Ball State's football team shouldn't be too surprised with what they see this weekend. The team it is playing should look familiar. The team should remind the Cardinals of themselves.
When they travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., this Saturday to square off against the Central Michigan Chippewas, the Cardinals will get a look at a team they have seen all season.
As far as style and scheme go, the two teams aren't that alike. According to Ball State head coach Bill Lynch, though, the similarities come in the teams' positions.
"They've got some things to play for," Lynch said. "They've got some things they could accomplish but they haven't been able to."
The Cardinals post a 4-5 overall record, with a 2-3 mark in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas have played -- and lost -- one more MAC game. Ball State tailback Marcus Merriweather said the teams are no longer battling for position in the conference, but are focusing on pride for the rest of the season.
"We're not playing for a whole lot as far as position in the MAC," Merriweather said, "and the bowl picture is out, so we're playing as a tribute to the seniors."
Merriweather's role in this week's contest will be a big one. The Central Michigan run defense is ranked second in the conference. Merriweather says, though, that he doesn't think about the statistics when he thinks about a game.
"(Their stats) really don't mean a whole lot," Merriweather said.
Lynch agreed, saying Merriweather's motivation doesn't come from his opponents, but rather from himself.
"Regardless of who we play or where we play them," Lynch said, "he's got himself very well prepared.
He said even if a back rushed 150 yards against a team's defense, the yards lost in sacks could make the numbers look smaller. Central is giving up only 139.3 yards per game.
Small numbers is something Merriweather hasn't been used to this season. Two weeks ago, Merriweather broke the career rushing yards record with a 214-yard performance against Western Michigan. Now, Merriweather is only 67 yards away from breaking the single-season rushing record that he set last season. The current record is 1,265 yards.
Merriweather and the rest of the team is coming off a bye week. Lynch said that extra rest prepared his team to face Central's get-up-and-go no huddle offense.
"I think the fact that we had a week off has helped us work on it," Lynch said. "The no-huddles we've played against in the past are different than this one."
To counteract Ball State's week off, Central Michigan coach Mike DeBord didn't have his team study film from its last game, a common practice for most teams. Instead, DeBord focused immediately on Ball State's game film. DeBord also said he wanted to move past Central's 44-17 loss to Toledo the week before.
DeBord agreed that his team and Ball State were in the same position. Since Central has lost one more game, the Chippewas only have a chance to finish with a .500 record. DeBord said that was his team's goal.
"But to win six," DeBord said, "you first have to get five."
Ball State will travel to Mount Pleasant for the game, which starts at 1 p.m.
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