NIU to play a healthier Ball State than in last year's trouncing

DeKALB - The last time NIU faced Ball State, the Huskies cruised to a 63-17 win at home last year.

The last time the Huskies faced a Ball State team with a healthy Riley Neal and James Gilbert, it was a much closer affair, a 31-24 Huskie win in Muncie in 2015.

With Neal and Gilbert back for the Cardinals (2-3 overall, 1-0 MAC), the Huskies (2-3, 2-0) are still looking for a 10th straight win over Ball State to retain the Bronze Stalk.

NIU coach Rod Carey said Neal has plenty of weapons with Gilbert (73 carries, 353 yards, four touchdowns), Caleb Hunter (36-178) and Malik Dunner (21-130-2).

"I have the utmost respect for this guy," Carey said. "He has some weapons around him with those three backs. The wide receiver that lit it up last game is a high school teammate of his. They're O-line is athletic, they move around very well. ... This is by far the biggest challenge we've had defensively as far as a complete offense."

Neal has completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,241 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. In the game two years ago, he was 23 of 40 for 276 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions, but he was also sacked five times - including twice by current Huskie defensive end Josh Corcoran.

"He's been slinging the ball around a lot," NIU linebacker and reigning MAC defensive player of the week Antonio Jones-Davis said. "He's a big guy. He's mobile. He's got weapons around him. We just have to execute our assignments and try to stop him."

The defense for the Huskies has been allowing less than 350 yards per game and just 282 yards on average in its two MAC games.

A big part of the defense for the Huskies has been Sutton Smith, who has 10.5 tackles for a loss, including five sacks. He's also forced two fumbles and blocked a kick.

"We have a good protection plan for him," Ball State coach Mike Neu said. "You've got to recognize that he is a good football player. You have to recognize he's got good production, even against some of those Power 5 schools he's gone against. Our guys will be up to the challenge."

The Huskie offense is coming off a season best 356 yards in a 26-23 triple-overtime win at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals are coming off a season worst 461 yards allowed in a 52-24 win against Kent State.

Carey said he's been impressed by the Ball State defense.

"We haven't been as explosive as we need to be, and we have explosive players," Carey said. "It's a combination off all that - coaching, play-calling, execution, all of it. You've see when all of it line up, it's explosive and really good. Just haven't seen enough of that."

Quarterback Marcus Childers will be making his second straight start against the Cardinals. He was 10 for 22 for 141 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the win last year.

This year Childers has completed 54.6 percent of his passe for 661 yards, seven touchdowns and four picks. He's averaging just 4.3 yards per attempt.

Carey said the team has lacked explosiveness this year.

"We're not calling plays to get 3 yards. let's make sure we're understanding that," Carey said. "Every play that we call is designed to go. That's true of every offense. Timing, maybe, of certain misdirection or pass plays or different things I think has been a little off. We just haven't been as explosive as we need. You've seen us been explosive this year against top-level competition. We need more of it. It's not like it's not there. Just haven't had enough of it."

He said he is looking for Childers to improve his passing game, although he did run for 77 yards last week as part of an improved Huskies ground attack - Tre Harbison ran 32 times for 136 yards.

"It hasn't been consistent enough. It hasn't even been to last year's standards yet," Carey said. "I don't think he ever ran the ball as hard as he ran it last week. And I thought he threw it very, very well. He was 20 of 35, which was a good number of pass attempts. I'd like to see the completions higher but overall when you look at it, it's not as good as it needs to be, or maybe it was (last year)."

He also said Childers numbers could have been greater if not for a pair of passes called back - a 24-yard pass to Dennis Robinson that was wiped out by an illegal man downfield flag, and a catch by Jauan Wesley that gained 12 but was overturned.

"Some of those (short gains) are maybe we're taking advantage and throwing a quick screen," Carey said. "You get a block, you make a guy miss it can go for a lot. I think we were getting some good yards on that but maybe left some more out there. And again, I think he had two big plays called back - one was a catch, and one I highly doubt the guy was downfield, but they called it."

Even with those two plays factored in he would have been 22 for 37 for 158 yards, right at his season average of 4.3 yards per attempt.

"The stats are the stats," Carey said. "If all you're doing is reading packets and numbers, then I think you're going to question him all day. I think if you watch how he played last week, I don't think you're questioning that at all."

NIU at Ball State

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Radio: WLBK-AM 1360, 98.9-FM, 560-AM The Answer

TV: ESPN3

Series history: NIU leads 23-20-2

Fast fact: Tre Harbison has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the Huskies twice this year, in both of NIU's conference games.

Prediction: NIU 24, Ball State 17