Ball State @ Miami (FL) preview
Hard Rock Stadium
Tenth-ranked Miami, led by transfers Cam Ward at quarterback and Tyler Baron at defensive end, will look to improve to 3-0 when it hosts heavy underdog Ball State on Saturday afternoon.
The Hurricanes, ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2020, are a 36-point favorite over the Cardinals (1-0).
Ward, a transfer from Washington State, has completed 75.4 percent of his passes for 689 yards and six touchdowns this season. He has thrown just one interception.
One of the favorites so far to win the Heisman Trophy, Ward also showed off his toughness and elusiveness in an 8-yard touchdown run in Miami's 56-9 win over Florida A&M last week.
"It's good that everyone saw (Ward) take off with the ball," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "We don't want him jumping all over the place, but when you have to, you have to.
"He's not made out of ceramic. He throws his body around."
Baron, a transfer from Tennessee, ranks second in the nation with four sacks.
He has been especially important since Rueben Bain Jr. has been injured (soft tissue) since the first plays of Miami's season-opening win over Florida. Bain was the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting 7 1/2 sacks last season.
Miami has three other injured starters who are questionable for Ball State: cornerback Damari Brown, left tackle Jalen Rivers and left guard Ryan Rodriguez.
Freshman OJ Frederique Jr. has held up well in place of Brown. Matthew McCoy essentially was a co-starter with Rodriguez and also has played well.
And Miami is pleased with Markel Bell, a 6-foot-9, 340-pound left tackle who was solid last week except for one holding penalty.
Other than Ward, Miami's biggest offensive stars are running back Damien Martinez and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo.
Martinez, a transfer from Oregon State, has rushed for 156 yards and a 6.0-yard average this season. Restrepo has 11 catches for 216 yards, a 19.6-yard average, and two TDs.
As for Ball State, Cristobal said the offensive line jumped out at him the most as the Cardinals rushed for 173 yards last week in a season-opening 42-34 win over Missouri State.
Ball State trailed twice and as late as the third quarter. But the Cardinals pulled away with a 28-point fourth quarter.
"Great finish," Ball State coach Mike Neu said. "But we've got a lot to work on."
Neu entered this season on the hot seat with a 37-56 record in eight seasons at Ball State. He has had a losing record in seven of those years.
For 2024, Neu hired new coordinators on offense (Jared Elliott) and defense (Jeff Knowles).
Elliott has a potential problem at wide receiver due to injuries to Ty Robinson and Justin Bowick. The Cardinals also lost their top tight end from last season, Tanner Koziol, to the transfer portal (Louisville).
In addition, running back Marquez Cooper, who rushed for three straight 1,000-yard seasons, transferred to San Diego State.
However, Braedon Sloan is off to a good start replacing Cooper with 103 rushing yards, a 4.9-yard average, and one touchdown against Missouri State.
But the biggest hope for Ball State is redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza, who completed 28 of 38 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception in the opener.
--Field Level Media