Ball State (3-1) and Northern Illinois (0-4) open up Mid-American Conference play Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Scheumann Stadium.
The Cardinals are coming off a 31-27 comeback over Florida Atlantic last week, while the Huskies late rally fell short in a 28-23 home loss to Western Illinois. Northern Illinois leads the all-time series 21-20-2, and has defeated Ball State seven straight times dating back to 2009.
Jake Fox, the Daily News football writer, is covering the game and offered up some insight on the key positional matchups:
Riley Neal vs. Northern Illinois secondary
Neal, a sophomore, had a huge game in last season's 59-41 shootout, finishing 31-53 through the air for a career-high 393 yards and four touchdowns.