1989 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 1989 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fifth season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled a 7–3–2 record (6–1–1 against conference opponents) and won the MAC championship.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.

1989 Ball State Cardinals football
MAC champion
California Bowl, L 6–27 vs. Fresno State
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	7–3–2 (6–1–1 MAC)
Head coach	Paul Schudel (5th season)
Home stadium	Ball State Stadium
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Ball State $	6	–	1	–	1			7	–	3	–	2
Eastern Michigan	6	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
Toledo	6	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Central Michigan	5	–	2	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Bowling Green	5	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Western Michigan	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Miami (OH)	2	–	5	–	1			2	–	8	–	1
Ohio	1	–	6	–	1			1	–	9	–	1
Kent State	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The team's statistical leaders included David Riley with 1,929 passing yards, Bernie Parmalee with 662 rushing yards, Sean Jones with 518 receiving yards, and Kenny Stucker with 84 points scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at No. 17 West Virginia*	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 10–35	57,866	[4]
September 9	at Rutgers*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	T 31–31	17,143	[5]
September 16	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	W 28–3	8,286	[6]
September 23	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 22–29	17,992	[7]
October 7	Miami (OH)	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 37–9	15,625	[8]
October 14	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	W 23–21	12,050	[9]
October 21	Western Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 14–13	12,150	[10]
October 26	vs. Indiana State*	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell)	W 34–27	6,249	[11]
November 4	Central Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	T 13–13	7,985	[12]
November 11	Eastern Michigan	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 23–17	7,350	[13]
November 18	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	W 33–14	5,700	[14]
December 9	vs. Fresno State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (California Bowl)	L 6–27	31,610	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game