Finally, Scheumann Stadium gets to host its first Ball State Cardinal football game of the 2011 season. The Buffalo Bulls come to down sporting a 1-1 record, with a win over FCS Stonybrook, and a loss vs. Pitt. Ball State is 7-1 all time vs. Buffalo, including a 20-3 win in Buffalo to finish off last season. I’ve been calling this the most important game of the season since the schedule came out. If Ball state has any realistic hopes of bowling, I can’t see that happening with a loss today. If the Cards fall to 1-2 with Army and Oklahoma up next, things could spiral out of control. A win today, and the team has confidence, and if they beat Army, all of a sudden they’re 3-1 heading into Oklahoma. It’s the MAC opener for both of these teams.
Quarterbacks:
Ball State: Keith Wenning had an OK day vs. USF. He had no INTs, but fumbled twice, losing one. Still, he completed a high percentage of passes despite some pretty heavy pass rush. We saw what he can do vs. little pass rush in the game against Indiana.
Buffalo:
Chazz Anderson has been a bit of a lifesaver for Buffalo, whose QBs last year struggled to complete a forward pass. Anderson is a former backup at Cincinatti in his 5th season of college football. Anderson’s a mobile QB, with a decent arm.
Advantage: 
Runningbacks:
Ball State: Jahwan Edwards had a nice showing vs. South Florida, despite the teams loss. Barrington Scott struggled some, and Dewayne Donnigan got in a little with mixed results. I wouldn’t be shocked if Edwards starts to slowly get a few more carries per game.
Buffalo: When you hear Brandon Oliver’s name, think MiQuale Lewis, closer to sophomore form. He’s a tiny back, he’s hard to see, he’s tough to take down, and is a bowling ball for defenses. He’s run for 100+ yards in each of his first two games.
Advantage:
Wide Receivers
Ball State: No receiver has yet to really stand out for the Cardinals. Orsbon, Gibson, and Tomlinson are all pretty similar right now in terms of stats. Coach Lembo said he needs to get the ball down field, which last year Tomlinson was very good at.
Buffalo: 6’5 Marcus Rivers will likely draw the attention of 6’2 Jason Pinkston. Rivers is a dangerous target in the red zone. Terrell Jackson is their speedier receiver, and while he hasn’t gotten a ton of opportunities to catch the ball, he’s been their punt returner aswell.
Advantage:
Offensive Line:
Ball State: The Cardinals had a great showing at OL vs. Indiana, allowing 0 sacks, and dominating the running game. USF was a different story. Rushing game was very hampered, and Wenning was under pressure all day.
Buffalo: The Bulls have allowed just 2 sacks in 2 games, and held their own for 3 quarters of the Pitt game. They’ve had a nice rushing attack as well.
Advantage:
Defensive Line:
Ball State: See offensive line. After a dominating performance after IU, the DL was pushed around most of the game. Ball State is still in a situation where they need to find sacks from other sources, as Hartke and Puthoff aren’t pass rushers.
Buffalo: The Bulls run a 3-4, so it’s tough to compare DLs. Steven Means, a Jr is a solid DE, good at applying pressure. They’ve struggled against the run, but have 5 sacks in 2 games.
Advantage:
Linebackers:
Ball State: The trio of Martin, Freeman, and Morris had more bright spots than any other area vs. USF. It wasn’t a “good” game for the unit, but had plenty of nice moments. Freeman is listed as questionable, and if he can’t go, it’ll be a big blow to BSU. Justin Cruz is his replacement, but he’s also battled injury.
Buffalo: OLB Khalil Mack is a stud. He was MAC East D POW last week, and national linebacker of the week. He’s a big body, and can play on the line when need be. But otherwise the unit’s pretty weak. They’re allowing over 200 yards per rush, which is understandable vs. Pitt, but not vs. Stony Brook.
Advantage: 
Defensive Backs:
Ball State: This is the Cardinals most experienced unit. Jason Pinkston had an INT on an over thrown ball, and Sean Baker was a one man wrecking crew vs. UB last year when he had 2 INTs and a fumble recovery for a TD.
Buffalo: UBs corners are Frosh and Soph, and one is a WR turned CB. The safeties have more experience, but they lost their top safety from last season.
Advantage:
Special Teams:
Ball State: Kovanda had a 57 yard punt vs. IU and a 55 yard punt vs. USF. The kickoff coverage game has pretty good as well. Orsbon will remain the returner, and while he likely won’t take one back, he’s as sure handed as anyone on the team.
Buffalo: Peter Fardun is 1/2 kicking this season, with his miss coming from the 40-49 yard range. Their problem comes from their punting game. Schum has really struggled punting, so much so that they’ve thought about making Fardun punt instead. Schum is sitting at 38 ypp.
Advantage:
TOTAL COUNT: BALL STATE 3 BUFFALO 1 EVEN 4
PREDICTION: Today will do a lot to see which performance is for real. The one that handled IU pretty comfortably, or the one that got smacked around by USF. I’ll take Ball State 31 Buffalo 21