Cardinals fly into Lincoln

By Josh Lashley  |   Monday, May 21, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Ideally for Nebraska fans, Ball State University will enter Memorial Stadium on Sept. 22 and serve as a buffer for the Cornhuskers. Whether Nebraska is flying high after knocking off USC on Sept. 15 or feeling a bit ornery after the Trojans deal the team a defeat on its home turf, Ball State is there to allow the Huskers to catch their breath (while earning a victory along the way) before heading into Big 12 play.

Even if, in the worst-case scenario, Nebraska loses at Wake Forest (Sept. 8) and at home versus USC, the vast majority of college football fans will expect the Huskers' early-season losing skid to end at two after they deal the Cardinals from Muncie, Ind., a lopsided defeat.

Of course, Ball State alumnus and current head coach Brady Hoke isn't coming to Lincoln with the idea of seeing his team get its doors blown off. For the Cardinals, there's an opportunity to score some points and keep the contest respectable against Nebraska.

Against three Big 10 opponents last fall, the Cardinals scored over 20 points in each game. Ball State was edged by one point (24-23) by Indiana, before dropping road games at Purdue (38-28) and Michigan (34-26). After the admirable performance against Michigan in a losing effort in Ann Arbor, the Cardinals finished the season with two conference victories to tally an overall season mark of 5-7 (5-3 in the MAC).

Quarterback Nate Davis, a sophomore who threw for just under 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns against eight interceptions last fall, is back for Ball State. The team's leading wide receiver, junior Dante Love, returns as well. Darius Hill, who caught 10 touchdown passes in 2006, is back at tight end; and sophomore MiQuale Lewis is a tail back to keep an eye on for the Cardinals.

Defensively, seniors Wendell Brown (83 tackles in 2006) and Cortlan Booker (64 tackles, five sacks last season) are among the standouts for Ball State.

Don't expect the Cardinals to fold their tent at the first or even second sign of adversity against the Huskers. At the same time, a blowout win for Nebraska is a nice lead-in to the Big 12 opener at home on Sept. 29 versus Iowa State.

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