Ball State's opponent for Saturday's football game, CentralMichigan, scored seven points against Michigan in its first game --seven more than Notre Dame did. The Chippewas also piled up fourtimes the rushing yardage as the Irish did against theWolverines.
So should Ball State fans be scared? Far from it.
In fact, the Cardinals may be ripe to break out on Saturday, inposition to win its first Mid-American Conference opener since1995.
Yes, Central Michigan (2-1) is averaging 236.6 yards on theground, whereas BSU is yielding 197.0. But Eastern Kentucky and NewHampshire (CMU's two wins) are not exactly Missouri and Pittsburgh.I would expect the Cardinal front line to be a little more stoutagainst the Chippewas, especially given head coach Brady Hoke'sbackground as a d-line coach.
And as for the Ball State offense, with its well-documentedtroubles running the ball, it showed signs of improvement Saturday.Pitt may have the best defense Ball State will face this year, andthe Cardinals still put up 21 points and forged a halftime tie.Outside of the forgettable third quarter, quarterback Talmadge Hilldid a good job managing the offense, Hoke said after the game. Hilllooked more poised and threw better than he had at any point lastyear.
But Andy Roesch might return from his shoulder injury and startover Hill? Roesch threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns in Mt.Pleasant, Mich., last year. Hill will probably get the call again,but both quarterbacks are capable.
Remember the number 236.6? That also happens to be what CMU isgiving up on the ground -- a perfect cure for the Cardinal runninggame. At Pitt, Hoke said his offensive line "was better at thepoint of attack," and it only allowed one sack.
Here are two more cheerful figures to chew on. They both showthe discipline Hoke has emphasized with his team and are conduciveto winning football: one turnover and nine penalties. That is allBall State has committed this year. The latter figure is tied forsecond-best in the nation.
No, all these statistics don't automatically add up to a win forthe Cardinals, but it's certainly a lot in their favor.
BSU may be 1-2, but the start of Mid-American Conference playbrings a clean slate. Hoke is not satisfied with his team's play,and he shouldn't be, but he has the Cards going in the rightdirection. The combination of the improvement shown at Pitt andfavorable opponent matchup-wise point toward the first 1-0 MACrecord in eight years.
I will not predict an outright win, but I will predict theCardinals will put up 38 points in The Nest -- something that'shappened the past three years in victories over Central.
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