Week 12: Ball State at Miami (OH)

Miami will discover what nine previous Ball State opponents have learned — you can’t stop this guy, so try something else. Ball State quarterback Nate Davis has had his way with all of them so far, and there’s no reason to believe that his string of dominant performances will end, even when facing a neighborhood rival on its home turf.

Rivalries are not all that much fun when the talent levels are as disparate as they are this season between Ball State and Miami. The Cardinals are off to a 9-0 start for the first time since the 1965 season, and they have defeated their first nine opponents by an average of 24 points per game.

Ball State has plenty of talent, but Davis is the headliner of the bunch. He has thrown for 2,358 yards and 19 touchdowns, and has at least one touchdown pass in 25 of the last 26 games.

Davis gives defenses fits with his elusiveness and his ability to keep the play alive with his feet. He has been sacked just eight times despite the fact that defenses are focused primarily on him. What Miami will experience first-hand is that Davis makes his strong supporting cast so much better with his decision-making and football smarts.

The RedHawks have the rivalry to get their juices flowing, and the prospect of salvaging something from this lost season if they can spoil Ball State’s perfect record, and the Cardinals’ dreams of making a stink with the BCS big boys.

But Miami has little momentum or confidence in its cache coming into this game. The RedHawks have lost two in a row, and five of the last six games. Miami will start veteran Daniel Raudabaugh at quarterback in place of redshirt freshman Clay Belton, who was injured in last Tuesday’s loss to Buffalo.

Miami has a 16-9-1 edge in this series, and was a 14-13 winner in last year’s meeting in Muncie, but the two teams have been headed in opposite directions ever since. Ball State appears charging toward a MAC title and a big-time bowl game, while Miami is likely at the low-water mark for its program in the past decade.

Notes:

Ball State kicker Ian McGarvey made six extra points last week against Northern Illinois, and owns the school record with 54 straight dating back to last season.

Miami punter Jake Richardson is third in the nation with a 46.45 yards per punt average and is less than one yard in average behind the national leader.

Ball State’s national rankings in the last four weeks are the first in school history.  Ball State is one of only five Football Bowl Subdivision teams still undefeated in 2008.

This game marks the first time Miami has played a nationally-ranked team since September 3, 2005, when it lost at No. 6 Ohio State, 34-14. The RedHawks have not beaten a Top 25 team since November 4, 2003, when Ben Roethlisberger led them past No. 17 Bowling Green, 33-10.

The Cardinals have gone 41 straight games without being shutout, which ties the fifth longest stretch in Ball State history.

Key Player (Cardinals) — MiQuale Lewis, TB

The balance is what makes the Ball State offense so dangerous, and Lewis is the most-favored option when defenses put too much focus on Cardinals quarterback Nate Davis. Lewis is seventh in the nation with 123 rushing yards per game.

Key Player (RedHawks) — J.R. Taylor, RB

The true freshman has won the job, and showed he can handle it with 113 yards last week. Miami needs to run the ball and keep Ball State’s offense off the field, and the former track star Taylor is a critical part of that effort.

Ball State by 18