During week five of the 2006 football season, the Ball State Cardinals came into UB Stadium during homecoming weekend and thoroughly handled the Buffalo Bulls 55-25. Now, the Bulls will be looking to return the favor.
The Bulls (1-3, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) are looking for their second conference win of the season when they face the Cardinals (2-2, 1-1 MAC) Saturday afternoon.
Both teams are coming off close losses to Big XII opponents. The Bulls lost at home to the Baylor Bears 34-21, while the Cardinals lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 41-40 after a last minute field goal attempt by Cardinals kicker Jake Hogue sailed wide left.
Ball State gained over 600 yards against the vaunted black shirts of Nebraska, a feat that is not easily accomplished. Quarterback Nate Davis threw for 422 yards and three touchdowns against the Cornhuskers.
Head coach Turner Gill knows his Bulls' defense will have to be in top form to stop the Ball State offense.
"(Nate Davis) is going to make some plays. We just have to limit the plays he's going to make and his receivers are going to make," Gill said. "We are going to try to slow him down and contain him and his receivers. We are going to have to create some turnovers as well."
Against Baylor, the Bulls struggled taking care of the ball, as made evident by their five turnovers. Gill knows that turnovers can change any game.
"That was the difference in the ball game. You give up three more turnovers than they gave to us and that's the edge," Gill said. "But we will get that all corrected."
Junior quarterback Drew Willy struggled with turnovers, throwing three interceptions against the Baylor defense. Prior to the Baylor game, Willy had only two interceptions for the season. He has thrown for 961 yards and four touchdowns so far this year.
Despite Willy's performance, Gill stresses to every player the good plays they are making on the field rather than glorifying the mistakes being made.
"We take out all the good plays from every player and show them on the video tape therefore they see all the positives that are occurring in their play," Gill said. "I feel good about Drew Willy. No one is going to have a perfect game every week. The question is how are you going to respond when things don't go quite as well, and he has done very well as far as being able to respond when something hasn't gone right."
Even with the turnovers, Gill is pleased with the way his team has been performing week in and week out.
"Each and every ball game we have gotten better in certain areas. The biggest area I am really pleased about is our guys are playing relentless," Gill said. "I want to see guys running, I want to see guys being relentless, I want to see physical play, and I see that when I watch the tape."
Willy may be missing one of his key components in the backfield, as sophomore running back Mario Henry is listed as doubtful for the game with a knee injury.
Sophomore running back James Starks will be expected to get more reps. Gill is confident in Starks.
"He has now had the opportunity to be in the game a little bit more often. He now understands the running back position better," Gill said. "Everyone can see that he has some talent, and he is special when he has the ball in his arm. He can run over people, he can make people miss, and he shows good acceleration."
Willy's receivers have stepped up their play in recent weeks, and Gill speaks highly of the play of the wide receivers. He feels good about sophomore Naaman Roosevelt, junior Ernest Jackson and sophomore Brett Hamlin and their roles in the passing game.
"We want to get (Roosevelt) more involved. We feel good about Ernest Jackson. We feel good about Brett Hamlin. Those are our top three receivers," Gill said. "They've made some plays for us all year long."
While offensive players get all the praise, one should not forget about the value of important special teams players, especially senior punter Ben Woods.
Woods has averaged 43 yards per punt this season, and has consistently pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line. This is a much-overlooked weapon the Bulls possess.
"(Woods) has done a great job getting the ball inside the 20," Gill said. "Ben Woods is a very good punter. He has a great future ahead of him, and I hope he continues to do well. He has been very consistent."
Woods and all the other Bulls head into Indiana looking for their first win over the Cardinals since joining the MAC in 2000. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. at Scheumann Stadium.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
