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Ball St. Cardinals 2006 Preview

Ball State Football Preview By: Matt Fargo
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college football previews : #102 – Ball St. Cardinals Preview

by: Matt Fargo

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#102 – Ball St. Cardinals 4-7 SU; 7-4 ATS

Fargo’s Take - It was an up and down year for Ball St. last season but a strong finish could lead to some early success this year. The Cardinals were extremely young and had to deal with 15 suspended players to start the season a year ago so getting outscored 197-34 in their first four games was not that much of a surprise. Once the younger players got comfortable, things turned around and Ball St. finished the campaign going 4-3 including wins in three of its final four games. The offense came alive and should be one of the best in the MAC with 10 starters returning including potential All-MAC quarterback Joey Lynch. The success of this year will be on the shoulders of the defense that finished 112th in scoring defense and 111th in total defense. A MAC title is an attainable goal but everything needs to fall into place and a quick start is a must. The Cardinals are in the more difficult West division so upsets are needed but with the offense that is explosive, outscoring opponents is a very good possibility.

Returning Starters on Offense – 10 This is where the Cardinals are going to thrive as the only position without a returning starter is at fullback. Lynch has an excellent arm and he doesn’t make mistakes as evidenced by his 18 touchdowns and only seven interceptions last season. He was hurt by the amount of times he was sacked but with everyone on the line returning, that should definitely decrease this year. The running game should improve as well, led by sophomore B.J. Hill. He rushed for only 420 yards in 2005 but he averaged 5.1 ypc and with the increased playing time, he could have a breakout season. The offense needs to be efficient in order to keep the defense off the field as much as possible.

Returning Starters on Defense – 4 This was a horrible unit last season but it ended the season strong, giving it some confidence heading into this year. After allowing 46.6 ppg in its first seven games, Ball St. allowed just 22.5 ppg in its final four games and that included games against three of the to four teams in the MAC. The entire defensive line needs to be replaced and it is still uncertain whether or not William Wise will be back after his suspension. Shoring up the rushing defense is the biggest necessity. The good news is that there is experience all over the defense with eight of the 11 projected starters being juniors and seniors and only seven players from the entire two-deep chart are freshmen and sophomores. The defense really has no where to go but up.

Schedule - It’s a tale of two schedules for the Cardinals as it starts very easy and concludes very difficult. Four of their first five games are at home with a trip to Purdue being the only road game through September. After that, things get dicey with five of the next six coming on the road. The final three road contests are at Miami (Ohio), Michigan and Toledo, all sure losses so in order for it to be a successful year, the early part of the schedule must be conquered. It is quite possible that the final game of the year against Kent St. could be the difference between a .500 season and a losing one. Three games against teams from the Big Ten don’t help matters.

You can bet on… This year will start out better than 2005 did but the ending likely won’t be the same. Ball St. battled through a lot of adversity last season and despite a losing record, a lot of good came out of everything. As bad as things were, the Cardinals showed a profit with a 7-4 ATS mark that included covers in six of their final eight games. They were underdogs in every game and that will change this season beginning with the opener against Eastern Michigan. Ball St. could be a very live home dog against Indiana in its second game with an outright victory not out of the question at all.