{
  "id": 8586162,
  "title": "Road game woes continue for Ball State football with ugly loss | Analysis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/road-game-woes-continue-for-ball-state-football-with-ugly-loss",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-20T02:21:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/road-game-woes-continue-ball-022151359.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ball State football suffered a devastating 51-15 defeat at Liberty on September 19, marking an important season test. The loss left the Cardinals at 1-2 on the season, following a 56-3 loss to Ohio State and a 41-17 defeat to FCS Stony Brook. Liberty, a Group of Six team, had recently beaten Gardner-Webb and matched Ball State's 4-8 record from a year ago.\n\nHead coach Mike Uremovich admitted Ball State failed to meet Liberty's standards, attributing the loss to personal shortcomings. The offense struggled to move the ball, while the defense failed to secure stops. Quarterback Keldric Luster managed to gain some yardage but failed to replicate the success against Stony Brook. In contrast, Liberty's quarterback Deshawn Purdie completed 13 of 20 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Liberty's running game had a significant impact, gaining 212 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Ball State faced 11 penalties in two consecutive weeks, contributing to their downfall.",
  "summary": "In perhaps its most important test of the season so far, Ball State football failed resoundingly with its performance at Liberty.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ball State lost 51-15 to Liberty on September 19",
    "Liberty, a Group of Six team, defeated Ball State 2-0 in season",
    "Quarterback Keldric Luster struggled to move the ball"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The loss cements a worrying pattern of struggle on the road for Ball State, highlighting deep-seated issues with both offense and defense that have now been exposed in consecutive games.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "No luck: Michigan State drops road test at No. 3 Notre Dame",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/no-luck-michigan-state-drops-road-test-at-no-3-notre-dame",
        "published": "2026-09-20T02:44:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}