Pete Lembo - Wins against power-five conference teams
- Sept. 3, 2011 - at Indiana (27-20)
- Sept. 15, 2012 - at Indiana (41-39)
- Oct. 5, 2013 - at Virginia (48-27)
In preparation for a road matchup with No. 16 Texas A&M, the Ball State football coaches have been blasting crowd noise at practice all week.
In a 2014 survey on ESPN.com among 99 FBS coaches, the Aggies' Kyle Field finished second behind LSU as the toughest place in the country to play.
Both teams enter the game at 1-0 on the season. In what looks like an uphill battle for the Cardinals, they are focused on doing their thing against some of the best players in the nation.
"Anytime you're a competitor you want to play against the best," offensive coordinator Joey Lynch said. "There's no question [Texas A&M] can match up with anybody. We want to go operate and do what we're coached to do."
The Cardinals opened the season with a 48-36 victory at home over the Virginia Military Institute Keydets.
The offense exploded for 567 total yards against VMI. Quarterback Jack Milas, running back Darian Green and wide receiver Jordan Williams all captured statistical achievements in the game.
One intriguing match-up will be the Cardinals' seasoned offensive line against the Aggies' defensive push. Ball State ranked No. 12 in the country in sacks allowed last season, and didn't give up any in week one.
Texas A&M garnered nine sacks in its opening 38-17 win over No. 15 Arizona State. Its front is led by Myles Garrett, a top prospect who set the Southeastern Conference records for sacks last season.
Milas and Lynch said the silent snap count will be useful to counter the passing rush.
"We got some things that could kinda take away that pass rush a little bit," Milas said. "Just gotta keep them off balance, change the snap count up so they're not jumping everything."
Lynch said the Aggies' tendency to play man coverage is something to watch for, as it takes just one misstep to have a big play.
"They play some man and we gotta win outside," Milas said of Texas A&M's secondary. "Just gotta put the ball on the wide receivers and let them do their thing."
While the offense put points on the board in every quarter last week, Ball State allowed VMI to keep the game interesting with 19 points in the fourth quarter. The Keydets gained 547 yards of offense against the Cardinals.
The Aggies' defense held up through three quarters last Saturday, allowing its offense to score 21 points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Kyle Allen finished with198 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 26 attempts, while the running backs combined for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.
Linebacker Ben Ingle looks forward to the challenge of taking on a top-tier team.
“It's going to be a fun game,” Ingle said. “There's a lot of energy around it, it's a great challenge for us so we're all looking forward to it.”
This is the first time in nearly two seasons that the Cardinals have battled a top-25 team. The last time Ball State took on a team from the SEC was in 2009, when it was defeated 54-30 by Auburn.
Head coach Pete Lembo has three wins against teams from power-five conferences in his career.
Although Texas A&M possesses size and speed that Ball State may not, the Cardinals feel confident in their ability to strike early and compete with the Aggies.
"They do the same things we do," Ingle said. "We've played in big games before. It's all about just playing and doing our own role."
Ball State and Texas A&M will kick off at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12.
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