Not many teams in Football Bowl Subdivision run the triple option offense.
Army, Ball State's opponent on Saturday, is one of those few teams in the country that runs the unique style of offense. Having three potential ball carriers in the backfield along with the quarterback is what makes Army's offense unique and something Ball State will not have seen this season.
Coach Pete Lembo knows his team will have a challenge in stopping the Black Knights.
"They're fresh off a win against Northwestern," he said. "Certainly we have our work cut out for us this week getting ready for the wishbone attack and some unique things they do on defense and special teams with just a week to prepare."
Fellow Mid-American Conference school Northern Illinois played Army in Week 1 on Sept. 3, winning 49-26. In the preseason leading up to the game, Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren said Army's wishbone offense and flex defense present a big challenge.
He also said his team was benefitting from having more than a week to prepare, which proved to be true in the Huskies victory.
"I think if you had to ask most of the coaches across the country [when they would prefer to play Army], they would rather open up with them or play them in a bowl game," he said. "Just from the length of time it takes to teach your players, especially your defensive players, what the scheme's all about, the amount of time needed to spend defending cut blocks because they do it every snap; it takes time."
The Cardinals do have a recent history with the Black Knights. In 2009, the two teams met in West Point, N.Y. That game ended with a 24-17 Army victory after former defensive back Donovan Travis returned an interception 18-yards for a touchdown. In that game, Army ran the ball 57 times for 207 yards compared to just eight pass attempts for 58 yards.
This season, Army junior quarterback Trent Steelman and senior quarterback Max Jenkins have combined to throw just 30 pass attempts for 155 yards through three games. The running game has been a different story as the Black Knights have four players with over 100 yards rushing on the season. Steelman leads the team in rushing with 66 carries for 302 yards and seven touchdowns while junior running back Malcolm Brown has 25 carries for 248 yards and one touchdown.
Ball State's game plan to win against Army sounds simple but will be difficult: stop Army from running the triple option to perfection.
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