Sport | Football |
---|---|
First meeting | October 18, 1924 Indiana State, 47–0 |
Latest meeting | September 16, 2023 Ball State, 45–7 |
Next meeting | September 9, 2028 |
Trophy | Victory Bell |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 66 |
All-time series | Ball State leads, 40–24–1 |
Largest victory | Indiana State, 47–0 (1924) |
Longest win streak | Ball State, 6 (1988–2003) |
Current win streak | Ball State, 1 (2023–present) |
The Blue Key Victory Bell is presented to the winner of the college football game between Indiana State University and Ball State University.[1][2][3][4][5] The two schools met regularly between 1924 and 1991 but sporadically since that season. They have competed for the Victory Bell since 1940; from 1924 to 1947 they were Indiana Intercollegiate Conference rivals and from 1951 to 1967 they were Indiana Collegiate Conference rivals. Ball State was a regional campus of Indiana State University from 1918 to 1961; since the 1961–62 academic year, Ball State has operated independently.
ISU defeated in-state rival Ball State 27–20 at Scheumann Stadium on Saturday.
That interstate rival has not played in a decade and Ball State won the last matchup 31–7 in 2003.
With Family Weekend bringing more fans besides the interstate rivalry, it took more than an hour to move traffic out of the stadium with the large crowd.
The Indiana State vs. Ball State game is played for the Victory Bell, which was returned to the Sycamores for the first time since 1987.