A 12-0 regular season last year went a long way in erasing the memories of Ball State University football fans. The 21-game losing streak and 10 consecutive losing seasons have been pushed far from thought.But one bad result has come back to the forefront this week.
Just three years ago, the Cardinals lost at Scheumann Stadium to North Dakota State University, a Football Championship Subdivision team. On Saturday, the University of New Hampshire, another FCS team, will try and extend their winning streak against Football Bowl Subdivision teams to five games.
Senior defensive end Brandon Crawford was a part of the team that was upset by the Bison.
"We don't dwell on the past," Crawford said. "The guys that were here, we remember, but we just have to play that much better."
Ball State hasn't been beaten by an FCS team since 2006, but New Hampshire will present a tough opponent. The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the FCS coaches' poll and have had wins against Army, Marshall University, Northwestern University and Rutgers University since 2004.
New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell said the situation is much different this week.
"Ball State is a very good football program," he said. "If you watch how they've played the last couple years and look at the players they have in the program, they're one of the biggest challenges we've faced."
The Wildcats are a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, a conference that has already sprung three upsets on FBS teams this season. The College of William and Mary took down the University of Virginia, the University of Richmond knocked off Duke University and Villanova University beat Temple University in the Mayor's Cup. All three of the CAA teams are ranked in the top-10 in the coaches' poll.
Size and speed are the biggest differences between the two divisions, McDonnell said.
"If you look at Ball State across the [offensive line], they're 6-8, 6-5, 6-8," McDonnell said. "We don't play teams like that in the CAA. They have a lot of team speed in the defense. Speed worries a coach when they jump up a division."
Despite the advantages, before the season started, Cardinals coach Stan Parrish said the Wildcats were a team that couldn't be overlooked.
"New Hampshire reminds me of North Dakota State," Parrish said. "If you're not ready to play they'll beat you."
McDonnell said he just hopes to be competitive against Ball State.
"I really respect the Cardinal program," McDonnell said. "They're a well-coached football team. Hopefully we can show up and give them a contest."
Ball State is coming from the 20-10 upset by the University of North Texas on opening night, something they don't want to happen again. Crawford said the team has to be focused this week.
"We're not trying to take it lightly," Crawford said. "We're not trying to get beat."
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