CMU / Ball State Previews

[spang]

As a MAC Geek, I am really excited about this one. Perhaps the MAC biggest regular season game ever.

From ESPN:


Ball St.-Cent. Michigan Preview
FORECASTED WEATHER
Forecast for Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant , MI
Updated: 11/18/08 5:45 PM ET Lo: 28?F
Hi: 35?F
Precip: 60%

Top 25 Overview
Mount Pleasant, MI - 7:00 PM ET
Ball State takes aim at school history Wednesday when it tries for a record 11th victory. It'll be a formidable task for the Cardinals as they visit Central Michigan with first-place in the MAC West on the line. The Chippewas are 1-8 all-time versus Top 25 teams.
Complete Top 25 Overview

Matchup
W-L PF PA HOME ROAD DIV CONF
BALL 10-0 376 154 5-0 5-0 3-0 6-0
CMU 8-2 287 282 4-0 4-2 3-0 6-0
? Complete Standings

In Close Games (7 points or less. Since 2001)
RECORD
BALL 15 - 7
CMU 11 - 9

Record When Scoring... (Since 2001)
20 OR MORE 30 OR MORE 40 OR MORE 50 OR MORE
BALL 41-27-0 29-7-0 12-2-0 2-0-0
CMU 43-23-0 34-7-0 13-3-0 3-1-0
LESS THAN 20 LESS THAN 30 LESS THAN 40 LESS THAN 50
BALL 2-22-0 14-42-0 31-47-0 41-49-0
CMU 3-26-0 12-42-0 33-46-0 43-48-0

TEAM AVERAGES & NCAA RANKS
OFFENSE TM PER GAME AVERAGE / NCAA RANK
Total Yards BALL 467.0 / 12th
CMU 426.7 / 28th
Passing Yards BALL 272.8 / 22nd
CMU 295.4 / 13th
Rushing Yards BALL 194.2 / 25th
CMU 131.3 / 77th
Points Scored BALL 37.6 / 15th
CMU 28.7 / 44th
Full Team Stats: Ball State | Central Michigan

Individual Leaders
Ball State Passing
CMP% YDS TD INT
Davis 68.2 2647 20 6
Justic... 100.0 17 0 0
Central Michigan Passing
CMP% YDS TD INT
LeFevo... 67.3 1808 13 3
Brunne... 64.4 981 6 2

Ball State Rushing
CAR YDS AVG TD
Lewis 216 1273 5.9 17
Sykes 70 404 5.8 3
Central Michigan Rushing
CAR YDS AVG TD
LeFevo... 118 450 3.8 5
Sneed 95 382 4.0 6

Ball State Receiving
REC YDS AVG TD
Orsbon 43 533 12.4 4
Love 28 460 16.4 3
Central Michigan Receiving
REC YDS AVG TD
Anders... 48 703 14.6 5
Brown 67 673 10.0 5

Full Player Stats: Ball State | Central Michigan
STATS LLC
Brady Hoke played on Ball State's first 10-win team in 1978. Now the coach of the Cardinals' second 10-win squad, Hoke is looking to add a chapter to the program's history Wednesday night when Ball State tries to reach 11 wins for the first time.

The No. 14 Cardinals (10-0, 6-0 Mid-American Conference) face Central Michigan in a battle for first place in the West Division, as the Chippewas look to lock up the division crown.

A linebacker with the Cardinals from 1977-80, Hoke was third on the team with 99 tackles in 1978 as Ball State won the conference title and finished 10-1. The sixth-year coach saw his Cardinals tie that team's record Nov. 11 with a 31-16 victory over Miami of Ohio.

"It is an accomplishment, but we've got to win the conference championship," Hoke said. "We've weathered 10 storms. We've got two more to go. Believe me, those will be the biggest challenges."

The first of those two challenges for Ball State -- which is ranked 17th in the BCS standings -- is Central Michigan (8-2, 6-0), the only other MAC team without a conference loss and the two-time defending league champs. The Chippewas have won the last four meetings, the most recent being a 58-38 victory at Ball State last Oct. 6 -- a result that has lingered for the Cardinals.

"What they did to us last year in our stadium -- everybody's got that in the back of their heads," running back MiQuale Lewis said.

Lewis ran for 165 yards and two scores against Miami, and has eight 100-yard games on the season and a rushing touchdown in nine consecutive contests. He's rolled up 1,273 yards and 17 TDs in 2008, but will be facing Central Michigan for the first time after having injuries cut short his previous two seasons.

Ball State's Nate Davis, who threw for 289 yards and a touchdown versus Miami, is eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a passer rating of 168.0. He's completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,647 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Cardinals are 12th in the FBS with 461.0 yards of offense per game and 15th in scoring with 37.6 points.

Central Michigan can clinch its third straight West Division title and a spot in the MAC championship game with a victory. The Chippewas, though, may have been looking ahead to this game, as they blew a 24-point second-half lead at Northern Illinois last Wednesday before pulling out a 33-30 overtime victory.

Andrew Aguila's 40-yard field goal gave Central Michigan a sweep of a three-game road stretch, the wins coming by a combined seven points.

"We made some mistakes that will get corrected, but with all the adversity we had in the second half, no one stopped believing," said Chippewas coach Butch Jones, whose team has won six in a row. "Every game has been like this, but it shapes you, it molds you. Sometimes a win like this is better than winning big because our kids have been tested."

Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour is coming off perhaps his best all-around game of the season, totaling 310 yards and four touchdowns. He threw for 189 yards and two scores while adding a season-high 121 rushing yards and two TDs.

LeFevour threw for 360 yards and a career-high five touchdowns against Ball State last year, and piled up a then-school record 506 yards of offense as Central Michigan rolled up a school-record 658 yards.

Central Michigan is playing its second ranked opponent of the season, having lost 56-17 to then-No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 6. The Chippewas are 1-8 all-time versus Top 25 teams.

This is will be just their second home game against a ranked foe, the other being a 40-24 loss to then-No. 17 Northern Illinois in 2003.

 

[spang]

USA TODAY :

Central Michigan finds itself in MAC title mix
Updated

Antonio Brown and Central Michigan will try to upstage unbeaten No. 16 Ball State Wednesday night.



MAC SHOWDOWN

No. 16 Ball State (10-0) at Central Michigan (8-2)

Time/TV: 7 p.m./ESPN2. Surface: Artificial.

Sheridan's line: Ball State by 7. Sagarin difference: Ball State by 5.42.

Close followers of the Mid-American Conference have had this midweek tilt circled on the calendar for a long time. First place in the West is on the line. The two-time defending league champion Chippewas will secure a berth in the MAC title game with a victory. The undefeated Cardinals must still get past Western Michigan next week to lock up the division. But first things first. The devastating Ball State offense, with QB Nate Davis and TB MiQuale Lewis providing near-perfect balance, will challenge LB Nick Bellore and the Central Michigan defense. The Chippewas' secondary has been susceptible, which could be good news for Cardinals WR Briggs Orsbon and TE Darius Hill. CMU will counter with dual-threat QB Dan LeFevour, who has missed time with an ankle injury but appeared to be at full speed in last week's victory at Northern Illinois. His top weapons are WR Antonio Brown, also the MAC's leading punt returner, WR Bryan Anderson and TB Ontario Sneed.

Compiled by Eddie Timanus. Line by USA TODAY sports analyst Danny Sheridan. Jeff Sagarin power ratings show team's relative strength; 2.92 added to home team to calculate difference.




Some games, to paraphrase Animal Farm, are more equal than others.
Even Central Michigan football coach Butch Jones admits the elevated buzz surrounding tonight's showdown with 16th-ranked Ball State is justified.

"It's coach-speak to say it's a big game because it's your next one," Jones says. "But when you're involved in a game like this one that has some ramifications and some magnitude, there's no doubt there's a little more excitement."

The magnitude of the game within the Mid-American Conference is big enough. Both teams enter the contest without a league loss. But most of the national ramifications are due to Ball State's ongoing bid for a perfect season and long-shot hopes for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series. CMU has perhaps flown a bit below the national radar compared with the Cardinals. But the Chippewas are positioned to play for a third consecutive MAC crown.

"We haven't really talked about that at all," says Jones of the Chippewas' relative lack of attention. "Our kids have done a great job focusing on the task at hand. Week in and week out, we really just worry about ourselves. In terms of all the recognition Ball State is receiving, it's deservedly so. For us, we've just got to keep focused on the task at hand. I think the MAC is as competitive as it's ever been."

There is plenty of evidence of that. Of the 40 MAC league games played through Saturday, 19 were decided by seven points or fewer, with 16 of those determined by a margin of four or fewer. Of CMU's six conference wins, none were by more than 10 points. Four were by a field goal or less, including last Wednesday's overtime nail-biter against Northern Illinois.

"We've been very fortunate to come out of those games with victories," Jones says. "I think that speaks volumes for our kids' confidence."

Ball security and solid special-teams play have been keys for the Chips' ability to prevail in those close contests.

The offense has committed eight turnovers all season and has produced with either Dan LeFevour or Brian Brunner at quarterback. Receiver Antonio Brown is the MAC's top punt returner and ranks second in all-purpose yards.

Ball State, on the other hand, hasn't been involved in any of those tight MAC games. The Cardinals' smallest margin of victory against a conference opponent: 15 points.

But there might be another player tonight in Mount Pleasant, Mich., who doesn't wear a number ? Mother Nature.

"There might be some white stuff on the ground," says Jones, though he adds that he isn't sure which club that might favor. "It'll just depend on the flow of the game."

Share this story

 

[spang]

The Detroit news :


Incentives are there for Ball State, Central
David Goricki / The Detroit News
MT. PLEASANT -- Central Michigan has what Ball State wants, the title of Mid-American Conference champion.

And, Ball State has something Central wants, a top-25 national ranking.

Central (8-2, 6-0), the two-time defending MAC champions, will face No. 14 Ball State (10-0, 6-0) at 7 tonight in a nationally televised game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

The winner takes over possession of first in the West Division and moves a step closer to playing in the MAC championship game Dec. 5 at Ford Field.

Central defeated Indiana Nov. 1 to end a 26-game losing streak against BCS opponents. Central will try to get its first victory over a top-25 team since a 20-3 decision at No. 18 Michigan State in 1991.

"This has to be the biggest game ever at Kelly/Shorts Stadium," said Central sophomore linebacker Nick Bellore, who has a team-high 107 tackles, including 51 individually. "We're going to be underdogs as usual. It's a role we accept. We're going to go out and play as hard as we can. We have to win the turnover battle.

"They have a great team. Nate Davis has a strong arm, and they have a great running game, too. We just have to go and make plays."

Weather issues?
The teams have practiced outdoors to prepare for the showdown, which is expected to be played in cold, snowy conditions.

"The weather could play a factor, especially if it's windy," said Central second-year coach Butch Jones, who is 13-1 against the MAC.

"Those are uncontrollable factors. Both teams have to play in those same conditions. "We have to have the ability to run the ball. The biggest thing will be ball security."

Ball State enters the favorite for a reason. The Cardinals have outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points. Their closest victory over a MAC opponent was their last game, 31-16, at Miami on Nov. 11.

"They haven't played at the level of their competition," Jones said. "They are very deserving of all the attention they've received. They're very sound fundamentally."

The Cardinals don't beat themselves. They haven't had a penalty called against them in the last three games. They haven't had a turnover in two of the last three.

Simply put, the Chippewas find themselves in position for another championship because of their ability to close out tight games. They have won five games by three or fewer points, including four in MAC play.

"We have a lot of experience of playing in tight games and getting it done," Bellore said. "That could be an advantage for us since they haven't played in many close games."

The showdown will match outstanding junior quarterbacks in Davis and Dan LeFevour.

No edge at QB
LeFevour, last year's MAC offensive player of the year, can cause damage with his legs as well as his arms. He has suffered ankle injuries this season, missing two games, but was healthy enough to be effective in a victory at Northern Illinois a week ago. He threw for two TDs and ran for two more scores to give Central a 30-3 lead. It went on to defeat the Northern Illinois, 33-30, in overtime.

Davis has a strong arm and is accurate (68.2 percent). He's been aided by Stan Parrish, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Davis completed 18 of 22 passes for 300 yards and four TDs in a 45-14 rout of Northern Illinois on Nov. 5.

"Those two guys (LeFevour, Davis) will play their game and execute," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said.

Ball State also has MiQuale Lewis, a 5-foot-6, 185-pound junior, ranks sixth nationally in rushing (1,273), averaging 5.9 yards per carry and scoring 17 TDs.