Wed Jan 2 14:19:59 2008

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International Bowl pits Rutgers against Ball State

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Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - For the first time in 11 years the Ball State Cardinals will participate in postseason action when they collide with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second-annual International Bowl.

The Scarlet Knights stormed out of the gates this year, collecting three consecutive wins, outscoring their three opponents by a combined 138-27 margin. However, the fast start was brought to a halt with back-to-back losses to Maryland and Cincinnati. Rutgers was able to regroup, grabbing two straight wins, defeating Syracuse and USF, which at the time was ranked second in the nation. The Scarlet Knights were unable to continue the strong play however, as they followed up the huge win over USF with losses to West Virginia and Connecticut. Once again, the Knights rebounded with consecutive wins, defeating Army and Pittsburgh, and although Rutgers suffered a loss to Louisville to close out the year, the team was still able to earn its third consecutive bowl game, and just the fourth in the school's 138-year history. Last year the Knights collected their first ever bowl win by pounding Kansas State, 37-10 in the Texas Bowl.

As for the Cardinals, they last made a bowl appearance during the 1996 season when they lost to Nevada, 18-15 at the Las Vegas Bowl. In five bowl appearances, the Cardinals have yet to post a victory, losing four times, while posting a tie in another. The journey for BSU began this season with a tough, 14-13 setback to Miami-Ohio. After winning back-to-back games over Eastern Michigan and Navy, the Cardinals fell just short on the road against Nebraska, 41-40. They rebounded however, winning three of their next four games, with the lone setback coming against Mid-American Conference champion, Central Michigan. Ball State fell to 5-5 with two consecutive losses to Illinois and Indiana, but the team earned its bowl eligibility with two straight victories over Toledo and Northern Illinois to close out the season.

This will be just the second-ever matchup between Rutgers and Ball State on the gridiron. The first game resulted in a 31-31 tie back during the 1989 season.

Rutgers can hurt its opponents with many different options offensively, but none are more dangerous than running back Ray Rice. Rice is one of the top backs in the entire nation, and finished third in the country with 1,732 yards and an impressive 20 touchdowns. Teams usually place all their attention on Rice, and overlook the passing attack for Rutgers, which could be a mistake. Quarterback Mike Teel is not a well known signal caller, but the junior has completed 57.7 percent of his throws on the year for 2,844 yards and has 17 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. When Teel drops back in the pocket, the quarterback usually looks the way of Tiquan Underwood or Kenny Britt. Underwood led the Scarlet Knights with 62 catches for 1,028 yards and seven scores, while Britt hauled in 56 passes for a team-best 1,107 yards and also found the end zone six times. With all those weapons, it is not surprising that Rutgers averaged 437.2 total ypg, and 31.2 ppg in 2007.

The Scarlet Knights have done well for the most part on defense this season, as the squad is limiting the opposition to just 319.5 total ypg, and 21.8 ppg. Rutgers has controlled the passing lanes, holding teams to a mere 160.6 ypg and just 6.1 yards per throw. However, the unit has had some trouble against the run, as teams are producing 158.9 ypg on the ground, and out of the 29 touchdowns surrendered by the Scarlet Knights, 18 have come via the run. The defense has done a tremendous job at getting to the quarterback, recording 35 sacks on the season. However, the team has not been able to force many turnovers, collecting just 18 takeaways on the year (nine interceptions, nine fumbles). There are not many flashy names on this defense, but the main source of production comes from the front line, as Jamaal Westerman has recorded 13 TFLs and a team-best eight sacks.

The Cardinals' bread and butter this year has been their passing attack, as the team is producing an impressive 284.4 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Nate Davis has been sensational all season long, completing 57.1 percent of his throws. In 12 games, the signal-caller has thrown for 3,376 yards and 27 touchdowns against only six interceptions. The top two targets for Davis has been Dante Love and tight end Darius Hill. Love is a down field target that can spread the defense, as the wide out is averaging 14.1 ypg. The junior has hauled in 87 passes for 1,229 yards and nine scores. As for Hill, he is a dangerous, pass catching tight end, and in 12 games Hill has grabbed 56 passes for 837 yards and nine TDs. The ground game is producing 147.2 ypg, but the team does not possess a number one back. The main source of production out of the backfield has been Frank Edmonds, who has rushed for 526 yards and six scores, but is averaging just 3.8 ypc.

What does not bode well for the Cardinals is that they are about to face one of the top running backs in the nation with the 99th-ranked rushing defense. Ball State has been abused by the run throughout the year and is currently surrendering 197.0 ypg on the ground. Overall this unit is being tortured for 418.8 total ypg, and that has led to 26.3 ppg. The team has been able to make big plays on the year, which has really minimized the damage. In 12 games, the defense has forced 27 turnovers, 18 of which were interceptions. Pressuring the quarterback has been an issue for Ball State, as the team has collected only 21 sacks. Another problem for the Cardinals has been their play inside their own 20-yard line, as the squad is allowing the opposition to convert on 76 percent of their red zone chances.