Scheumann Stadium -- Muncie, IN
ESPN+
The last two Mid-American Conference football champions will meet in a big regular season matchup Saturday in Muncie. It's the 45th meeting in the series overall, and the matchup was designated a cross-division rivalry status in 2017. The RedHawks have won three of four meetings since then and, despite playing just three contests last year, were the only team to beat BSU in last years spectacular 7-1 Cardinals run that included the MAC title and a bowl win.
After some early stuggles this season (losing three of the first four), Ball State has returned to the win column with three straight victories. The only conference loss was to Toledo, which itself has two losses. Consequently, the Cardinals are still in a position to control much of their MAC fate.
With every team in the East Division owning at least one conference loss, Miami is also in a position to control its MAC destiny. After opening with losses at Cincinnati and Minnesota, the RedHawks hve been on a roller coaster - winning three and losing two without back-to-back losses or wins.
Ironically enough, the loser of the Red Bird Rivalry has gone on to win the league title the last two seasons.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
MIAMI REDHAWKS (4-3, 2-1 MAC)
>> After splitting its first two MAC contests (W-CMU 28-17) (L-EMU 13-12), the RedHawks defeated Akron in Oxford 34-21 last week. Miami went up 14-0 early and led 34-7 after three quarters. The Zips got back on the board with two four quarter TDs.
>> Miami's offense produced a relatively balanced 474 yards. Thirty-nine rushes yielded 245 yards (6.3 ypc), while receivers caught 19 balls for 229 yards.
>> A.J. Mayer got another start at quarterback and completed 19 of 27 tosses for 229 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore has completed 54.4 percent of his passes on the year with six TDs and two interceptions. Mayer tops the depth chart again this week as classmate Brett Gabbert recovers.
>> Tight end Andrew Homer has returned to the lineup and counted two TDs among his three catches last week. Fellow senior Jack Sorenson led Miami with five catches for 113 yards with a 57-yard TD. MAC Hippenhammer, a Penn State transfer, is second among RedHawk receivers with 24 ctches for 440 yards and a score.
>> Injuries have forced MU to have a running-back-by-committee approach. Jaylen Bester, who has battled multiple injuries over the last year-plus, is starting to get game reps and scored his first touchdown since 2019 last week. Keyon Mozee and Kenny Tracy combined for 15 carries, 123 yards and a score, while Kevin Davis had a 41-yard carry among his three rushes for 49 yards.
>> Miami is seventh in scoring (23.5 ppg) and third in scoring defense (23.0 ppg).
>> MU is producing 152.1 ypg rushing (7th MAC) and 240.3 ypc (3rd MAC) passing the ball.
>> The RedHawks have been particularly strong defending the run, especially in conference play (No. 1, 56.0 ypg). However, they are allowing 291.7 ypg (last MAC) through the air. Overall, Miami is third in total defense (347.7 ypg).
>> Miami leads the conference with 12 sacks for 80 yards in MAC competition.
BALL STATE CARDINALS (4-3, 2-1 MAC)
>> Miami head coach Chuck Martin has called Ball State masters of trick plays, often employing multiple wrinkles in a given game plan. He noted that -- and some dangerous special teams talent -- helped the Cardinals beat Army. Justin Hall returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD to open that game. After stopping Army on a fourth down run, Drew Plitt hit Jayshon Jackson on a 44-yard touchdown pass. After touching the ball twice, Ball State led 14-0, and it finished the day with a 28-16 victory.
>> Ball State followed the Army win with an impressive 45-20 victory over Western Michigan and last week's 38-31 win against Eastern Michigan -- both on the road.
>> The Cardinals also got off to a good start last week, rolling out to a 14-0 lead before trading scores with EMU the rest of the way for a 38-31 win. Ball State forced two turnovers while committing none.
>> Senior QB Drew Plitt completed 27 of 35 passes for 207 yards and a score against EMU. On the year, has has completed 66.3 percent of his passes, good for 1,364 yards with nine TDs and three picks (non in MAC play).
The team’s fourth string QB as a redshirt freshman in 2017, Plitt was forced into action with three starts that year because of injuries. He was the backup in 2018, again starting three games, before taking over the reins full time in
2019 and directing the MAC’s top offense. With his 273 passing yards in the MAC Championship, Plitt moved past head coach Mike Neu and into fourth place in BSU history for career passing yards. With 190 yards through the air against Toledo, Plitt became just the fourth QB in program history to amass 7,000 career passing yards.
Plitt’s career marks are among the best in the country at the QB position. He sits inside the top 15 nationally in both career passing yardage and passing touchdowns among active players. Both totals are tops among returning players in the MAC.
>> Making his first career start, true freshman Carson Steele paced the BSU ground game against Eastern Michigan, logging 18 carries for 138 yards and a score. Will Jones followed (12 rushes, 47 yards, 1 TD).
>> Bryce Cosby led Cardinal defenders with 10 tackles and a sack. The Cardinals registered three sacks, 8 QB hurries and 5 TFL.
>> Seven weeks into the 2021 season, fifth-year WR Justin Hall is averaging 144.7 allpurpose yards per game, good for 12th-most in the country and first in the Mid-American Conference. Hall is second in the country in average all-purpose yards among players who have logged at least one yard through rushing, receiving, punt return and kickoff return only to Jayden Reed (Michigan State). In addition, Hall is one of just four players nationally to score a touchdown via rush, receiving and kickoff return this season.
>> Ball State has three of the top 10 tacklers in the Mid-American Conference in S Bryce Cosby, ILB Jaylin Thomas and ILB Clayton Coll. Cosby and Thomas are tied for sixth in the league with 56 tackles apiece, while Coll is tied for seventh with 55 stops.
>> The defense has showed up in a big way since the beginning of the second half at Wyoming. Over the 18 quarters played since then, the Cardinals have allowed just 92 points defensively, which does not count a pick-6 and two safeties. That averages out to 20.4 points per game, which would rank 40th in the country.
>> Through seven games this season, redshirt sophomore DL Tavion Woodard has 5.0 sacks, reaching the QB at least once in the first four games. He is one of just 28 players nationally - and one of three in the MAC, a list that includes teammate Bryce Cosby and Miami’s Lonnie Phelps - to record at least 1.0 sack in four games.