Collision Course

WMU stands in the way of Ball State’s perfect season

By Adam Bouton
Western Herald

One team is undefeated and has been nationally ranked for most of the season. The other is looking for its first 10-win season ever. Both are looking for a chance to play in the Mid-American Conference Championship game.

In the final regular season game for both teams, the Western Michigan University football team will travel to Muncie, Ind. to try and hand No. 15 ranked Ball State University (11-0, 7-0 MAC), its first loss of the season. More importantly, Western Michigan (9-2, 6-1 MAC) is also looking to claim a spot in the MAC
Championship for the first time under head coach Bill Cubit. They would go if they get a victory against Ball State and if Eastern Michigan University prevails over Central Michigan University on Friday.

No matter what, the game should provide a lot of buzz considering the magnitude, what is at stake and the environment at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie.

“I’m sure the adrenaline will be pretty good,” Cubit said. “I think there will be a lot of electricity and I think the kids will feel that and get themselves ready.”

Ball State head coach Brady Hoke and his team is looking for its first MAC Championship in school history and with a win Tuesday, they would win the MAC West Division outright and head to Detroit for the MAC Championship game.

“Our goal has been to win the championship since we [Hoke and his staff] came in 2003,” Hoke said.

Tuesday’s game between WMU and BSU will be nationally televised on ESPN2 and will be the second straight for Ball State, who played in front of a record-setting national audience last Wednesday against Central Michigan. The game was the highest-rated MAC game ever televised on ESPN or ESPN2, as the game received an estimated 1.6 million viewers.

The impressive 31-24 victory on the road in Mount Pleasant kept BSU’s perfect record intact and set up a showdown against WMU. The game last week against CMU marked the first time that Ball State has won by less than 12 points all season.

Ball State and Western Michigan are very similar teams on offense. Both teams have experience at the skill positions, especially at quarterback. Junior quarterbacks Nate Davis and Tim Hiller lead the offense for both Ball State and Western Michigan, respectively. Hiller and Davis currently sit one-two in the MAC in passing yards per game, touchdowns and passing efficiency.

“Both teams have tremendous quarterbacks,” Hoke said.

Hoke knows that it will be important to get pressure on Hiller, but he admits it’s not something that his team has been successful at this season.

“It’s going to be a really big challenge for us,” Hoke acknowledged. “We’ve had problems with guys who can throw the ball, to an extent. We don’t do a good enough job of getting pressure on people.”

The Cardinals have been without senior wide receiver Dante Love, who suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury in the victory over Indiana University. Even though Love was arguably the most talented player on offense, the offense has found new ways to be successful. They have also used Love’s injury as a rallying tool.

“Their team has rallied behind that,” Bronco senior wide receiver Jamarko Simmons said. “It just shows the guts and the heart they have.”
One of the ways that the Cardinals have replaced Love is by running the ball and doing it well. BSU running back MiQuale Lewis has stepped in and filled some large shoes left when Love was lost for the season. The 5-foot-6-inch junior leads the MAC with 244 carries for 1,450 yards on the ground and is tied for first in the MAC with 17 touchdowns rushing.

The receiving unit has also been reliable. In Love’s absence, freshman Briggs Orsbon has led the team with 47 catches for 563 yards and five touchdowns. Senior tight end Darius Hill leads the team with seven touchdowns and senior wide receiver Louis Johnson hauled in two touchdowns in the victory over CMU last week.

The Cardinals present problems for opposing offenses as well. Ball State’s defense is first in the MAC in scoring defense (16.2 points per game) and are third in the MAC in total defense (352.6 yards per game). Redshirt freshman safety Sean Baker leads the team in tackles (83) interceptions (five) and pass breakups (nine). Senior linebacker Kenny Meeks leads the Cardinals in with six sacks.

Like Ball State, the Broncos are also coming off a big win over a MAC West Division opponent. The Brown and Gold defeated the University of Toledo 27-17 in its final game at Waldo Stadium this season. The victory gave Western Michigan its third straight victory and more importantly, a sixth win in the MAC.
“It was a great win and really more important for us than the Illinois game because it was in the MAC,” Cubit said. “Our kids went in there and battled.”

The Broncos had more time to prepare for Ball State because they played on the weekend, while the Cardinals played four days later on Wednesday. Cubit hopes that this advantage will help his team be more prepared come Tuesday night.

“It gives the staff a couple extra days,” Cubit said. “So our advantage is that we’ll prepare before they can. They can’t really get in their preparation.”

The Bronco defense, offense and special teams come into the game playing at a high level. Freshman kicker John Potter has knocked seven straight field goals through the uprights, dating back to the Buffalo overtime victory. On defense, the Broncos held University of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams to just 20-of-45 passing and two interceptions. The offense has continued to find ways to score, even after missing junior running back Brandon West, wide receivers Juan Nunez and Schneider Julien and tight end Branden Ledbetter. The team continues to score over 30 points a game (30.5).

Senior Ledbetter will miss the game against Ball State, but the Broncos should get everyone else back, including senior cornerback Londen Fryar.

The two players who have been consistent on offense have been Simmons and Hiller. Both headline the MAC, leading their respective positions statistically. Simmons leads the team and MAC in receptions with 92, yards with 1,100 and receptions per game with 8.36.

Western Michigan is in prime position at earning its first 10-win season in school history. The Bronco players know that it’s not every season that WMU is in this position.

“This is one of the best opportunities I’ve been in,” Bronco senior safety Louis Delmas said. “They’re undefeated. We’re 9-2.”

“It’s rare to have an opportunity to win 10 games,” Hiller added. “This is a big opportunity, a big chance on a big stage. We can’t let it slip away.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Nov 25 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com