Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →Ball State Cardinals Quarterbacks and Receivers
Mid-American. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Keldric Luster, Tyler Mizzell; 2025: Kiael Kelly; 2024: Kadin Semonza; 2023: Kiael Kelly, Layne Hatcher, Kadin Semonza.
Ball State Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Keldric Luster (4), Tyler Mizzell (1) | Donovan Hamilton 29, Isaiah Thacker 20, Jamarion McDougle 20 | 871 | 6-3 |
| 2025 | Kiael Kelly (12) | Qian Magwood 41, Eric Weatherly 40, Donovan Hamilton 37 | 1,648 | 11-8 |
| 2024 | Kadin Semonza (12) | Tanner Koziol 101, Cam Pickett 60, Braedon Sloan 34 | 2,969 | 26-11 |
| 2023 | Kiael Kelly (6), Layne Hatcher (3), Kadin Semonza (3) | Qian Magwood 62, Tanner Koziol 52, Ahmad Edwards 45 | 1,631 | 9-8 |
| 2022 | John Paddock (12) | Jayshon Jackson 117, Yo'Heinz Tyler 66, Brady Hunt 54 | 2,677 | 18-13 |
| 2021 | Drew Plitt (11), Jayshon Jackson (1) | Jayshon Jackson 78, Justin Hall 68, Yo'Heinz Tyler 68 | 2,358 | 17-4 |
| 2020 | Drew Plitt (6) | Justin Hall 52, Yo'Heinz Tyler 52, Antwan Davis 43 | 1,618 | 15-5 |
| 2019 | Drew Plitt (12) | Justin Hall 85, Riley Miller 72, Antwan Davis 50 | 2,956 | 24-7 |
| 2018 | Riley Neal (9), Drew Plitt (3) | Justin Hall 98, Riley Miller 96, Corey Lacanaria 72 | 2,995 | 17-12 |
| 2017 | Jack Milas (5), Riley Neal (3), Drew Plitt (3), Zack Blair (1) | Justin Hall 114, Riley Miller 47, Nolan Givan 38 | 2,104 | 11-14 |
| 2016 | Riley Neal (11), Jack Milas (1) | KeVonn Mabon 121, Damon Hazelton 77, Corey Lacanaria 40 | 2,751 | 14-14 |
| 2015 | Riley Neal (9), Jack Milas (3) | KeVonn Mabon 111, Corey Lacanaria 63, Chris Shillings 41 | 2,577 | 17-8 |
| 2014 | Jack Milas (6), Ozzie Mann (6) | KeVonn Mabon 90, Chris Shillings 48, Jahwan Edwards 33 | 2,627 | 19-6 |
| 2013 | Keith Wenning (12) | Willie Snead 152, Javond Williams 100, Jamill Smith 90 | 3,985 | 34-7 |
| 2012 | Keith Wenning (11), Kelly Page (1) | Willie Snead 128, Jamill Smith 101, Zane Fakes 69 | 3,087 | 26-10 |
| 2011 | Keith Wenning (12) | Briggs Orsbon 99, Jack Tomlinson 63, Torieal Gibson 60 | 2,895 | 19-11 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 Ball State Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan Hamilton | WR | 29 | 20 | 220 | 1 |
| Isaiah Thacker | WR | 20 | 13 | 112 | 0 |
| Jamarion McDougle | WR | 20 | 12 | 135 | 0 |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | WR | 13 | 12 | 132 | 2 |
| TJ Horton | RB | 12 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Tate Hoover | TE | 12 | 8 | 37 | 1 |
| Corey Thompson Jr. | WR | 12 | 6 | 48 | 0 |
| Jalen Bonds | RB | 8 | 8 | 93 | 1 |
| Alex Scherle | TE | 7 | 2 | 16 | 1 |
| CJ Nelson | WR | 5 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Elisha Durham | WR | 5 | 2 | 47 | 0 |
| Elijah Jackson | RB | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
2026 Ball State Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | at OSU | L 3-56 | Keldric Luster | 20-37 | 120 | 0 | 1 |
| Week 2 | vs stony brook | W 41-17 | Keldric Luster | 27-32 | 256 | 3 | 1 |
| Week 3 | at LIB | L 15-51 | Keldric Luster | 10-21 | 93 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 4 | at KENT | L 13-26 | Tyler Mizzell | 16-27 | 164 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 5 | vs TOL | L 24-39 | Keldric Luster | 22-35 | 238 | 2 | 1 |
2026 Ball State Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keldric Luster → Donovan Hamilton | 20 | 12 | 126 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Jamarion McDougle | 18 | 12 | 135 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Isaiah Thacker | 14 | 10 | 86 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Jabari Smith Jr. | 13 | 11 | 99 | 1 |
| Keldric Luster → TJ Horton | 12 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Corey Thompson Jr. | 11 | 6 | 48 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Tate Hoover | 10 | 7 | 36 | 1 |
| Tyler Mizzell → Donovan Hamilton | 9 | 8 | 94 | 1 |
| Tyler Mizzell → Isaiah Thacker | 6 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Keldric Luster → Alex Scherle | 5 | 2 | 16 | 1 |
| Tyler Mizzell → Jalen Bonds | 5 | 5 | 57 | 0 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
All Posts →Understanding the Throw.
What the box score cannot tell you about the people behind the pass.
What CPOE Means, and How ACE Builds on It
Completion percentage over expected gives credit for difficult completions. Here is how ACE measures it.
Read Article →Why Sacks Belong Partly to the Quarterback
A sack is the rush, the line and the decision. Why our dropback stats count them.
Read Article →FROM THE A-GAME PODCAST
Listen to the Episode ↗10 Mind-Body Performance Recovery Tools Backed By Science
Learn the break down of ten mind-body recovery tools, each backed by science, including how and when to use them to perform at your peak.