Star Press: "Why Ball State football’s opener in Indianapolis has added significance for the Cardinals"
From the Star Press - Muncie, Indiana
By: Jordan Guskey
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State will try to upset Indiana on Aug. 31 when the Cardinals and Hoosiers open their seasons at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Cardinals will use this game to attempt to prove that the fourth year of the Mike Neu era won’t follow the script of past seasons. They will attempt to show that a Big Ten program is not too formidable of an opponent for a Mid-American Conference team. They will attempt to replicate the success the 2011 Ball State football team had against IU in that same venue, in what also served as a season opener.
But there is more to this matchup for the Cardinals than what’ll occur on the field.
“Putting Ball State in downtown Indianapolis in arguably the finest sports venue in the country puts us on a playing level that doesn’t happen very often,” said Shawn Sullivan, BSU’s associate athletics director of marketing and fan engagement. “You can’t deny the impact that can have on a number of areas, whether that’s recruiting, brand awareness, and eyeballs from a national television standpoint and a local and regional standpoint.”