A win this week would keep Ball State in arm’s length of the Mid-American Conference West championship. Though division-leading Northern Illinois University remains unbeaten after nine games, Ball State (8-1) still controls its own destiny.
Tonight’s 8 o’clock home game against Central Michigan University (3-5) will feature a Chippewas team that is coming off of a 18-day break. It’s a span that head coach Pete Lembo took note of coming into the game.
“They’re going to be fresh, they’re going to be well-prepared, and it’s a very tough, physical team to begin with,” he said.
The Chippewas have given up 33.4 points per game this season, ranking 11th of 13 MAC teams. Its defense has given up 435.6 yards per contest as well.
Ball State scored 42 points in its most recent win over the University of Akron — a game in which it was forced to punt the ball seven times. Scoring hasn’t been an issue even when ball control was.
An important part of the Cardinals’ ability to put points on the board was a six-for-six scoring effort from inside the red zone. Punts and turnovers aside, Ball State has scored on 87 percent of its red zone possessions this season.
The Chippewas have posted a minus-three turnover margin this season, while Ball State has produced a plus-seven margin. The Cardinals’ offense has held the ball for just 27:43 per game this season, better than only the University of Miami in the MAC.
Ball State is coming off its own 10-day break since playing Akron — its first such stretch of the season. The team has made sure to reinforce its adjust schedule this week to its young players.
“We don’t take anything for granted,” Lembo said. “We go to great lengths to remind them and try to get them as prepared as they can be. We always like to say ‘don’t surprise us, and we won’t surprise you.’”
Central Michigan lost running back Zurlon Tipton to injury early this September. He was ranked seventh nationally in rushing yards last season.
Paired with a schedule that featured matchups against University of Nevada Las Vegas and North Carolina State University, Central Michigan opened its season with just one win in four games.
Since that point though, the team has gained wins over both Miami and Ohio University. Lembo said the growth of freshman quarterback Cooper Rush has aided the offense.
Though Ball State could easily look ahead to its potential bowl matchups or even next weeks’ showdown with Northern Illinois, it’s not.
The focus remains on the Chippewas and the next installment of a rivalry that Lembo has watched develop over the last two seasons.
“We’re feeling pretty good that we found a way to win a couple games against them the last couple years,” he said. “And I’m sure this will be a great way to kick off some of the mid-week action.”
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