The Miami RedHawks travel to Muncie to take on the Ball State Cardinals for the very first installment of the Red Bird Rivalry trophy game. Obviously it isn’t the first meeting between the two teams, however their rivalry is now official and the two teams will meet every season.

Game Details

• When: Tuesday, November 21st at 7 P.M. EST
• Watch: ESPN3
• Stream: Via the WatchESPN app, providing subscription
• Line: Miami -18

The Cardinals have been wracked by injuries. They are next to last in points per game on offense, and dead last on defense. After starting the season 2-1 with a close loss to Illinois that frankly should have been a win, they have lost 7 straight, and almost all of them have been blowouts.

The RedHawks will spend all off-season thinking about what could have been. They are currently 4-7 on the season, but 5 of those losses were games that Miami could have won, maybe even should have won. There was a pick 6 from their own goal line in one game and a 95 yard fumble return in another.

On paper this shouldn’t be much of a game. The injuries have just been too much for the Cardinals to overcome. However, rivalries have a funny way of changing the nature of games. This isn’t a knock down, drag out hatred type of rivalry, but the fact that it’s the very first game might change how the players approach it. I wouldn’t be completely shocked to see the Cardinals make this a bit of a game for a chance to notch the first victory in the Red Bird Rivalry. I would be shocked, just not completely shocked.