2010 Ball State Cardinals Football Preview

2009 Results: 2-10, No Bowl

Head Coach: Stan Parrish (2nd year @ Ball State, 17-49-2 Overall)

Home Venue: Scheumann Stadium (22,500), Muncie, Indiana

2009 was a tough transition season for the Cardinals. After winning 12 games in 2008, former head coach Brady Hoke left for San Diego State and there were major graduation losses. In Hoke’s place came Stan Parrish, who was a career assistant with a very poor record as a head coach, so it should have come as no surprise when Ball State fell to 2-10 last season. However, virtually everyone is back from that team, including seven players who started as freshmen, so this group of Cardinals should be vastly improved. Will it be enough to be competitive in the MAC West?

OFFENSE

The gutted Cardinal offense fell off in a major manner last season, scoring barely half as many points as they did in 2008! Their 19 points per outing was the 3 rd worst result in the conference and their passing numbers were literally halved. With four sophomores that started the majority of last season, can Ball State’s offense become productive again with another year of experience?

Sophomore quarterback Kelly Page (1,019 yards, 7 TDs, 9 INT in ‘09) struggled at times last season and only managed to start seven games due to injury. However, it is really hard to blame him considering that both of his starting tackles were freshmen. I think that Page should be much better this season with better protection. That’s very good news for a decent set of receivers, led by juniors Briggs Orsbon (51 catches, 461 yards, 1 TD) and Torieal Gibson (25 catches, 337 yards, 3 TDs), who have the ability to put up much better numbers with more consistency under center.

However, the strength of this offense will be the running game, which often featured the Wildcat attack in 2009. Senior MiQuale Lewis (871 rush yards, 28 catches, 151 receiving yards, 5 TDs, 2 nd Team All-MAC) and junior Corey Sykes (559 yards, 3 TDs) are both shorter than 5’7” but they are very effective in the Wildcat. On top of that, the threat of a decent passing game will make both better, as evidenced by Lewis’ 1,700 yard campaign in 2008. With the entire line back in front of them that includes three sophomore starters that should be significantly more effective, I think that Ball State will be very good on the ground this fall.

Overall, I think that the Cardinals are going to be much better offensively. Their line should open up plenty of holes for their talented tailbacks and should also give QB Page plenty of time to make decisions. I fully expect their scoring numbers to jump up in a major manner this fall and Ball State should be one of the most improved offenses in the country in 2010.

DEFENSE

While the Cardinal defense wasn’t terrible in 2009, they allowed over 28 points per game and only managed to sack the quarterback 15 times! That was the root cause of their biggest problem, which was opposing quarterbacks completing passes at will. But with a significantly more experienced defense this season, Ball State could be vastly improved.

That begins up front, where senior DE Robert Eddins (55 tackles, 7 sacks) was a 1st Team All-MAC player and is one of two returning starters. Another reason for optimism is that this will be the 2nd year that the D-Line has run a four man front and that year of experience should allow the new faces to integrate much easier. Another great sign for the run defense is at linebacker. All three starters return from last season, including the team’s top two tacklers, senior Davyd Jones (100 tackles) and sophomore Travis Freeman (93 tackles).

Where I’m most interested to watch things shake out on this defense is in the secondary, where three starters return from a unit that was eaten up in 2009. Junior safety Sean Baker (61 tackles, 4 INT) fought through injuries last year and should play at the level he displayed in his freshman season, when he had 94 tackles and 2 TD returns. The cornerbacks should also be productive, as senior Charlie Todd (80 tackles, 1 INT) was strong in run support and sophomore Jason Pinkston (25 tackles, 3 INT) impressed with his cover skills as a true frosh.

Overall, this defense has all the ingredients to be successful. Their front line looks strong, they have two great tacklers at linebacker and their secondary looks primed for improvement. Furthermore, I think that it is a slam dunk that their pass rush will improve with Eddins drawing double teams and opening up the rest of the line to one on one matchups. Ball State will take some big steps forward defensively this fall.

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SCHEDULE

I have to both laud and mock the Cardinals for their non-conference schedule. They open up the season with home games against D-1AA teams SE Missouri State and Liberty, shameful grabs at wins if I’ve ever seen them. However, they follow that up with back to back trips to Purdue and Iowa, so I guess it is a wash. I just wish they didn’t schedule two virtual cupcakes, even with their own historical lack of success. In the league, they draw visits to Buffalo and Kent State while hosting Akron, giving them only one contest against an East team expected to contend. With six home games, this schedule should give the Cardinals a shot at bowl eligibility this season.

OUTLOOK

There is no doubt in my mind that this team is primed for a turnaround campaign. Parrish smartly recognized that 2009 was going to be a long season and played a ton of freshman, leaving him with a significantly more seasoned group of sophomores this fall. With potentially eight sophomore starters this season, I think that Ball State is really going to improve.

The offense looks to be very solid, as they will be able to ride their deep ground game while their sophomore QB continues progressing. Defensively, they are strong up front and have some young playmakers in the secondary. Combined, that seems like a formula for success. Factor in a non-conference schedule with two guaranteed wins to start the year and I think that Ball State will find a way to become bowl eligible this season. While I will be surprised if they legitimately contend for the MAC West Championship, the Cardinals are my choice to surprise with a 3rd place finish in the division in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 7-5 (5-3 MAC)