25 Questions to Parrish or Perish by....

What is their body of work?

For this year, not so good.  After winning their first 12 games last year, they have now lost their next 8 over two seasons.

What is their best result?

Not applicable.


What is their worst result?

You might be tempted to say the loss to FCS New Hampshire, but that's actually the #4 FCS team in the country.  I'm more likely to say losing to North Texas, their only win this season and one of two over the past two seasons.

 

What was the turnover margin?

Not good.  They are -8, and 17 lost turnovers is the second highest in the MAC.

Offense:

How is their QB play?



Obviously, Ball State lost a huge player in Nate Davis, who today is a member of the SF 49ers (and a full practice participant).  He 42 of 92 with 5 pics in the first three games, and and 63 of 106 with 3 INT in the next three games, so things are looking up.  He is a redshirt FR from TX who was highly ranked and recruited.  He was also a sprinter in HS, and had 50 yards rushing in two games this season.



What was their yard per play?

4.2 yards per play is tied with EMU for last in the MAC.

Can they run the ball?

This has been a big struggle for BSU.  One of their strengths coming back was MiQuale Lewis, but without the passing threat of Davis-Love, and with a line depleted by graduation, he is having a very disappointing season, with 3.3 yards per carry.  (His numbers are not significantly better in the games where Page has been more effective).  The team is at 3.2, 11 in the MAC.

Do they pass the ball?


They are last in the MAC in pass efficiency, though that might start to look up as Page feels more comfortable.


How is their run/pass balance.

They pass more often than they run, and that was more pronounced in the Temple game.  On the season as a whole, they have not executed the run or pass offense consistently.

Do they convert on 3rd Down.


37% is ninth in the MAC, which is among their better offensive ratings.

Do they score in the red zone?

They have 18 red zone trips, which is 3 per game, and on the low side of average.  They only have been blanked three times.  They do have 7 FGs in those 15 scores, so their per trip average of 3.83 is just average.

Do they protect the quarterback

They have been sacked 20 times, which is the second most in the league.  A young line and a young QB can be a pretty toxic combination.



Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.


Ball State is 9th in Scoring Defense and 10th in Yards per play.  FWIW, they are comparable but ahead of BG's defense on both measures.

Do they defend the run effectively?

I don't know what to say here.  4.0 yards per carry is pretty good--4th in the MAC, but there have been 256 rush attempts against Ball State, which is the most in the MAC. They did play Army (pretty much no pass) and a couple teams that ran an absolute butt load of plays.

Could they be passed on?

They are last in the MAC in pass efficiency defense and in yards per attempt.  The only mystery is why teams have tried to run on them so much.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?


40% is 6th in the MAC.  This is one of the things keeping their defense afloat.

Do they defend in the red zone?


They are pretty good.  Only 19 red zone trips allowed, and 11 TDs.  Their scoring average is a little over 4 points per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?


They are 10th in the MAC with six sacks in six games.


Special Teams:

Punting?


Their punter has a net of 36.8 yards which is 2nd in the conference.

Punt Return?

Nothing special.  12th in the conference.

Placekicking?

McGarvey is probably the best kicker in the MAC, with 11 FGs already in 13 attempts.  That's 8-10 inside 30 and 3-3 beyond 30.  Oddly, he has 2 missed xps.

Kickoff?


Kickoffs leave the other team starting on their 28 which is pretty normal.

Kickoff Return?


They are right in the middle of the pack on kickoff returns.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.


Charlie Coles once said you didn't want to play a team on the road when they were on a long winning streak, because that team will do anything to win.  I know that was basketball, but the same principle could apply here.

On paper, BG matches up very well with Ball State.  Our biggest weakness is defending the run, yet BSU has yet to establish the run against anyone today.  They appear to have a pretty porous pass defense, and that obviously plays right into our hands as well.  I know they are making changes in the defensive backfield, but BG would hope to gear up the big offensive show against this Cardinals defense.

Sooner or later BSU will win a game.  I don't see why it has to be this week, based on the way these teams line up.