Starting senior cornerback Joshua Taylor continues to recover from a concussion suffered during last weekend's Homecoming game against Toledo, and it remains to be seen if he'll be able to play this weekend at Ohio.
The earliest it will be known if he'll play is Thursday, Associate Athletics Director Joe Hernandez said.
If Taylor is unable to play, one of three backups would replace him in the starting lineup - true freshman Trey Buice, junior Ricky Rakestraw or redshirt freshman Lavell Mosley.
None of the three have started to this point, and Mosley has yet to suit up at all. He was suspended for three games - at Iowa, against Bowling Green, and at Boston College - for his role in violating the textbook policy. Rakestraw was suspended for the Western Michigan game, but has played in four of six games. Buice has played in five games.
There is no favorite among the three, coach Brady Hoke said, and whoever starts in Taylor's place will have earned the position this week during practice.
"A couple of them do things better than the other one, the other one does better than the others," Hoke said. "We're going to compete."
Taylor has started all six games so far, and has 30 tackles.
The senior cornerback hit his head and was briefly knocked unconscious while helping make a tackle with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter. He remained on the ground for 13 minutes before being strapped down to a backboard, lifted into an ambulance and sent to the hospital. He was released about three hours after the game and spoke to Hoke.
"He's got a headache, like you would with a concussion," Hoke said.
At the time of Taylor's injury, Ball State was behind, 27-14. After Taylor was driven off the field, in a first-and-20 situation, the Cardinals's defense then gave up an eight-yard run by Trinity Dawson, who finished with 146 rushing yards and one touchdown. Bruce Gradkowski connected with Nick Moore for an 11-yard completion, then ran for three yards and the first down.
Ball State's defense appeared to be fazed with their teammate fallen when Toledo continued its drive down to the seven yard line, but Ball State's Marcus McClure intercepted the ball at the four-yard line and returned it seven yards.
Junior safety Erik Keys said Taylor's injury didn't negatively affect the defense immediately after the play occurred.
"If anything, it was a positive, to get us going again because for a while, we mellowed out," Keys said after the game. "We started out hyped and then mellowed out a little bit."
The Cardinals's offense took over the ball but could only advance the ball 13 yards before Joey Lynch threw an interception, which senior linebacker Anthony Jordan returned for a 21-yard touchdown. Jordan's touchdown gave the Rockets their final margin of victory, 34-14.
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