Football Team Hosts Eastern Michigan Saturday at Noon

October 24, 2008 | Football

By: Ball State Athletics

Ball State Cardinals
(7-0; MAC 3-0) vs.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
(2-6; MAC 1-3)

Sat., Oct. 25, 2008
Muncie, Ind.
Noon (ET)

Scheumann Stadium
(Capacity: 22,500)
FieldTurf

? FAMILY WEEKEND presented by Marsh

? Chase Charlie - 5K and one mile runs and a Kiddie 100

? Take A Kid To The Game - Receive one free general admission ticket free with
the purchase of one adult general admission ticket

? 30th Anniversary of the 1978 Football Team

Ball State Radio Network: This marks the 53rd season Ball State and WLBC FM 104.1 have aired the Ball State football games . . . Morry Mannies is in his 53rd year as the "Voice of the Cardinals" . . . Mark O'Connell, a former Ball State quarterback and punter, provides the color commentary for the eighth straight season . . . The pregame show begins one hour prior to kickoff . . . In addition, ESPN 1340 AM will host a Muncie College Gameday show beginning two and a half hours before kickoff each week . . . Ball State football games can also be heard on 1380 AM in Fort Wayne and XL950 AM in Indianapolis . . . The Ball State student station WCRD will broadcast the majority of games on 91.3 FM.

Ball State Head Coach: Brady Hoke (Ball State ?82) is in his sixth year as the Cardinals head coach and his sixth season as a collegiate head coach . . . A former football student-athlete at Ball State, Hoke helped the Cardinals to the 1978 Mid-American Conference Championship . . . As one of four captains on the 1980 team, Hoke led the Cardinals and ranked sixth in the MAC with 150 tackles . . . Hoke coached Ball State to a 7-6 record, the MAC West Division Co-Championship and a berth in the International Bowl last season . . . Hoke owns a 29-37 career record, including a 23-20 mark in MAC action.

Quick Hits: Brady Hoke is one of only 18 coaches in the country to be the head coach of their alma mater in 2008 . . . Ball State has opened the 2008 season with seven straight victories, which marks the best start for a Ball State team since the 1965 campaign when the Cardinals won their first nine games of the season . . . The last time Ball State started the Mid-American Conference season 3-0 was the 1993 campaign . . . Ball State's national rankings in the last two weeks are the first in school history . . . Ball State is one of only nine of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams still undefeated in 2008 . . . Ball State's seven game winning streak ties for the eighth longest in the nation . . . The Cardinals have scored 28-of-31 times in the Red Zone this year, including 22 touchdowns and six field goals . . . Ball State is fifth in the country in third down conversion percentage, having converted on 41-of-77 third downs this season for a .533 mark.

Quick Hits: Nate Davis has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 23 of the last 24 games . . . Davis has been sacked only six times through seven games, which ranks eighth in the country for fewest sacks allowed with only 0.86 per game . . . Ian McGarvey made three extra points at Western Kentucky and has now made 43 straight dating back to last season . . . The 43 straight is a new Ball State school record . . . MiQuale Lewis rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown at Western Kentucky . . . It marked the fifth straight game with at least one rushing TD for Lewis . . . The 112-yard game marked his sixth straight 100-yard rushing contest and the eighth of his career . . . Trey Lewis tallied his first interception of the season at Toledo and then tallied his second of the year at Western Kentucky . . . The interception at WKU marked the 10th of his career . . . Cory Sykes, who rushed for a career high 90 yards on seven carries at Toledo and scored his third touchdown of the season on a career long 57-yard rush, gained 73 rushing yards on 14 carries at Western Kentucky . . . Louis Johnson managed a season high four catches for a season best 56 yards with one touchdown at Western Kentucky . . . The receiving touchdown was the seventh of his career . . . Briggs Orsbon, who is leading the team with 48.7 receiving yards per game, tallied his third touchdown reception of the season at Western Kentucky . . . Chris Miller has punted 17 times this season and has a 43.4 average . . . He has pinned opponents inside the 10-yard line five times and inside the 20-yard line eight times . . . Miller managed a season long 54 yard punt at Western Kentucky . . . Davyd Jones led the team with nine tackles plus tallied 1.5 tackles for loss at Western Kentucky . . . Sean Baker, who led the team with seven tackles at Toledo, was second for the Cardinals with eight tackles at Western Kentucky plus tallied the first forced fumble of his career . . . Kenny Meeks, who is tied for second on the team in tackles for loss and leads the Cardinals with four sacks, had one sack and two tackles for loss at Western Kentucky . . . Myles Trempe has a team high 17.3 yards-per-catch average.

Anchoring the Trenches: Seniors Robert Brewster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming H.S.), Dan Gerberry (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch H.S.) and Andre Ramsey (Cordele, Ga./Crisp County H.S.) anchor the offensive line . . . Brewster was a 2007 All-Mid-American Conference First Team selection and has started 39 straight games . . . Gerberry has started all 43 games at center in his collegiate career . . . Ramsey has started the last 12 games at left tackle.

Sacks on the Season: Ball State's offensive line has allowed only six sacks in seven games this season . . . The Cardinals rank eighth in the country and first in the MAC for fewest sacks allowed with 0.86 per game.

Baker Making the Picks: Sean Baker (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield H.S.) has registered four interceptions and scored two defensive touchdowns this season . . . In addition, he leads the Cardinals with 52 tackles plus has 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and four pass breakups . . . Baker intercepted a pass with 1:04 to play in the first half at Indiana and returned it 40 yards for a TD which gave the Cardinals a 28-20 lead . . . A redshirt freshman for the Cardinals who was named the Walter Camp Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Ball State's 41-24 win at Akron, Baker tied a Ball State school record with three interceptions in one game at Akron . . . He tied the mark set by four different players -- the last one was Greg Garnica in 1989 vs. Miami University . . . In addition, Baker recovered the first fumble of his career and returned it 33 yards for the first touchdown of his career against the Zips.

Meeks and Eddins: Kenny Meeks (Muncie, Ind./Central H.S.) and Robert Eddins (Detroit, Mich./Crockett H.S.) have accounted for seven of the team's 12 sacks this season . . . Meeks leads the team with four sacks and is tied for second with 5.5 tackles for loss . . . Eddins is second on the team with three sacks and fourth with 4.5 tackles for loss . . . He managed his first career sack in the season opener vs. Northeastern.

Just for Kicks: Ian McGarvey (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove H.S.), a sophomore placekicker, connected on all three extra points at Western Kentucky, and has now set a new Ball State school record with 43 consecutive extra points made . . . McGarvey passed Brian Jackson, who made 40 straight in 2003 and 2004 . . . McGarvey tied his career long when he made a 47-yard field goal against Kent State this season . . . He also made a 47 yarder in last year's International Bowl . . . McGarvey made a 46-yard field goal vs. Northeastern, which tied for the third longest of his career.

Freshman Wide Receiver Stepping Up: Briggs Orsbon (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview H.S.), a true freshman member of the Ball State football team, is leading the team with 48.7 receiving yards per game . . . He tallied his third touchdown reception of the season at Western Kentucky . . . Orsbon managed a career high 10 passes for a career best 112 yards vs. Kent State . . . He registered his first career touchdown vs. Navy . . . Orsbon returned to the endzone at Akron when he scored the first points of the game for Ball State on a 21-yard pass from Nate Davis . . . Orsbon tallied two catches for 38 yards and scored his first career TD on a 30-yard pass from Nate Davis with 3:54 to play in the second quarter vs. Navy.

Local Product Doing Well: Davyd Jones (Muncie, Ind./Central H.S.) is second on the team with 45 tackles and tied for second on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss this season . . . He posted a team-high nine tackles at Western Kentucky . . . Jones had eight tackles in Ball State's season opener vs. Northeastern and added a career high 10 in the team's win over Navy . . . Jones made the first start of his career vs. Northeastern after playing in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2007.

Sykes Doing Whatever is Asked: Cory Sykes (Harvey, Ill./Thornton H.S.), a true freshman H-Back for the Cardinals, rushed seven times for 90 yards and one touchdown at Toledo and then gained 73 yards on 14 carries at Western Kentucky . . . Sykes scored his third career touchdown on a career long 57-yard run with 5:23 to play in the game at Toledo . . . He rushed 12 times for 48 yards with one touchdown in Ball State's game vs. Kent State . . . Sykes rushed for his first career TD in his first career game -- Ball State's season opener vs. Northeastern -- on a 6-yard run . . . Sykes scored on a 10-yard carry in the third quarter vs. Kent State to give Ball State a 28-7 edge.

Lewis with Career No. 9: Trey Lewis (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft H.S.), a Ball State fifth-year senior, tallied his second interception of the season and the 10th of his career at Western Kentucky . . . Lewis, who has started 38-of-43 games in his career, has 27 tackles, including three tackles for loss this season.