Sometimes, it's not a bad idea to relive your high-schooldays.
For junior tailback Scott Blair, some video footage of thisseason and his days at Southwestern High School in Somerset, Ky.,helped him run for a career-high 127 yards in Ball State's 27-14win over Central Michigan Saturday.
Blair's previous best came in his first career start, againstNorthern Iowa in 2001, when he gathered 107 yards on 22 tries.
From watching the films this year, Blair concluded he wasn'tgetting upfield quick enough.
"Me and my fiancee, we watched my high school highlight tape (onFriday) before the game," he said. "(I thought) 'This is what I'vegot to do.' I've got to run downhill, get in the hole, get upfield,get yards and then make people miss."
Blair also said he wrote "downhill" on his wrist "to keep inmind, 'Don't do any dancing in the hole.'"
His downhill running led the way as the Cardinals (2-2) totaled206 yards against Central on the ground, a season-best. CharlesWynn pitched in 51 yards, and quarterback Talmadge Hill contributed28.
"I had 19 carries, and Charles had 15 or so," Blair said."That's the most running we've done all season. Our line did a goodjob of pounding on them. We weren't knocking off big yards everytime, but it was the fact that we were in their face everyplay."
"I'd like to see him outrun a linebacker, but I thought heplayed well," head coach Brady Hoke said of Blair's performance."He played physical. I think he had good vision on the first run hepopped out (a 44-yard run). I think it's a little bit of health,and a little bit a comfort zone, and getting the guys up frontplaying."
Blair played the first three weeks with a brace on his left kneeafter straining his MCL in fall camp. He also said he pulled somecartilage around his ribs in the first game.
"Really, I don't think that bothered me at all," he said. "Ithink it may be in the back of my mind, subconsciously, but I'vegot to play through that and be able to produce. I'm not back allthe way, but hopefully this weekend I'll be."
Notes: Quarterback Andy Roesch, who was named the starter in thepreseason and has missed the last two games because of a slightshoulder separation, is close to making a full recovery. Hoke saidMonday Roesch should dress for Saturday's game at Boston College.He will wait to decide, however, whether Roesch or Hill would startunder center.
"We'll play the guy we feel will give us the best chance towin," he said.
— Ball State has committed just one turnover in four gameswhile forcing six. The Cardinals also rank first in theMid-American Conference and 22nd in the nation in pass defense,yielding just 167.0 yards per game.
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