Ball State visits Central Michigan in pivotal MAC clash

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11/19/2008 - Mount Pleasant, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First place in the Mid-American Conference's West Division is on the line Wednesday night as the Central Michigan Chippewas play host to the undefeated and 14th-ranked Ball State Cardinals. Both teams are 6-0 in the division, and the winner of this game may very well represent the West in the MAC title game.

Still, the Cardinals must play Western Michigan in the regular-season finale, and the Broncos are 5-1 in the division. Ball State has opened this season with 10 consecutive victories, the best start for the program in 84 years. The last time the Cardinals won their first six MAC games was way back in 1978, and they are coming off a 31-16 decision over Miami-Ohio on the road. Clearly, Ball State hopes to earn a bid to a BCS bowl, but even an undefeated season may leave the team out of the mix because of strength of schedule. The Cardinals played the likes of Northeastern, Navy, Indiana and Western Kentucky in non-conference play.

As for Central Michigan, it is set to host its first ranked opponent since 2003. The Chippewas can actually clinch their third straight MAC West Division title with a victory and will likely be ranked nationally if they find a way to do so. Central Michigan suffered its only two losses of the season to Georgia and Purdue, both on the road, and has won six straight heading into this clash. Last time out, CMU knocked off Northern Illinois in an overtime thriller, 33-30.

Central Michigan owns a narrow 21-18-1 advantage in the all-time series with Ball State, and the teams have split the last eight meetings.

Ball State star wideout Dante Love was lost for the season with a serious neck injury back in September, and many expected the offense to struggle in his absence. That simply has not been the case, as the Cardinals are averaging 37.6 ppg and 461.0 total ypg through 10 outings. They have scored 46 offensive touchdowns, 25 of which have been generated by a ground attack that accounts for 194.2 ypg on 5.3 ypc. MiQuale Lewis has rushed for 1,273 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per rushing attempt, and he is clearly a top candidate for MAC Player of the Year honors. The team's quarterback, Nate Davis, is also worthy of consideration for the award. Davis has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,647 yards and 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. Briggs Orsbon has emerged as the leading receiver in Love's absence, as he has made 43 catches for 553 yards and four scores. Darius Love has seven touchdowns to his credit.

Ball State racked up 484 total yards against Miami-Ohio in the most recent outing, and Davis completed 17-of-24 passes for 289 yards with one touchdown and one interception in that class. Lewis controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 165 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Orsbon hauled in seven receptions for 97 yards to pace the receivers.

While the Ball State offense garners most of the headlines, the team's defense has been tremendous as well. Opponents are only scoring 15.4 ppg against the Cardinals, who are surrendering 341.3 total ypg. Considering the fact that foes are averaging 4.4 yards per rushing attempt, there still is some room for improvement, but the unit has done an outstanding job of avoiding the big play. Sean Baker has registered 75 tackles to go along with four interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles as the leader of the defense. Davyd Jones has 7.5 TFLs to his credit, and B.J. Hill has recorded three interceptions.

The Cardinals were able to hold Miami-Ohio to 16 points on the RedHawks' home field last time out, and that effort has to be looked upon as a success. Bal1 State yielded a mere 76 yards on rushing attempts. "We have weathered 10 storms but we have a long way to go," said Cardinals' head coach Brady Hoke after the contest. "We have stayed focused on what the goal is and the goal is to win a MAC championship."

Central Michigan is averaging 28.7 ppg and 410.4 total ypg, and the offense is led by versatile signal caller Dan LeFevour. He has missed two of the team's 10 games, but LeFevour leads the club in rushing with 450 yards and five scorers. As a passer, he has connected on 67.3 percent of his attempts for 1,808 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Antonio Brown is the leading receiver for squad, as he has made 67 catches for 673 yards and five scores. The Chippewas are averaging a modest 3.4 yards per rushing attempt and can certainly improve in that area. On a positive note, they have committed just eight turnovers in 10 outings, thanks in large part to the discipline of LeFevour.

In the thrilling victory over Northern Illinois last time out, Central Michigan finished with 430 yards of total offense. The club posted 241 yards on the ground, including 121 yards and two touchdowns from LeFevour on 29 carries. He also connected on 19-of-26 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. After the contest, LeFevour was quick to compliment the big boys up front. "I have a lot of confidence in the front five," said the quarterback. "When those guys are on we can do pretty much anything."

The fact that Central Michigan is 8-2 overall is a bit surprising when considering that the team is allowing 28.2 ppg, just half a point less than the club is scoring. The Chippewas have yielded 34 touchdowns to opposing offenses, including 20 on the ground. They have been victimized for 273.7 passing ypg on an average of 13.1 yards per completion, poor numbers by any standards. Nick Bellore has clearly been the most active player for the defense, as he has made 107 tackles, 50 more than his closest teammate. Another player to keep an eye on is Frank Zombo, who has recorded 13.5 TFLs, including eight sacks.

Sure, Northern Illinois did score three rushing touchdowns against Central Michigan, but the Chippewas allowed only 80 rushing yards on 35 attempts, an average of 2.3 ypc. Two interceptions played a major role in the victory, although the overall performance against the pass was a bit shaky.