After a couple of weeks on the road, the Ball State Cardinals (1-4) are back in Muncie for an inner-MAC West matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos (2-3). Unfortunately, Ball State has had a rough few games, losing four in a row. Western Michigan hasn't had a ton of success either, winning only two of their games this season. Could Ball State break their losing streak at home this weekend?
Offensively, Ball State has not had much success this season. Ozzie Mann, the Cardinals quarterback, really has not performed great this season. Pete Lembo has clearly recognized it, and he moved Jack Milas, freshman quarterback, to the number one spot on the depth chart. This is a move that I thought Lembo should have made from day. Milas has an extremely high ceiling, and looks like he could succeed with this Ball State offense. The sooner that he gets some playing time, the better. Milas could bring that spark that Ball State's pass offense needs.
Mann's favorite target this year has been KeVonn Mabon. Mabon has reeled in 29 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Milas still sees Mabon as a top target. With Jordan Williams getting more and more playing time coming off an injury, I'd imagine that he will be getting increased looks. He is the stud receiver that Ball State needs to turn their pass offense around.
Zach Terrell, will be Western Michigan's quarterback this weekend. On the season, he is averaging a little under 260 yards per game. He has thrown seven touchdowns, and only three interceptions. His main target this season has been Daniel Braverman, who has 495 yards on 38 receptions. He has found the endzone twice. In this matchup, it looks like both teams will be looking toward their running attack.
Ball State's offense is carried off of their running game. Jawhan Edwards, Cardinal running back has not only been a workhorse on the ground, he has also made a big impact through the air. Edwards has rushed for 532 yards on the year, and 4 touchdowns. The combination of Edwards and Horactio Banks makes for a deadly duo. Banks has also racked up 259 yards on the ground. Banks is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, while Edwards is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. These are some of the most efficient running backs in the MAC. Look for these players to get a ton of work this weekend, especially if Milas is starting for the first time.
It just so happens that Western Michigan is one of the only teams in the MAC that has a better running attack than the Cardinals. The Broncos top running back, Jarvion Franklin, has put up some ridiculous numbers. He has rushed for 682 yards and 12 touchdowns already this season. Dareyon Chance may also get some looks. He has 150 yards on the season. Ball State's run defense better be on their toes, or Franklin may have another huge day.
Ball State has really been struggling with their run defense. Last week, they gave up 425 rushing yards on the ground to Army. The Cardinals have some incredible talent at linebacker, including Ben Ingle, but they will need to step their defense up in order to contain Jarvion Franklin. Fortunately, they have had some success with their pass defense, only giving up 152 passing yards to Toledo two weeks ago. This makes me think that the Broncos will really focus on giving Franklin a workload this weekend.
On the bright side for Cardinal fans, Western Michigan doesn't have an excellent run defense either. Against Toledo, they gave up 234 yards on the ground. So expect Jawhan Edwards and Horactio Banks to get a ton of looks. With the exception of against Idaho, Western Michigan looks to have a solid pass defense. This could be bad news if Jack Milas ends up starting on Saturday. Having your first start against a good pass defense is not ideal, so it will be interesting to see how he performs.
This has been an extremely disappointing start of the season for Cardinal fans, but they still have time to turn it around. Starting a new quarterback could give this team new life, and turn them into serious contenders to be MAC West champions.