Ball State University is 6-0 and ranked in the Associated Press national poll for the first time in school history. Many Cardinal supporters saw this coming, but did anyone see it going this smoothly?
Sure, everyone knew Ball State's offense would be able to score, but how easily it has come to Ball State has been a bit surprising. Last year the Cardinals were the 31st-best offense when it came to yards per game. They've jumped 20 spots this year to 11th, and considering many of the teams ahead of them are about to face ranked opponents in their conference schedules Ball State should finish as a top 10 offense - perhaps top five.
I, like most of you, figured Ball State would put up the points and be a top 30 scoring team. Just as with yards, they have jumped higher than I imagined. They are currently scoring 39.7 points a game, which ranks them 12th nationally. That's a leap of 28 spots from last season, when they scored 31.5 and were ranked 40th.
Perhaps the biggest surprises have been the individual dominance of many players. Sure everyone figured Davis would be great once again but a 25 point jump in his quarterback efficiency to 164.56 - ninth-best in the nation and 15 spots higher than he finished last year - is higher than I imagined it would be.
What is particularly surprising in Davis' efficiency jump is that he is actually on pace to have a worse touchdown-to-interception ratio. Last year his ratio was 30-6, and this year he is on pace for 22-6. The reason his efficiency went up is he improved drastically in the one area of his game that he struggled with on a semi-regular basis last year: accuracy. He has raised his completion percentage by 12.6 percent this year, which is one of the largest jumps in the nation.
Another player putting up surprising numbers is MiQuale Lewis. Sure, the guy averaged more than 100 yards in the four games he played in last year, but coming off a second-straight serious knee injury and considering who the Cardinals' quarterback is, no one foresaw him being fourth in the nation in rushing yards and tied for first in touchdowns.
Lewis has 802 yards this year, which is 313 more than preseason Heisman hopeful Knowshon Moreno of the University of Georgia. He is averaging more than 133 yards per game, which is more than the man widely considered the most talented running back in the country - Chris 'Beanie' Wells of Ohio State - and is on pace for over 1,600 yards in a 12-game season.
The Ball State record is 1,618, held by Marcus Merriweather from 2002. Lewis needs just seven more to tie and eight more to break Mark Bornholdt's 19 in 1979.
Finally there is the biggest surprise of them all - freshman safety Sean Baker. He is tied for the national lead with four interceptions, which ranks them eighth nationally in the stat. He has the team's only fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown. He is leading the team in tackles with 44. He has been as important to the defense as any player has been to the offense.
It's been as good of a start to the season as any player or fan could have hoped for - coach Brady Hoke would tell you it hasn't been perfect, so neither will I. If the team can go 12-0 and then win the MAC Championship game they could very well end up being a BCS buster.
Ball State is ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll, but that doesn't count in the BCS poll. The one that truly matters, the USA Today poll - although it is a joke of a poll - puts Ball State in the 29th spot. With eight weeks left in the season Ball State needs to move up two spots a week to be in the top 12 at season's end. If that happens, all of these players will be household names - if they aren't already.
Write to Levin at ltblack@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
