MAC | Over The Pylon

I’m on top of the world MAC

Posted on April 29, 2013 by nathanpace

Quick, auction off this jersey while it is still worth something!

Is this is the summit for the Mid-American Conference football? Hard to argue against it.

In the past year we’ve had a MAC team play in a BCS game.

In the past week we’ve had a MAC player drafted No. 1 overall.

Granted, this was a weak draft class. Granted, Erik Fisher plays the prestigious position known as offensive tackle. It still counts baby. So much so Central Michigan is literally trying to cash in on all things Eric Fisher.

We could go into how improbable Fisher’s selection is. Such as if he is so good how did Central Michigan lose to Ball State the last three seasons? A Ball State team that scored zero selections in the draft.

Let’s not be bitter. Instead celebrate that someone in our back burner conference could get the attention of scouts so well. MAC football matters right now. As we know that has rarely been the case.

Heck, in the last few years I agreed with critics that the MAC might be better off playing FCS ball. Financially that still might be the case. However the college landscape has changed so much over the last couple of years the MAC is in a great spot.

The Big East (or American Athletic) has been reduced to a corpse not worth joining anymore. Conference USA is a mixed bag of schools that makes no sense. The WAC is gone and the Sun Belt is begging for FCS schools to come in.

The MAC’s greatest advantage has turned out to be their location. The Great Lakes blueprint has kept it stable in the conference expansion talks. The Big Ten is not going to add a MAC school because it has the TV market. Other conferences don’t have any teams in the region to attract a defection. Joining Conference USA or the Mountain West is not worth the added travel expense. Same for the remains of the Big East.

The only scare to the MAC now is the idea of the Big 12 raiding Northern Illinois. If the Huskies keep winning and going to BCS games it could be possible? If West Virginia is not too far away to play in the Big 12 then a MAC school could feasibly do it too. Maybe the ACC tries to get into the Cleveland and Detroit markets? Both seem unlikely but so was Syracuse moving to the ACC five years ago.

The MAC is one of the most stable and cohesive conferences left in FBS. Only the SEC and PAC-12 are ahead in my book. Big Ten fans are not pumped about Rutgers and Maryland coming to town. Only college presidents are.

So UMass, still want into the whatever is left of the Big East?

Filed under: BallStateFootball, CUSA, MAC, NFLDraft | Leave a Comment »

Can Scaife save season?

Posted on March 4, 2013 by nathanpace

I must admit I did not see this coming.

While this is a Ball State football blog Ball State basketball is my favorite sport on campus. I have never left Worthen Arena saying “Man, I wish I did not go to the game.” I can’t say the same for Scheumann Stadium.

Jauwan Scaife is still open for three.

But after the Cardinals crashed and burned a season ago and saw key players transfer I assumed the 2012-13 season would be one to forget. So much so I chose to not attend a single home game this year. Not being a student living in Muncie anymore made that an easy goal.
For most of the season it appeared to be a smart choice. In November, Ball State was getting demolished at home by the likes of Indiana State. December and January were not that much better as the Cardinals were dropping winnable MAC games. The low point being a second half disappearing act in a lost to cannon fodder Central Michigan back in January.

A home loss to Ohio on Feb. 6 caused a series of tweets that were truly embarrassing. Even the Code Red Dance seemed to be on defensive boasting about having to stay the whole game.

The past few games though a switch has turned on. That switch being Senior guard and Muncie native Jauwan Scaife. Scaife has become the offensive weapon we thought he would be this past month starting with a 30-point outburst in a home win over MAC West leader Western Michigan. The Cardinals have won five of their last six and Scaife has been hitting his threes going 11-20 from behind the arc the past two games.

Ball State scored a big road win at Toledo Saturday bringing Ball State’s record to 13-14 (6-8 MAC). With the win the Cardinals are a lock to host a first round game of the MAC tournament. Something they were unable to do in last year’s wrecked season. A win at Western Michigan (unlikely) and a win versus Northern Illinois (take it to the bank) and Ball State will finish above .500. Even better, Ball State may slide up to a top 5 seed and grab a first round bye in the MAC tournament. This season was supposed to be a throw away to just get a new athletic director comfortable but it now has the chance to do some real positives. Who knows, if Ball State does damage in the MAC tournament Taylor may the coming back next year. Yes, I wrote this a year ago but it is not too late for Taylor to turn it around. When a team does not quit on its coach that is a great sign.

It looked like players quit on Taylor last year, partly because some thought he quit on them. I know from a source that even Scaife was upset about his role on the team last year and thought about leaving the team. That is why I am so happy to see Scaife perform the way he is right now. His freshman year Ball State fans were excited about his potential. That potential seemed to never materialize during his sophomore and junior years as Scaife lost playing time to guard Jesse Berry. Berry will probably be the face of the team next year for sure… assuming he does not transfer like his former teammates.

But for Scaife this is the happiest I have been for a Ball State athlete in a few years. It is not easy playing college ball in your hometown. College basketball is the hardest sport for an athlete to spend four years in one place because the player movement is so fluid compared to other sports. He truly has had to stick it out through some tough situations and will exit his senior year with nothing else to prove. Instead of saying “Jauwan Scaife had potential,” Ball State fans will be saying “Thank God that Jauwan Scaife kid persevered in his four years here.”

This program will more than likely be overhauled in the next few months, but because of Jauwan Scaife the 2012-2013 season is not something to be discarded just yet. Did not think I would say that three months ago. Heck, I might even drive up from Indy for the Northern Illinois game Saturday. How much are gas prices again?

Nathan Pace is a 2012 Ball State graduate and writes for the Southsider Voice newspaper.

Filed under: Ball State, Basketball, MAC | Leave a Comment »

A conference split in two

Posted on February 4, 2013 by nathanpace

One year ago I wrote a post comparing the MAC to the Big Ten. Using the Sagarin rankings we were able to tell the MAC had some teams that were able to slug it out if they were in the Big Ten. Time to breakdown the rankings to see if the MAC gained any more ground in 2012.

2012 Sagarin rankings MAC vs. Big Ten.

I found it disappointing to locate Northern Illinois at No. 39 being a BCS team. However the weak schedule the Huskies played watered down their ranking. The only top 30 team at the end of the year NIU played was Florida State. Kent State fared worse finishing the year No. 60. The Flashes were knocked again for not playing a single top 30 team.

Ball State comes in at No. 67, ahead of five Big Ten teams. Toledo, Bowling Green, and Ohio follow giving the MAC six teams in the top 75 of the nation. By MAC standards that is striking oil.

That means half the conference is capable of being decent in every conference in the country with two exceptions being the SEC and the Big 12. Seven out of the 10 Big 12 teams finished ahead of Northern Illinois in the Sagarin rankings. Still, having six teams in the top 75 is a big achievement for the MAC. The problem is the bottom half. In 2012 there were 124 schools in FBS so having teams outside the top 124 means they were passed by FCS schools like Indiana State.

Five MAC schools are guilty as charged in No. 125 Miami University, No. 131 Buffalo, No. 146 Eastern Michigan, No. 169 Akron and No. 178 Massachusetts. Their poor rankings are why the top of the MAC was dragged down. Northern Illinois played the bottom four MAC teams, FCS UT Martin, and Army. Those six cupcakes gave Northern Illinois a No. 121 strength of schedule ranking.

The most successful MAC team with a challenging schedule were your 9-4 Ball State Cardinals. Ball State had the second toughest strength of schedule at No. 73 and was deprived of the opportunity to play Akron and UMass. Eastern Michigan was the victim of the MAC’s toughest schedule at No. 71. Losing to FCS Illinois State made going 2-10 even more painful.

While the top teams in the MAC are cruising, other teams are sinking and holding the MAC back.

So what does all this mean? If another MAC team is going to make a run at the BCS or the future playoffs a few things will need to happen. One option will be the bottom half of the conference stepping up. Akron and UMass did damage to the BCS rankings of Northern Illinois and Kent State this past season. This could be fixed through those cupcake schools finding wins in non-conference play.

The other option would be the top of the conference gaining more quality wins. In 2012 the only win the MAC scored on a top 30 team in the Sagarin rankings was Ohio’s upset at No. 30 Penn State. The MAC had other wins against BCS conferences but most of those wins came against the basement dwellers of those conferences.

Northern’s run to the Orange Bowl was huge for the conference showing a MAC team can get on the big stage. Now the MAC needs to find a way to sustain it and improve the bottom half. While we are still far away from a MAC school competing for a national title, it is no longer idiotic to suggest it can be done. Never thought we could say that.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, BCS, Big 10, MAC, Statistics | Leave a Comment »

Ways to make bowl season better

Posted on January 8, 2013 by nathanpace

Back to playing games in cold Muncie. Bye bye warm climates.

Back to playing games in cold Muncie. Goodbye warm climates.

Bowl season finally ended last night with Alabama taking a baseball bat to Notre Dame’s head and that is a PG way of putting it.

Alabama winning again is not the problem but how boring this is becoming is.

How many bowl games grabbed your attention of the 35 games this year? For me it was only three.

Ball State vs. Central Florida, for obvious reasons.
Northern Illinois vs. Florida State, all about the MACtion.
Alabama vs. Notre Dame, the only bowl game that truly mattered.

That is it. I saw pieces of the other 32 games but that had more to do with the lack of television options between Christmas and New Years.

Those three games are the only games I will remember in two years. Maybe the fact the MAC went 2-5 in bowls too.

Some are excited for a four-team playoff coming up soon but that will only make two more games watchable. Here are some possibilities that might make bowl season a little better.

Eliminate conference tie-ins.

Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader wrote about how fans of teams are constantly traveling to the same destination. This makes bowl season seem bland over time, especially for schools who go bowling every year. Not to mention more variety in bowl matchups. We just had three bowl games involving a MAC team against a Sun Belt school for crying out loud. We could have had matchup where Kent State played Purdue. Now that would have been comedy.

Start later

Some of these bowl games occurred December 15, 10 days before Christmas. I remember when maybe three bowl games would take place before Christmas. The early start drags bowl season out way too long. The term “Bowl Week” once described all the games that took place between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Bowl Week is great but “Bowl Month” not so much.

Cut 6-6 teams

Allowing a 6-6 team benefits the larger conference more than anyone else. A 6-6 SEC team will get a more attractive bowl bid before 9-3 MAC team. That is just the way it is. Getting rid of the 6-6 teams and making 7-5 the new bowl eligibility will create more meaningful games. Not to mention cut the number of bowl games down to a better size.

Form a selection committee

Are you tired of bowl reps yet? Why not take the decision-making away of middle men who have their own agenda. The NCAA could pick teams to create more competitive games. Then again the NCAA might make it worse but you never know.

I do like the bowls because it rewards teams with winning records. But the system needs to be tweaked to make it watchable again.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, BowlWeek, MAC, SEC | Leave a Comment »

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s. It’s what’s for dinner

Posted on December 17, 2012 by nathanpace

No matter what QB is out there, Central Florida is going to have a problem.

No matter what QB is out there (Page or Wenning), Central Florida is going to be in a world of hurt.

The epic Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl is upon us as Ball State will attempt to do what no other Ball State team has done before.

Win a freaking bowl game.

How big would a win be in program history? Top five moment? Top three?

The bowls are not what they use to be as over half of the teams get into them, but a bowl win in a watered-down bowl system is still a bowl win.

The problem is Central Florida has some weapons and I am not talking about the sword their mascot has.

Reasons for Optimism

Ball State is hot winning their last six games. Confidence will not be a problem. Central Florida may still be down after dropping their chance to win the Conference USA Championship game.
The defense has turned the corner. What started out as a calamity has been buttoned up. Plays that would have gone for touchdowns have been turned into smaller chunks. Remember that Jordan Lynch touchdown run that clinched the Oct. 6 game? Not sure the Huskies would have pulled that one out if the game was played in November. Oh what might have been?

The Joey Lynch factor

Rewind it back to 2004 where Bush was fighting Kerry, Battlestar Galactica was starting over, and some guy name Brady Hoke became the head coach at Ball State University. He had a young quarterback named Joey Lynch leading the rebuilding

Central Florida is no problem for this guy.

effort. The Cardinals struggled to 2-9 season with the wins coming against Western Michigan and … Central Florida.

Yeah, Central Florida was actually in the MAC at one point. And we thought the Big East was the first to fail at geography. UCF struggled in the conference as it was a bigger misfit than a train with square wheels.

The good news is Lynch led the Cardinals to a fourth quarter comeback connecting with Dante Ridgeway for the winning score. Ball State won 21-17. High fives all around.

Lynch is still a big part of the program today being in charge of recruiting. Having a guy on the coaching staff who has already led the Cardinals to victory over the Knights goes under positive vibes. These games are eight years apart but when a team has the history edge is time to go on the offensive. Yea for logical fallacies! Just play like Joey Lynch in 2004 and your Cardinals are going to win a bowl game.

Reasons for concern

I wish I knew details of Wenning’s injury and what percent level he will be Friday night but I’m a blogger not a doctor. Since Wenning has been participating in practice I bet he will be starting but you never know. His health is the biggest question mark going in.
The Knights have experience on the defensive side of the ball. They were able to keep the Ohio State game respectable, losing 31-16. That is better than what Ball State did against Clemson. Yea for another logical fallacy! The team strength appears to be up front with a secondary that is slightly less
The official logo of UCF while it was in the MAC.

experience. Ball State might not have that much success on the ground game putting more pressure on Page or Wenning. If the Ball State running backs struggle this could be a long day.

Prediction: Ball State 30, Central Florida 23

Ball State’s offensive line has not shown many weaknesses this season. The Knights will be tested to control the line of scrimmage; something both teams are used to doing. If Ball State can run enough it should end the season with a bowl win and a 10-win season. If the Ball State could run for 169 yards on South Florida how hard could Central Florida be? Yea for another logical fallacy.

At the very worst, Ball State should do better than what Toledo did Saturday against Utah State. Yikes!

Filed under: BallStateFootball, BowlWeek, CUSA, MAC | 1 Comment »

The MAC’s one shining moment

Posted on December 3, 2012 by nathanpace

Who would have thought that on a weekend the where Ball State gets a bowl bid the bigger story would be our bronze stalk rival Northern Illinois.Yes, your Ball State Cardinals are less than three weeks away from winning, cough, I mean playing in a bowl game against Central Florida. For those who were able to stomach the disinteresting Conference USA championship, you saw how UCF is not exactly strong. If the Cards can heal up they should take this one.

Losing to NIU in October actually scored Ball State a big pay check. Nice loss Cards!

Plenty of other news overshadowed the bowl bid. Specifically, the Northern Illinois Huskies flipping the bird at the BCS. Kent State would have done the same had it had been on the other side of an epic MAC Championship Friday.

Northern jumped from 21 to 15 in the BCS standings thanks to teams like Texas, Nebraska, and UCLA losing.

During the week leading up to the MAC Championship game, ESPN did everything to promote the game talking how the winner could bust the BCS. Once that fantasy became a reality the worldwide leader in talking heads took a different tune.

Next thing I knew people I have been watching on College Gameday my whole life began ripping the Huskies a new one. Instead of talking about how monumental this was for a small schools everywhere it was all NIU does not belong and never will belong.

Does NIU belong in the BCS? If Louisville and Wisconsin belong then they absolutely do. Heck, we were close Saturday night to a 6-6 Georgia Tech Tech team knocking off Florida State in the ACC championship. Had the Yellow Jackets won would Jesse Palmer tell them to go away too?

Instead all ESPN could talk about was how Kansas was the only good win NIU had all year and how it lost to Iowa. The Iowa game was at the start of the year when the Huskies were breaking in a new quarterback. Why did no one on ESPN mention that?

As Jordan Lynch adjusted, NIU became even better than they were a year ago.

No one could admit that the MAC is simply better than the Big East and has gotten to the point where winning in conference matters. Northern beat Ball State, Kent State, and Toledo. All are good teams who would have finished high in the Big East conference this year. Kent State won at Rutgers. Toledo beat Cincinnati, Western Michigan beat Connecticut, and Ball State beat South Florida involving what might have been the most memorable touchdown grab in Muncie.

Don’t forget Ohio’s win over Penn State. Penn State actually finished 8-4 which inflated the MAC’s rankings with the computers. Even Central Michigan got in on the act topping Iowa on the road. And of course, Ball State beat the school from Bloomington with the ugly logo.

Bottom line, the MAC killed it in non conference action this year and had a whopping seven bowl eligible teams this year. The best part all seven got in.

That is a good conference. More worthy than the geography challenged Big East of having an automatic bid.

You might not like it ESPN, but as Dr. Phil would say in a dumb car commercial, “Tough tinsel.”

As for the game Ball State and the MAC has a lot on the line with this year’s Orange Bowl. If Northern is blown out then we have some credibility issues going forward. From observing the Big Ten the last few years, having a lack of credibility from bad bowl defeats can cripple a conference for future postseasons.

On the other side if Northern does well then I would not be surprised if another conference makes a play for the Huskies. As desperate as the Big East and Conference USA have been the last few weeks, an invitation is probably already in the mail. Tulane and East Carolina? Really Big East?

Maybe ESPN was intentionally bashing NIU Sunday night in their bowl selection show to drum up interest for the game. Think about it. If Oklahoma was playing Florida State it would just be another BCS bowl with no implications on the national championship. Instead the Orange bowl is now highly intriguing. It is similar to the Fiesta bowl with Boise State and Oklahoma a few years ago. How many other Fiesta Bowl games can you recall? That game and ….

In short, it’s a big game. Especially with the money being pumped in. Maybe Ball State can stop charging student fees? HAHA!

Rick Majerus

The other big news for Ball State this weekend was the passing of a former coaching great. When Rick Majerus coached Ball State to the sweet sixteen I was in diapers. Instead I only know him as a rotund man coaching Utah against my Kentucky Wildcats in big games.

Whenever Majerus would come in conversations I had with Muncie natives their eyes would light up. That pretty much says it all. Majerus did for the basketball program what Brady Hoke did for the football program. If anyone has any Majerus stories please share them in the comments.

Well Central Florida I guess we are no longer friends for the next few weeks. May the best team win. Oh wait, that’s us.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, Basketball, BCS, Big East, CUSA, MAC | 1 Comment »

Can a MAC team play in a BCS bowl game?

Posted on November 26, 2012 by nathanpace

The 2011 season was good year for the MAC, but 2012 has been incredible.

Friday night, two MAC teams will battle it out ranked in the top 21 of the BCS standings. Ironically, they are the two MAC schools that squeaked by Ball State this season.

Ball State may be playing NIU here, but that MAC logo on the field is kicking some serious keister.

For the conference it is a huge moment. If Kent State wins there is a chance the Flashes could move up high enough in the rankings to score a BCS bid.

Just think how both Kent State and Northern Illinois should be undefeated.

All NIU had to do was take down Iowa on a neutral field. The same Iowa team that lost at home to the 4th best MAC West team in Central Michigan. The Huskies could not get it done.

All Kent State had to do was beat a 2-10 Kentucky team. Granted, Kentucky was healthy in that game before the injury mafia moved in on every good player they had including their quarterback. Yeah I’m not bitter about that or anything.

For Ball State fans it is humbling that the year where the Cards go 9-3, (6-2 MAC) a conference championship is out of reach. I don’t think of it that way. Instead I see how good the conference has become and finishing third carries weight now.

Remember when the MAC only had three teams in the bowls? Many fans of the BSC conferences felt three was too much.

Now the MAC is going for SIX bowl teams in 2012. Double what people use to think was outrageous.

Kent State even beat Rutgers in New Jersey. Rutgers is currently slated as the Big East champion that will play in the BCS. And Kent State is clearly better than them.

News came down this month that the Big East will lose their automatic BCS berth in the 2014 season. Instead the MAC, Sun Belt, Big East, Mountain West, and Conference USA will battle it out for a spot.

That may not sound like big news but I think this opens the door a crack wider for a MAC team to get into the country club of whatever the BCS turns into. Currently, it is a four-team playoff with four additional bowls adding up to 12 teams with a piece of the postseason pie.

The four-team playoff is out of reach but the other bowls may be closer than ever.

In 2008, Ball State was undefeated and did not have much of a chance at getting into a BCS game. Would that change in the new system? Perhaps, but there are some key differences.

1. The Big East loses it’s edge in recruiting. For Ball State this means the Louisville Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bearcats no longer have an advantage in gobbling up local talent. Since I hate those two teams I can’t think of anything better than to say EAT IT!
2. With Boise State in another conference it may be tougher for the Broncos to go undefeated. Who other than the Broncos scare you in those five conferences we previously mentioned? East Carolina? Troy State? Louisiana Tech? Any random school with a question mark?
3. The MAC is the most stable out of the five conferences. The Big East and Conference USA is why geography teachers think no one pays attention in their classes. The Mountain West is going through a lot of changes and the Sun Belt is still the Sun Belt. The MAC has plenty of rivalries developed and the league is great fit for all the schools with the exception of UMass. Why are the Minutemen here again?
4. Television matters. I think I was able to find every Ball State game on the internet this year or on some obscure cable channel. The argument that small schools can’t get exposure does not work anymore. The MAC may not be making much in terms of TV revenue, but the bigger goal is to get their name out. The MAC is succeeding in that. Hell even Eastern Michigan is on TV so we can laugh at their fan base. Before I only had rumors of EMU fans. Thanks to the ESPN 3, I know that at least 20 of them exist.

A MAC team may still not be able to compete for a national championship but they may closer to relevancy among the football world than ever before. Especially if a school emerges as a team that can take that automatic bid. Perhaps Ball State in say 2014.

So kick back Friday night and enjoy the MAC championship. Don’t be bitter that Ball State is not there are a lot of positives in play. Then watch a Big East game for laughs. Those guys are hilarious. Sounds like a good weekend.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, BCS, Big East, CUSA, MAC | 2 Comments »

Resilient Cards Battle Injuries, Down Miami, Make History

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Alan

Jahwan Edwards scores one of his three rushing touchdowns as BSU downs Miami 31-24 (Courtesy Jeff Sabo, Miami University)

OXFORD, Ohio – Anyone who has followed the Ball State football team in the last half decade has seen their fair share of ups and downs. Disappointment followed elation and departures and transfers were often the news of the day through the BSU dark ages of 2009 and 2010. With the arrival of Pete Lembo before the 2011 season, Cards fans hoped that the choppy waters and turmoil would yield to consistency and success, but few could have imagined this much this soon as the Lembo led Cardinals defeated Miami 31-24 in Oxford Friday for a 9-3 regular season and a 2nd place MAC West finish.

Perhaps more impressive than the win was how it was accomplished. Even now, after having the drive home from Oxford to process what exactly I saw on Friday, it’s still astounding. On a macro level, it’s literally shocking, but we’ll get to that. In the microcosm that was the Black Friday finale for the Cards, the already shuffled roster missing Keith Wenning, Jamill Smith, and Jordan Hansel with a handful of others ranging between doubtful and probable wouldn’t seem to be able to handle anymore injuries. That theory got put to the test as backup QB Kelly Page, RB Jahwan Edwards, TE Zane Fakes, G Chris Sparrow, and C Dan Manick all went out with injuries. True freshman walk on Kyle Kamman had to QB the Cards for the final quarter and a half, and had things got worse, the redshirt would have been pulled off Ozzie Mann. Ideal? Far from it. But Coach Lembo was out of options. Jamill Smith (and his walking boot) was the emergency QB. Plugging in another WR was not a possibility.

“Ozzie [would have been up next]. What else are we going to do? We’re down guys at receiver too. You gotta remember, there’s a ripple effect. We would not have enjoyed that. That would not have been great for Ozzie. But, it is what it is. You only have so many guys,” Lembo said.

Thankfully for Ball State the reserve bonanza of Kelly Page and Kyle Kamman got a healthy dose of effective rushing from Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks who combined for 178 yards with Edwards adding 3 TDs. Miami got wise to the Cards shift to the ground attack, often putting ten men in the defensive box, making the sledding tough and the enjoyment minimal. “It’s not a lot of fun. You have to run it. You know you have to run it. They know you have to run it,” said Lembo.

The Cardinals now await their bowl invite, to be doled out on December 2.

For Lembo, the gravity and magnitude of just what has been accomplished in two short years in Muncie wasn’t lost. Asked about his perspective about the accomplishment of this team considering what they were mired in just two seasons ago, Lembo appeared wistful and reflective, saying, “Relative to it being the second year of a rebuilding process and having a still pretty young team starting only seven seniors mostly on the offensive line and then knowing our schedule. All of us have had many conversations going into the year about our schedule… the three BCS opponents, the five home games, finishing up with four of five on the road, playing some of the better teams on the crossover from the [MAC] east. So relative to all of those things, I’m really really proud of these kids. It’s pretty amazing.”

The final record for the Cardinals will surprise those in the national media and even some of the BSU die-hards as most expected somewhere around a .500 finish and would have been pleased with that. For Lembo, this record wasn’t surprising in the least. “I expect a lot out of our players. I expect a lot out of our coaches. I expect a lot out of our support staff. This is pretty special what they’ve been able to do,” he said.

For Cards fans it’s quite the historic season as Ball State has won their third-highest single season win total in program history and are in good position to win their first bowl game in school history. Looking forward, a core nucleus of the team returns and those in recruiting circles are heralding the incoming class as one of the best in program history. Whether Lembo will be around to see it remains to be seen as the coaching carousel is beginning to start up with Pete being mentioned for almost every open job and some that haven’t even decided what they’re going to do with the coach currently there.

For Cardinals fans, it may seem like a good time to hold your breath and hope against hope that next August Pete Lembo is still calling the shots in Muncie. For me, I’m choosing a bit of a different tack. I’m simply sitting back and enjoying this special season, talented team, and capable staff. “Enjoy the Ride” has been my motto for a while now, and I welcome you on board that train. These kinds of seasons don’t happen often (3 times to be exact) and I can’t let this one slip by.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC | Leave a Comment »

Vote Ball State to a Bowl Game

Posted on November 5, 2012 by nathanpace

The final three games on three weekdays will determine how the 2012 season is ultimately remembered.

Vote Charlie Cardinal for President Tuesday! He needs to pick up votes in Ohio like everyone else.

Starting Tuesday night Ball State fans will ignore the election that will determine America’s next four years for something more important. Getting to a bowl game.

Yes at 6-6 Ball State is already bowl-eligible but we all know that is not good enough for a MAC school. The MAC will likely have at least six bowl eligible teams this season (NIU, Toledo, Ball State, Kent State, Ohio, and Bowling Green) meaning not everyone will find a home this postseason.

The solution is to get at least seven wins. Problem is the November slate is trickier than winning Ohio in a presidential election. Sorry, had to go there.

Speaking of Ohio that’s where the final three opponents reside. Sadly for Ball State, none of them rhyme with Akron. If you don´t know what I´m talking about, you should bet on NFL football instead.

Best case scenario

Ball State upsets Toledo on election night and catches Ohio by surprise with new black uniforms and a jumbotron! The Cardinals then humiliate their rival RedHawks in Oxford making for the best Black Friday deal possible. At 9-3 Ball State accepts a bid to play a washed-up Big Ten school in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Ball State wins on a last second field goal from Steven Schott giving the program its first bowl win. The team brings back pizza to all the little girls and boys in Muncie for Christmas and top recruits commit in droves to the program. Happy New Year Ball State fans!

Worst case scenario

Ball State is humiliated on a national television by superior Toledo and Ohio teams. About 500 students show up to the Ohio game causing Pete Lembo to look for other jobs. The coaching distraction causes Ball State to lay an egg at Miami. At 6-6 Ball State is again left out the bowl season. Pete Lembo takes a job at a crappy Big East or ACC school two weeks later. Keith Wenning transfers with him. Fans are stuck trying to watch Billy Taylor and the Ball State basketball team sleep walk through another season as losses mount. Over the Pylon becomes a blog about coping with clinical depression.

Okay that was probably exaggerated. The point is there is plenty at stake this month. Here is a brief comparison of Ball State with the remaining three teams.

I believe the Cardinals will win at least one of these games. Toledo and Miami being the most likely two. I doubt Ball State will have much of a home field advantage against Ohio.

Points scored in first five MAC games

Toledo 191
Ohio 174
Ball State 174
Miami U 142

Points allowed in first five MAC games

Ohio 130
Toledo 134
Miami U 149
Ball State 160

The stats are not favorable but we all know how accurate stats are in predicting games.

Buckle up; it’s going to be a wild ride.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC | Leave a Comment »

Running out of Fingernails to Bite

Posted on October 15, 2012 by nathanpace

Cornerback Andre Dawson may have found the best way to describe the Ball State football season with his tweet.

While I am sure fans are happy for the win over WMU these types of games need to end.

Both Ball State and Western Michigan had ample opportunities to make Saturday’s game a blowout for either side. Offenses left points off the board. When either team made it to the red zone disaster seemed to occur. Ball State itself had an interception, a fumble, and two turnovers on downs in Western territory.

One thing is for sure, Western’s offense died in the second half.

Maybe it was the rainy weather, maybe Ball State’s defense figured it out; maybe it was the backup quarterback Western had to roll out.

Ball State played to win this game while Western Michigan played not to lose. I am sure the Broncos would have been more aggressive in their play-calling in the fourth quarter had their senior quarterback Alex Carder been healthy.

So what if it is the second game this year Ball State won because the other team’s quarterback was injured. See IU win.

So what if it is the second game this year Ball State won that it should have loss. See IU win.

So what if this is the third straight MAC game where the offense wasted scoring opportunities like Congress does with tax dollars. See Kent State and NIU losses.

The only “so what” that matters is 30 is more than 24.

At 4-3, Ball State is still in decent shape to earn seven wins and a bowl invitation. The Cardinals still have a slim hope of winning the MAC West if NIU falls off the face of the Earth. Do not hold your breath.

A loss though would have made this season a wash. The road is still tough as Central Michigan is in panic mode after their loss to Navy.

Are these Central Michigan uniforms or what sinners wear in Hell. If the latter it might be time to repent.

Nothing is ever easy in Mt. Pleasant, where warm temperatures do not exist.

Central should be a win but this is the Cardiac Cards we are talking about. No matter what I am sure it will be interesting.

Having a team that drives its fans to the edge of it seat every Saturday is not so bad.

Especially when compared to winless MAC peers Eastern Michigan and UMass. If you think Ball State has fan problems then you should look at the bottom of this box score.

I guess my high school has more fans than Eastern Michigan does.

Cardiac Cards are looking good right about now.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC, Weekend Carnage | Leave a Comment »

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