Huskers will bounce back with big win over Ball State Saturday

The Nebraska Cornhuskers return to action Saturday when they take on Ball State at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The Cardinals and the Big Red meet for the first time at 11:30 a.m. in a game that will be televised on a pay-per-view basis.

Ball State, a member of the Mid-American Conference, is coached by former Cardinal Brady Hoke. Hoke has the Redbirds off to a 2-1 start in 2007, including a 34-31 overtime win last week over Navy. The Cardinals are a team with a high-powered offensive attack, averaging 445 yards per game so far this season.

Leading the way for the Cardinal offense is quarterback Nate Davis (6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Sophomore). Davis is 57 of 107 throwing (53.3 percent) for 781 yards. He has eight touchdown passes and only one interception this season. Davis has the physical skills to cause some problems for the Blackshirts, especially in the secondary.

The receivers are a quality group for Ball State. Wide receiver Dante Love (5-10, 176, Jr.) has 21 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Love averages 95 yards receiving per game. He is the major threat in the Cardinal passing game. Tight end Darius Hill (6-6, 233 Jr.) has a pair of scores and averages nearly 70 yards per contest.

The one-back offense is sparked by MiQuale Lewis (5-6, 184, So.). Lewis is a small back with great quickness and also catches the ball well out of the backfield. Lewis averages 108 yards rushing per game this season.

Lewis is a workhorse for a small back. Lewis averages 24 carries a game and also has eight receptions for 129 yards (16.1 yards per catch) with a touchdown in 2007. Lewis must be accounted for if the Huskers are going to have a big game on Saturday.

The offensive line for the Cardinals is solid. The Redbirds have only allowed three sacks in 107 pass attempts this year. From tackle to tackle, Ball State averages nearly 6-5 and 293 pounds per man.

Sophomore left tackle John Purdy (6-6, 320) will attempt to keep the Husker defenders away from Davis. Ball State is smaller than most teams the Big Red will face in 2007, but they have helped produce a solid offensive attack so far this season.

Defensively, Ball State will line up in a 4-3 scheme. Along the defensive line, the Cardinals will be very small compared to the Nebraska offensive linemen. This small group of linemen can be overpowered in the ground game. Ball State has given up an average of 268 yards rushing per game.

Defensive tackle Jacob Jordan (6-3, 280, Sr.) has the only good size on the front four. Senior defensive end Cortlan Booker (6-2, 245) has good quickness on the outside. Booker is third on the team with 20 total tackles and has two sacks this season.

The linebackers as a group are a fine unit. Senior middle linebacker Mike Dorulla (6-0, 216) also is undersized, but he is second on the squad with 27 tackles. Weakside linebacker Bryant Haines (6-5, 230, Jr.) is a team leader with 33 stops and a fumble recovery. These veteran defenders must play well for the Cardinals to be competitive against the Huskers.

In the secondary, Ball State only gives up 112 yards per game. The leader in the defensive backfield is cornerback B.J. Hill (5-7, 180, Jr.). Hill is fourth on the team with 18 tackles, and he leads the team with two interceptions. Hill will have a hard time matching up with the big Husker receivers.

On special teams, the Cardinals are only average. Kicker Jake Hogue (5-9, 186, Fr.) is 5 of 9 on field goals (55.6 percent) with a long of 42 yards. Punter Chris Miller (6-2, 205, Jr.) has averaged 46.8 yards on 13 punts this season. Love, Lewis and Hill have some speed in the return game, but so far they have been less than outstanding returning punts and kickoffs.

Ball State is overmatched taking on Nebraska. That being said, the Huskers have to come ready to play or this game may be closer than the fans would like.

I believe the Big Red will start slowly before rolling to a 59-17 win over Ball State.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers' opposition from a “hometown” perspective every Thursday throughout the season.