MAC |
| Record: | 4–8 |
| Conf Record: | 3–5 |
| Head Coach: | Mike Neu |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Off Coach: | Joey Lynch |
| Oc Year: | 5th |
| Def Coach: | David Elson |
| Dc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | Spread |
| Def Scheme: | 3–4 |
| Stadium: | Scheumann Stadium |
The 2018 Ball State Cardinals football team represented Ball State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Mike Neu and played their home games at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 4–8, 3–5 in MAC play to finish in fifth place in the West Division.
Listed in the order that they were released
| Rimington Trophy[1] | Andrew Poenitsch | C | JR | |
| Maxwell Award[2] | James Gilbert | RB | JR | |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award[3] | Justin Hall | WR | SO | |
| John Mackey Award[4] | Nolan Givan | TE | SO | |
| Paul Hornung Award[5] | Malik Dunner | RB/KR | JR | |
| Wuerffel Trophy[6] | Riley Neal | QB | SR |
The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 24, 2018, with the Cardinals predicted to finish in last place in the West Division.[7]
| West Division | |||
| 1 | Northern Illinois | 133 (15) | |
| 2 | Toledo | 125 (7) | |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 87 (1) | |
| 4 | Eastern Michigan | 67 | |
| 5 | Central Michigan | 58 (1) | |
| 6 | Ball State | 34 | |
Source:[8]
See also: 2018 Central Connecticut Blue Devils football team.
See also: 2018 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.
See also: 2018 Indiana Hoosiers football team.
| Statistics | BALL | IU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Total yards | 347 | 457 |
| Rushes/yards | 39–204 | 44–255 |
| Passing yards | 143 | 202 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–28–1 | 24–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:17 | 32:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | Passing | Riley Neal | 12/24, 115 yards |
| Rushing | James Gilbert | 16 carries, 89 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Corey Lacanaria | 4 receptions, 40 yards | |
| Indiana | Passing | 20/27, 173 yards | |
| Rushing | 18 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD | ||
| Receiving | Luke Timian | 5 receptions, 56 yards |
See also: 2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team.
See also: 2018 Kent State Golden Flashes football team.
See also: 2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football team and Bronze Stalk Trophy.
See also: 2018 Central Michigan Chippewas football team.
See also: 2018 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team.
See also: 2018 Ohio Bobcats football team.
See also: 2018 Toledo Rockets football team.
See also: 2018 Western Michigan Broncos football team.
See also: 2018 Miami RedHawks football team.