GAME NOTES: The Ball State Cardinals will attempt to remain undefeated and keep their BCS dream alive as they host the Northern Illinois Huskies in a Mid-American Conference showdown.

Northern Illinois, which hasn't played a road game since October 4th, is 5-3 overall and 4-1 in league play. The Huskies are riding a three-game win streak, and the most recent victory occurred on October 25th by a 16-13 final over Bowling Green. If NIU can find a way to knock off Ball State, the team would have a legitimate shot of reaching the MAC title game.

The Cardinals have opened the season with eight straight victories, marking the best start for the program since the 1965 team won its first nine games. They are 4-0 in MAC play for the first time since 1988 and have won their eight games this season by an average of 22 points. The most recent outing for Ball State took place on October 25th, a 38-16 victory over Eastern Michigan.

Ball State owns a 19-14-2 lead in the all-time series with Northern Illinois, and the Cardinals won last season's meeting.

Northern Illinois is generating 27.2 ppg this season while racking up 340.8 total ypg. The quarterback position has been occupied by a few different players so far, and Chandler Harnish is the most recent starter for the squad. Harnish has completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 650 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Harnish is also a capable runner, as the redshirt freshman is third on the team with 207 yards and an average of 4.8 ypc. Me'co Brown leads the club with 478 yards and two touchdowns, while Chad Spann has five rushing touchdowns. As for the receivers, Marcus Perez has 18 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns, while Nathan Palmer has turned his 12 grabs in 278 yards and two scores.

Harnish struggled as a passer in the narrow win over Bowling Green last time out, has he completed only 5-of-12 attempts for 45 yards with zero touchdowns and his first two interceptions of the campaign. Fortunately, he was able to run for 113 yards on 19 carries. "I'm a bit sore but it felt great to run that much," said Harnish after the win. "The line did a great job all day, especially in the second half."

Opponents are scoring only 13.6 ppg against Northern Illinois, which is yielding a mere 267.2 total ypg. Foes are averaging a mere 3.7 rushing yards per carry and 8.9 yards per pass completion against the Huskies, who have been tough against both means of attack. They have six interceptions to their credit and nine fumble recoveries, and those 15 takeaways have been key to success. David Bryant currently leads Northern Illinois with 42 total tackles, and he has forced a pair of fumbles. Larry English has 4.5 sacks and needs to be accounted for on every play.

The Huskies deserve a great deal of credit for limiting Bowling Green to 168 total yards last time out. Despite completing 15-of-21 passes, the Falcons only managed 92 yards through the air. NIU had just one sack and one takeaway in the clash, but the overall defensive effort was tremendous. "We struggled as an offensive group but the defense picked us up," said Harnish. "That is when you know you have a good team, when one side of the ball picks up the other."

When star receiver Dante Love was lost for the season after just four games because of injury, many wondered if the Ball State offense would be able to maintain a high level of play. Quarterback Nate Davis has done an outstanding job of spreading the ball around to many of his offensive options, and the standout signal caller has connected on 66.7 percent of his passes for 2,085 with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. "He's a competitor," says head coach Brady Hoke. "He has all the physical attributes most people want and the proper mindset on top of that." Briggs Orsbon leads the club with 33 catches for 388 yards and four scores, and Darius Hill has also posted four receiving touchdowns. As for the ground attack, MiQuale Lewis has been sensational, rushing for 989 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 5.8 ypc. Obviously, this offense is tremendous balanced, averaging 191.0 ypg on the ground and 258.6 ypg through the air.

In the romp over Eastern Michigan last time out, Davis threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. As for Lewis, he ran for 75 yards and a score on only 10 attempts.

Ball State has not allowed more than 24 points in any of its eight games this season, and the squad has limited its last three foes to a total of 23 points. Sure, opponents are gaining 4.4 yards per rush attempt and 11.1 yards per pass completion against the Cardinals, so it is hard to say that the defense has been dominant. But Ball State has been tremendously opportunistic, as it has registered 12 interceptions. Sean Baker leads the club with 64 total tackles, and he has intercepted four passes. Clearly, Baker has been the defense's best player.

Although the Cardinals did yield 376 yards to Eastern Michigan last time out, including 309 yards through the air, two interceptions helped hold the Eagles to 16 points. "Generally, I feel like we played with the right aggression against them," said Hoke, who is trying to keep his team focused and doesn't throw around compliments too easily.

Expect Ball State to take care of business at home, as the passing of Davis and running of Lewis will be the difference.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ball State 34, Northern Illinois 17