Ball State football prepares for road match against Ohio

The Ball State football team runs onto the field before the game against Toledo on Oct. 2 at Scheumann Stadium. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY
The Ball State football team runs onto the field before the game against Toledo on Oct. 2 at Scheumann Stadium. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY

Game Information

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 17

Where: Athens, Ohio

Watch: ESPN3

Ball State football (3-7, 2-4) will travel to Athens, Ohio, to face off against the Ohio Bobcats (6-4, 3-3) on Nov. 17. 

With more than six losses on the season and the team's current postseason ineligibility, the rest of the Cardinals' season will be for pride after a down season for the team.

Ohio started the season 5-1, but has since gone 1-3.

Head coach Pete Lembo says that this Ohio team can not be overlooked, despite the team's play as of late.

"Ohio's defense is a very solid unit," Lembo said. "I would compare them a lot to Central Michigan, in terms of what they do and how they do [it]."

Central Michigan is 5-5 on the season and is one of the few teams to defeat Northern Illinois, which sits atop the Mid-American Conference West Division along with Western Michigan.

The Cardinals are coming off a bye week after a 54-7 loss that was handed to them by Western Michigan on Nov. 5. 

Meanwhile, the Bobcats are coming off a 27-0 shutout victory over Kent State.

Freshman quarterback Riley Neal will face a tough Bobcat defense.

The Bobcats' defense runs a 4-3 base set and is currently fourth in the MAC in terms of yards allowed per game at 373.4. The team's pass defense also ranks fourth in the MAC and has produced 11 interceptions this season.

The ball-hawking secondary of the Bobcats has the potential to snag a turnover against Neal. He has turned the ball over in every start besides Western Michigan, in a game where he posted career-low numbers with his arm. 

Ohio's quarterback Derrius Vick is the driving force for the offense. The redshirt senior has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 1809 yards, along with 177 yards and a score running the ball. 

Lembo is looking forward to the challenge of facing one of the more mobile signal-callers Ball State will compete against.

"He is a very dynamic athlete," Lembo said. "He's a guy that can really run the football effectively; ... perhaps the most effective thing Vick does is scramble."

The matchup will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio.

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