Ball State will travel to Western Michigan University in a must-win game if it hopes to keep its bowl eligibility alive.
The Cardinals are coming in hot off a 20-10 win against University of Massachusetts and sit on a 3-6 record, needing to win the remainder of their games to qualify for the postseason.
Western Michigan is riding a four-game win streak, blowing out its latest victim, Eastern Michigan, 58-28. It has averaged 36 points per game while allowing 29.
It's high-scoring offense is one of the main threats Ball State's head football coach Pete Lembo sees in the Bronco offense.
“They’ve got some very explosive skill players that are performing very well right now on offense,” Lembo said.
The bulk of their offense comes from their top two receivers, Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis.
Braverman has 80 receptions, 927 yards and 11 touchdowns and currently sits outside the top ten receivers list in receiving yards. Davis is ranked 32nd in the country in the same statistical category.
Passing defense has been a repeating issue for the Cardinals, as they allow 293.7 yards per game. With the Broncos having one of the better passing attacks in the country, this game has the potential to be a high-scoring game.
The Cardinals' passing attack hasn’t been quite as prolific as the Broncos' this season, averaging 237 yards per game through the air.
Western Michigan struggles against the run game, which is something that Ball State has excelled in this year. There are only 10 Football Bowl Subdivision teams that allow more than the Broncos' 5.3 yards per carry.
On the shoulders of running backs Darian Green and James Gilbert, the Cardinals are picking up 4.3 yards per rush.
Lembo is familiar with Western Michigan's offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca, as well as its defensive coordinator, Ed Pinkham.
“We coached against each other several times when we were all on the East Coast,” Lembo said.
The year after Lembo left Elon, Pinkham was brought in as the defensive coordinator.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Western Michigan University.
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