Ball State University's watershed win against Central Michigan University was less than 24 hours old, but coach Brady Hoke found no comfort in the victory.
A short week of practices does that to a football coach. So do the Mid-American Conference West Division implications riding on Tuesday's home game against Western Michigan University.
But Hoke's most pressing concern was how his No. 15 Cardinals were going to stop the Broncos' offense.
"We have a lot of work to do, and on six days it doesn't give you exactly what you'd like," Hoke said. "They're a tremendous offense. Really, this is going to be a huge test for us."
Quarterback Tim Hiller leads the league with 3,382 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Running back Brandon West is fifth in the MAC with 909 rushing yards and has seven touchdowns.
But perhaps Ball State's most daunting challenge is Western Michigan's receiver Jamarko Simmons.
The 6-foot-2, 234-pound senior leads the MAC with 92 receptions and 1,100 receiving yards. He is also third in the nation in receptions and sixth in receiving yards.
Hoke was effusive in his praise for the Broncos' senior.
"He is a guy who's big and physical and has good speed and tremendous hands," he said. "This guy catches everything with his hands, and he does a great job. So it will be a real test."
Hoke's goal is to make the testing mutual.
Perhaps the strongest aspect of a unit that leads the MAC in scoring defense is cornerback play. The Cardinals have three senior corners, all of whom play the game a different way.
B.J. Hill is the more athletic of the three. Trey Buice, who starts on the opposite side of the field, is the more physical. And Trey Lewis, the Cardinals nickleback, plays the ball better when it's in the air.
Instead of matching one cornerback against Simmons, Hoke said, he plans to use all three.
"With our game plan that we have for the game, we're going to be able to attack him from our different skill sets that we all bring to the table," Buice said. "I'm going to have to lean on somebody to help me every now and then in coverage, as well as they're going to lean on me to help them. It's not attacking as an individual battle, it's going to take attacking as a group."
No matter who lines up against Simmons, Hill said, the goal will be the same.
"It's going to be a challenge for all of our corners," he said. "But as a competitor, you've got to step up and meet that challenge."
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