After surviving a major scare from Gardner-Webb, Liberty gets another opportunity on Saturday.
The Flames will host Ball State at Williams Stadium at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the third game of the 2026 season. Liberty enters at 1-1 after escaping Gardner-Webb 24-23, while Ball State comes to Lynchburg with the same record after opening the season against No. 1 Ohio State before bouncing back with a convincing win over Stony Brook.
For Liberty, this is the first FBS opponent on the schedule since the season-opening trip to James Madison — and a chance to pick up a win that could carry considerably more weight later in the season.
The Flames also have some history with the Cardinals. The only previous meeting between these programs came in 2010, when Liberty went into Muncie, Indiana, and pulled off a 27-23 upset of Ball State. Sixteen years later, the Cardinals get their opportunity to return the favor.
Analyzing the Cardinals
Ball State enters its second season under head coach Mike Uremovich, who took over the program following a three-year run as Butler’s head coach where he went 23-11.
The Cardinals went 4-8 in Uremovich’s first season in 2025, but the program enters 2026 with a much different early-season challenge. Ball State opened the year at Ohio Stadium against No. 1 Ohio State before returning home to face Stony Brook.
The season opener was every bit as difficult as expected. Ball State fell 56-3 to the defending national champion Buckeyes, with its lone points coming on a 54-yard field goal from Brody Boehm. The Cardinals were held to 150 total yards, while Ohio State produced 554. Still, Ball State’s defense managed to record two sacks and an interception against the nation’s No. 1 team.
Ball State responded much better in Week 2. The Cardinals defeated Stony Brook 41-17 in their home opener, jumping out to a 21-3 halftime lead and eventually pulling away in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Keldric Luster completed 27-of-32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns while throwing one interception. Running back TJ Horton added 125 yards on the ground, and Ball State finished with 482 total yards, including 226 rushing.
That performance provides a much better indication of the Ball State team Liberty will see Saturday than the Ohio State game. The Cardinals showed they can be explosive offensively when they aren’t facing one of the best teams in the country. Luster was particularly efficient against Stony Brook, completing nearly 85 percent of his passes while spreading the ball around to multiple receivers.
Positions, Players to Watch
The biggest name for Liberty’s defense is quarterback Keldric Luster who is 5’10” and 250 pounds.
Luster transferred to Ball State after beginning his career at Louisiana Tech and has quickly established himself as the Cardinals’ offensive leader. Against Stony Brook, he completed 27-of-32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, leading an offense that scored 21 points in the first half and finished with 482 total yards.
The Cardinals aren’t dependent entirely on Luster’s arm, though. Running back TJ Horton gives Ball State another dimension. Horton ran for 125 yards against Stony Brook, helping the Cardinals accumulate 226 rushing yards. His ability to create a balanced offense could make this a much more difficult assignment for a Liberty defense that spent much of last season trying to find consistency against the run.
Special teams could also be worth watching.
Ball State kicker Brody Boehm made a 54-yard field goal in the season opener at Ohio State — the first field-goal attempt of his collegiate career — tying for the second-longest made field goal by an FBS kicker through Week 1. He followed that performance by making field goals of 38 and 30 yards against Stony Brook.
For Liberty, the focus will again be on the quarterback position.
Deshawn Purdie started against JMU and Gardner-Webb, but his struggles against the Runnin’ Bulldogs eventually opened the door for Jaylen Henderson. Henderson entered to start the fourth quarter and immediately provided a spark, throwing the 54-yard touchdown pass to Darius Copeland that gave Liberty a 24-23 lead with 2:34 remaining. How Chadwell handles the quarterback situation against Ball State could be one of the most important storylines of the game.
The Matchups
This game could come down to which team is able to establish its preferred style.
Liberty wants to make this a physical game. Chadwell’s offense is at its best when the Flames can run the football, create numbers with the quarterback in the run game and force a defense to defend the entire field. That hasn’t happened consistently through two games.
Liberty rushed for only 91 yards against JMU before producing a better — but still inconsistent — performance against Gardner-Webb. The Flames finished with 379 total yards against the Runnin’ Bulldogs but scored only three points between the end of the first quarter and the fourth-quarter touchdown drive that ultimately saved the game.
Ball State could provide a much better test of whether Liberty’s offense is actually making progress. The Cardinals held Stony Brook to just a field goal before the game was in hand after giving up 56 points to Ohio State, a significant swing that illustrates some of the questions surrounding the defense. Against Stony Brook, however, Ball State created enough pressure and turnovers while building a large early lead to control the game.
For Liberty, the key may be avoiding the extended offensive droughts that have characterized the first two games. The Flames scored touchdowns on two of their first three offensive plays against Gardner-Webb and then went nearly three quarters without finding the end zone again. Against an FBS opponent, those types of stretches can be much harder to overcome.
Defensively, Liberty will have to deal with a Ball State offense that has already demonstrated the ability to move the football in multiple ways. Luster’s efficiency gives the Cardinals a legitimate passing threat, while Horton and the rushing attack can prevent the Flames from simply loading up against the pass.
The biggest matchup may ultimately be Liberty’s defensive front against Ball State’s offensive line. If the Flames can create pressure without committing extra defenders, they can make Luster uncomfortable and force Ball State into difficult third-down situations. If Luster has time to throw and Horton finds running room, Ball State has enough offensive balance to make this a long afternoon.
A Familiar Opponent Returns
Liberty and Ball State have only played once before, but it was one of the most significant games in the Flames’ history. The teams met on Sept. 11, 2010, in Muncie, with Liberty entering as a FCS program and Ball State representing the FBS. The Flames left with a 27-23 victory.
Liberty jumped out to a 14-3 halftime lead before Ball State rallied in the second half. The Cardinals eventually took a 23-21 lead with just under seven minutes remaining, but Liberty answered with a 74-yard touchdown drive capped by a one-yard Mike Brown touchdown run with 4:55 left. Ball State had one final opportunity, driving into Liberty territory in the final minutes. But Keith Wenning was sacked by Asa Chapman on fourth-and-two from the Liberty 26-yard line, sealing the Flames’ 27-23 victory.
The victory was significant beyond simply beating Ball State. It was Liberty’s second-ever victory over an FBS opponent and first since 1989. Liberty remains 1-0 all-time against Ball State. Sixteen years later, the programs meet again — this time with Liberty firmly established as an FBS program and Ball State looking to even the series.
An Important Test for Liberty
There is a temptation to look at Ball State’s 56-3 loss to Ohio State and their 4-8 record last year and assume this is a team Liberty should handle comfortably.
That would be a mistake. The Cardinals played the No. 1 team in the country in Week 1 and then responded with a 41-17 victory. They have a quarterback who just completed 27-of-32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, a running back who topped 100 yards and an offense that produced 482 yards last week.
At the same time, this is a game Liberty should expect to win. The Flames are at home. They have an FBS roster that should be deeper and more talented than Ball State’s. And after escaping Gardner-Webb, Liberty has an opportunity to put together its most complete performance of the young season.
More importantly, this game can begin to answer some of the questions that have followed Liberty since the 4-8 season of 2025.
Is the offense going to become more explosive?
Can the Flames consistently run the football?
Who is going to emerge at quarterback?
And can Liberty’s defense become good enough to win games when the offense isn’t playing at its best?
Those questions won’t all be answered Saturday. But a convincing win over Ball State would go a long way toward quieting some of them. And there would be something fitting about it.
Sixteen years after Liberty traveled to Muncie and stunned an FBS opponent, the Cardinals are coming to Lynchburg looking to return the favor. This time, the Flames are the favored FBS team — and they’re looking to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in reverse.
