The last meeting between Ball State and Eastern Michigan officially was officially witnessed by 1,535 people. The reality was no more than a few hundred people turned out Oct. 25, 2009 in Ypsilanti, Mich., to see the two winless teams play on a cold, rainy October afternoon.
Those that did sit in the Rynearson Stadium bleachers got a chance to watch history unfold. MiQuale Lewis set the Ball State single-game rushing record with 301 yards and Cory Sykes added 203 more and the Cardinals won 29-27, its first victory of the season.
Saturday's matchup at 1 p.m. at Scheumann Stadium doesn't have the same battle of the losers' stigma attached to it. While Eastern Michigan is still mired in the same losing streak as last year, now reaching 18 games, Ball State has already won twice in 2010.
But coming off a 45-16 Homecoming loss to Western Michigan last week, Ball State is eager to get back on track.
"I look at it as every game is a must-win game," cornerback Charlie Todd said. "Every game is a big game, just as big as the next."
To stabilize what has been a confounding season for the Cardinals, Stan Parrish expects to rely heavily on Lewis again this year. The senior rushed for a season-high 68 yards last week against the Broncos. It was his second best total since carving up Eastern Michigan a year ago, coming just short of his 68-yard performance at Northern Illinois last season.
Parrish said last week's game was the best Lewis has run since 2008, when he rushed for a school-record 1,736 yards.
"I thought really for the first time since ‘08 he put his foot in the ground and ran north and south," Parrish said. "He's going to be part of the solution."
Parrish also expects to return to using more of the wildcat against Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals used the formation with great success in last season's meeting, but injuries and game situations have made it a more sporadic part of their game plan in 2010.
The wildcat likely won't be the only tricks Parrish has prepared this week. After not being able to call trick plays because of the big deficit last week, Parrish is ready to pull them out Saturday.
Despite Eastern Michigan's losing streak, which is the nation's second longest, Parrish is preparing for a close game.
"This is going to be a dogfight," he said. "Anybody that doesn't think so is crazy. They're going to show the film of us playing on Saturday, and don't worry, they'll have some confidence."
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