2011 Ball State Cardinals Football Preview

It’s quite interesting that in the span of two and a half years, the two teams that met in the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championship Game have both plummeted to the bottom reaches of the league. While the Buffalo Bulls have dropped to the lowest tier of the league’s East Division, the same basic pattern has unfolded for the Ball State Cardinals in the MAC West.

The year 2008 saw head coach Brady Hoke take the Ball State program to heights it had never reached before; the Cardinals garnered their first AP ranking and the first double-digit-win season in school history. Ball State went 12-0 heading into the MAC title game against Buffalo, leading a number of people in the college football world to whisper about the possible staging of a bowl game between Ball State and fellow unbeaten Boise State. It’s true that Ball State got stunned in the MAC title game by Buffalo, but the program still enjoyed an over-the-top season, a smashing success few people in Muncie, Indiana, ever envisioned.

However, just as Buffalo fell off the map after its emergent coach, Turner Gill, sought a greener pasture at the BCS conference school, so it similarly was that Ball State lost its potency and prestige after Hoke bolted for a better program at a higher place on the college football totem pole.

Hoke’s replacement, Stan Parrish, was unable to rekindle the successes of 2008, and as a result, the former Michigan offensive coordinator is no longer with the program. Pete Lembo takes over a program with a chance to compete in the MAC this season. The Cardinals return 10 starters on the offensive side of the ball. The offense will be led by sophomore signal caller Keith Wenning. The Cardinals will need to finish better than 109th in passing offense if they expect to compete for bowl eligibility. The receiving corps will be improved over last season.

The defense gave up over 30 points per game in 2010, this while playing the third weakest schedule in America. The Cardinals bring back seven starters on the defensive side. Safety Sean Baker is the best player on the team and will need another monster season patrolling the middle of the field. The schedule doesn’t do the Cardinals any favors. Ball State plays three BCS opponents in Indiana, South Florida, and top-ranked Oklahoma. Beyond those three difficult match-ups, the Cardinals host Army. The Cardinals must travel to Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, while drawing East division foe Temple on the second week of October. Look for the Cardinals to be improved, but the schedule makes it difficult to see just how much.

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