1988 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 1988 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled an 8–3 record (5–3 against conference opponents) and tied for third place in the MAC.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.

1988 Ball State Cardinals football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	8–3 (5–3 MAC)
Head coach	Paul Schudel (4th season)
Home stadium	Ball State Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Western Michigan $	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Eastern Michigan	5	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
Ball State	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Central Michigan	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Ohio	4	–	3	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Toledo	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kent State	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Bowling Green	1	–	6	–	1			2	–	8	–	1
Miami (OH)	0	–	7	–	1			0	–	10	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The team's statistical leaders included David Riley with 1,886 passing yards, Mark Stevens with 774 rushing yards, Eugene Riley with 457 receiving yards, and Kenny Stucker with 84 points scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Toledo	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 13–3	9,130	[4]
September 10	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	W 34–10		[5]
September 17	UMass*	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 44–17	9,370	[6]
October 1	Miami (OH)	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 45–14	11,450	[7]
October 8	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	W 31–20	17,500	[8]
October 15	Eastern Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 12–16	16,125	[9]
October 22	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	W 27–20	15,612	[10]
October 29	at Northern Illinois*	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (rivalry)	W 18–17	15,049	[11]
November 5	Western Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 13–16	13,000	[12]
November 12	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	L 25–27	7,238	[13]
November 17	vs. Indiana State*	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell)	W 24–10	8,140	[14]
*Non-conference game