FOOTBALL: Ball State set to take on Akron

Defense end Nick Miles, right, congratulates defensive end Jonathan Newsome during the game against Northern Illinois on Oct. 6, 2012. Both consider each other good friends and have been defensive line starters since 2012. DN FILE PHOTO JONATHAN MIKSANEK
Defense end Nick Miles, right, congratulates defensive end Jonathan Newsome during the game against Northern Illinois on Oct. 6, 2012. Both consider each other good friends and have been defensive line starters since 2012. DN FILE PHOTO JONATHAN MIKSANEK

Ball State will put its 4-0 Mid-American Conference record to the test Saturday against the University of Akron.

The Zips are 1-3 in the MAC, and 2-6 overall. Defensively, they’ve allowed more than 400 yards and 31 points per game.

Though the defense has been porous this season, Akron held Miami (Ohio) University to 303 total yards last week. Akron picked up its second win of the season after posting a final score of 22-18.

“If you watched as much video as our staff has in the last couple days, and you said [Akron] is 6-2, and not 2-6, it wouldn’t shock anybody,” head coach Pete Lembo said.

Ball State is coming off of a 38-17 win over Western Michigan University. The win was the Cardinals’ fifth straight and its seventh on the season.

Quarterback Keith Wenning has passed for at least 300 yards in each game this season. He’s reached 2,625 yards on the season to go along with his 18 touchdowns.

Wenning is third in the country in passing yards, while junior receiver Willie Snead is third in receiving yards. The pair is part of a Ball State offense that has given the ball away 15 times.

The Ball State defense has 20 takeaways, which is tied for second in the country. The Cardinals are allowing just 23.5 points per game to opponents, and no more than 28 in any one game.

Akron is scoring just 19.6 points per game, but Lembo said they can compete with most teams in the MAC.

“They are very, very comparable to a lot of the better teams in our league, and in some cases may have some better athletes at some spots,” he said.

Ball State’s running backs were rushed the ball for just over five yards per carry in the win over Western Michigan. The pair of Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks rushed for 93 and 73 yards.

Though Wenning still passed the ball 37 times, the impact of the rushing attack was evident.

Edwards was listed on the injury report as probable with a knee injury this week. He went down awkwardly last week, resulting in more carries being given to Banks.

Edwards still led the team with 18, but Banks registered 13 carries of his own.

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