After letting a 16-point lead slip away against Indiana last week, Ball State University will once again face a Big Ten Conference team Saturday.
The Cardinals will travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue University at Ross-Ade Stadium, where they weren't treated kindly the last time they visited: Purdue won 59-7 in 2004.
But Purdue struggled last week in its game against Mid-American Conference opponent Miami University. The Redhawks had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Purdue's Anthony Spencer blocked the potential game-winning field goal. The Boilermakers would go onto win 38-31 in overtime.
"I just think Miami really played fast on both sides of the ball and that's what you want to do," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said.
Purdue's quarterback is sophomore Curtis Painter. He's more of a drop-back passer, but does have some speed, so look for the Boilers to occasionally run the spread option.
Through two games he has thrown for 481 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has rushed for only 27 yards on the year.
"He's a guy who runs pretty well with the ball in his hand," Hoke said. "He does a good job with the ball. I think he's got a really good arm. I like the kid, just everything he has. The intangibles, I like that also."
The top offensive threats are running back Kory Sheets and wide receiver Dorien Bryant. Sheets had four touchdowns in last week's victory over Miami. Bryant is a big-play receiver similar to Indiana University's James Hardy. The 5-foot-10 junior has 14 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Safety Erik Keys said the defense has to look for Bryant on reverses, screens and crossing routes.
"He's a big part of their offense," he said. "They try to use his speed. He's a real fast player. We're going to have to keep him from getting the ball, especially on screens and little crosses."
Defensively, defensive end Spencer and linebacker Dan Bick carry much of the workload. Bick has tallied 21 tackles and a sack, while Spencer has 15 tackles and two sacks on the year.
"We really think [Spencer's] a great player," quarterback Joey Lynch said. "He's very active and he plays hard. He's a tremendous player. It's going to be a challenge for us offensively."
For the Ball State offense, the Cardinals will continue to play both quarterbacks, Lynch and Nate Davis. Also, with running back B.J. Hill playing with an injured ankle, freshman MiQuale Lewis will continue seeing time in the backfield with Larry Bostic. Hoke said the team needs to work on getting more yards on first and second downs.
"We got to have better vision and hit the holes better," he said. "We got to block better. There's no question the running game has to be better. I don't care how we get the yardage on first down. As long as we can get five or six [yards], I'll take it every time."
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