Sophomore earns recognition from the league for first time in career
Ball State safety Jordan Riley was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. It is sophomore’s first career recognition from the conference.
Riley is the fifth Cardinal to earn a weekly honor from the MAC this season, joining John Paddock (Sept. 26, Oct. 3), Jaquan Amos (Oct. 3), Lucas Borrow (Oct. 10) and Carson Steele (Oct. 10).
Riley had a career-high 14 tackles to help Ball State keep UConn at bay in its third consecutive double-digit comeback. The Clinton, Md. native had the key play of the game
defensively when he forced a fumble when the game was 21-13 in favor of the Huskies. The Cardinals pounced on the ball and scored four plays later to key the comeback.
Riley and the defense shut out UConn in the second half, limiting the Huskies to just 53 yards on 30 plays and induced a pair of turnovers.
Riley is 10th in the conference in total tackles and is the only player in the conference to have 57 tackles and seven passes defended this season.
Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium Saturday afternoon against Eastern Michigan for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+, the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network, WLBC and SiriusXM.
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