1980 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 1980 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 6–5 record (5–4 against MAC opponents) and finished in a tie for fifth place out of ten teams in the conference.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.

1980 Ball State Cardinals football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	6–5 (5–4 MAC)
Head coach	Dwight Wallace (3rd season)
Home stadium	Ball State Stadium
Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Central Michigan $	7	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Western Michigan	6	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Miami (OH)	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ball State	5	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Ohio	5	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Bowling Green	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Toledo	3	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kent State	3	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Eastern Michigan	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The team's statistical leaders included Mark O'Connell with 1,921 passing yards, Ken Currin with 548 rushing yards, Stevie Nelson with 487 receiving yards, and Dane Fellmeth with 49 points scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Central Michigan	Perry Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 17–21
September 13	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (rivalry)	W 18–17
September 20	Toledo	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 27–7
September 27	Miami (OH)	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 9–43
October 4	at McNeese State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	L 7–24	19,879	[4]
October 18	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 26–0
October 25	Western Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 15–17
November 1	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	L 21–24
November 8	Kent State	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 34–7
November 15	Ohio	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 37–18
November 22	Indiana State*	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell)	W 28–21	7,023
*Non-conference game