Ball State University Athletics
Football Team Opens Season Thursday at Scheumann Stadium
August 27, 2008 | Football
Ball State Cardinals (0-0) vs. Northeastern Huskies (0-0)
Game Presented by
ProLiance Energy
Thurs., Aug. 28, 2008 -- 7 p.m.
Scheumann Stadium
Muncie, Ind.
Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke on Thursday's Game: "We have had a very good fall camp up to this point. I am very pleased with the progress we have made with some of our young players. I am pleased with the leadership of our seniors and what they have done. I am pleased with the point of emphasis that we identified as a staff in our kicking game. We have worked defensively on being more athletic and playing with a purpose. I think offensively the development on our running backs and depth in the offensive line has been a big plus. Our freshmen have done a nice job of fitting into the mix of what we are trying to get done as a team. With that being said, we are focused on the 28th and what needs to be done on that evening. Northeastern is a tough and gritty football team. They are very well coached and they play with a lot of aggression. They will be a team we will have to prepare for and play our best football."
GameDay Promotions: Pregame entertainment in Arby's Tailgate Town presented by MAX Radio is the band Virgin Millionaires...The postgame entertainment will include a fireworks display. Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke: 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 guided Ball State to a 7-6 overall record and the MAC West Division Co-Championship last season and led the Cardinals to the International Bowl . . . Hoke owns a 22-37 career record, including a 19-20 mark in MAC action. Northeastern Head Coach Rocky Hager: Rocky Hager (Minot State ?74) is in his fifth year as the head coach at Northeastern and in his 15th year as a head collegiate mentor . . . Hager owns a 15-29 mark at Northeastern and a 106-54-1 record in his coaching career . . . Hager served as the head coach at North Dakota State from 1987-96 . . . Prior to taking the head coaching position at Northeastern, Hager was an assistant coach at Temple from 1997-2003.
Scouting Northeastern: Northeastern is an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision school located in Boston, Mass. . . . The Huskies posted a 3-8 overall record in 2007, including a 2-6 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association . . . Northeastern welcomes back 43 letterwinners, including 15 starters from last year's team . . . Senior quarterback Anthony Orio set career highs in completions (139), passing yards (1,558) and passing efficiency (124.1) a year ago . . . The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the six-team CAA North Division in the league's preseason poll. 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 tallied seven wins in 2007 for the first time since its 1996 team posted an 8-4 record and played in the Las Vegas Bowl . . . Ball State's 4-1 divisional record last season tied for the best divisional record among the 13 teams from the MAC . . . The Cardinals advanced to the International Bowl after the 2007 season, marking the school's first bowl appearance since the 1996 campaign . . . Ball State ranked in the top 35 in the nation in five statistical categories in 2007 -- turnover margin (4th), passing offense (22nd), passing efficiency (24th), net punting (29th) and total offense (31st).
Little Known Trivia: Ball State's preseason attention extends to the school's fight song, which was selected as the 13th best college football fight song in the country by www.bleacherreport.com.
