The Ball State Cardinals have struggled to get much going this season.
Earlier this week, the Cardinals played the Buffalo Bulls in one of the season’s most exciting games. Buffalo won 51-48 in overtime, and Ball State fell to 3-7 on the season and 2-4 in MAC play.
On Saturday, Ball State leadership decided it was time for a change. The school announced Saturday that it was firing head coach Mike Neu two games shy of his ninth full season with the team.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program. I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits,” Ball State athletic director Jeff Mitchell said.
Neu played quarterback for the school from 1990-94 and spent most of the next two decades as a coach in the Arena Football League before returning to Ball State as head coach in 2016. Neu led the Cardinals to a 40-63 record in his almost nine seasons. They went to a pair of bowl games, defeating San Jose State in the 2020 Arizona Bowl, a year in which Ball State also won the MAC. Their other bowl game was a 51-20 loss to Georgia State in the 2021 Camellia Bowl
Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will coach the Cardinals for the season’s final two games. Johnson has been with the Cardinals for six years and played for the school from 1999-2002.
