Ball State football has had a year of firsts.
The 31-7 win over Indiana State on Aug. 28 was the first night game in stadium history. It was the Cardinals first season-opening win since 1995 and the first win for head coach Brady Hoke.
And Saturday will mark the first visit to Muncie by a team from a Bowl Championship Series conference -- Missouri.
The Tigers downed Ball State 41-6 in Columbia, Mo., last year, but don't think Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel and crew are looking past the Cardinals.
The past two years, Missouri was downed by Mid-American Conference school Bowling Green, including a 51-28 pounding on the road last year.
Pinkel is also familiar with Ball State from his previous job at Toledo.
"Knowing Gary, he'll have his troops ready to go," Hoke said. "I'm sure (the loss to Bowling Green is) on the mind of their players and their coaching staff. I think they'll be ready to play."
Pinkel doesn't picture Missouri taking Ball State lightly, either.
"It will be a very difficult and tough football game," Pinkel wrote on mutigers.com. "I am concerned about everyone we play. We have a chance to be 2-0. They will play great and at a high-emotional level, but I cannot see that game being more important to them than to us."
One Missouri player whom Ball State will not take lightly is quarterback Brad Smith.
The sophomore didn't light up the scoreboard in last week's 22-15 win over Illinois (102 yards passing, 66 rushing), but he did lead the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
In 2002 Smith became the second Division I-A player to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a season. Against Ball State, Smith ran for 105 yards on nine carries, including a 39-yard touchdown.
Hoke said a dual-threat quarterback like Smith is a nightmare to prepare for.
"You don't sleep," he said. "If he brings that ball down and starts moving around in the pocket, you worry about coverage breaking down. Then you worry about yards he can get from rushing lanes."
Another backfield threat is senior Zach Abron. Hoke said the Tigers' strength comes from the offensive line, which has four starters back from last year, led by tackle Rob Droege and center A.J. Ricker.
"They've got an offense that is very potent and very powerful," Hoke said. "They force you to defend the whole field. When you have a quarterback who can run the ball, even if you have a one-back set, it's like having two running backs.
"You've got to look at how much you want to pressure them. If you throw all your eggs in one basket, you're looking for problems in other areas."
A problem area for Ball State against ISU was run defense. The Sycamores had 183 total yards, but Jake Shields ran for 127 of them, including a touchdown to cap his team's 17-play, 80-yard drive.
On the flip side, BSU's rushing attack generated 91 yards.
Hoke said junior running back Scott Blair was "banged up" in that game but will be fine for Saturday. Sophomore Charles Wynn and redshirt Brad Seiss, however, should get some carries again.
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