After a wild first half of their season, Ball State is just beginning to recover while they travel to Athens this weekend.
The Cardinals had arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the Mid-American Conference, and NCAA statistics rated their schedule the ninth-toughest in the country. Ball State had to face Iowa, Auburn and Boston College, all on the road.
Most MAC teams do not play that many nationally-ranked programs, and it became obvious that the Cardinals were in way over their heads. They lost all three games by a combined score of 157-3.
It does take its toll when you want to build confidence in a program
Cardinals coach Brady Hoke said.
But their opponents might not have been the only reason for the Cardinals' poor performance early in the season. In addition to its schedule, Ball State also had to cope with suspensions stemming from NCAA violations regarding player misuse of book loans.
Ball State's book loan program for qualified athletes allows them to borrow books for classes from the university and then return them at the end of the term. An investigation found that players were giving away or selling books that were loaned to them per their financial aid. Players were also acquiring books that they did not need through that arrangement.
Initial suspensions were handed down by the university Sept. 2, with 13 players being forced to sit out the season opener at Iowa. After further examination by Ball State, 16 players were suspended for the Oct. 1 game at Boston College, five players were held from the Oct. 8 game at Western Michigan, and one player, safety David Gater, also missed the Cardinals' Homecoming game against Toledo this past weekend.
Some of Ball State's best players were among those suspended. Leading rusher Charles Wynn missed two games, and defensive back Cortlan Booker has played in only one game. The defense was the hardest-hit by the ordeal, with all of the starting linemen serving suspensions at one time.
Those factors have made it difficult for Ohio to get a good read on what the Cardinals will be bringing to Peden on Saturday. With the majority of their games having been played against ranked opponents and without many of their starters, the Ball State team that the Bobcats will be facing might be quite different from the Ball State team that has taken the field this season.
I think it's misleading as far as their record is concerned and I also think it's misleading as far as their overall statistics are concerned Ohio coach Frank Solich said. They've got to feel pretty good about things right now. They've got all their players back. They've faced some of the toughest competition in Division I football
and at times they've held up very well. We expect that we'll face a Ball State team that is confident and playing hard.
They're somewhat tough to figure out
quarterback Austen Everson said. They're just getting some players back ... they did play really hard non-conference (teams); they do some good things
and they play hard. I think we'll be prepared
and I think they've shown enough on tape to where we'll be ready to go.
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Molly O'Hare
