FACTS & STATS: Site: Scheumann Stadium (22,500) -- Muncie, Indiana. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Navy 1-0, Ball State 1-0. Away Record: Navy 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Neutral Record: Navy 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Conference Record: Navy 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Series Record: Ball State leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: The Ball State Cardinals will host their second consecutive home matchup when they take on the Navy Midshipmen this Friday night under the lights at Scheumann Stadium.

The Ken Niumatalolo got off to a terrific start, as the new head coach saw his Midshipmen dismantle the Towson Tigers, 41-13. With the win, the Middies are now 84-37-7 all-time in home openers, and that includes a solid 31-19 ledger in home-openers at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

As for the Cardinals, they soared in their season-opener as well, destroying the Northeastern Huskies, 48-14. It was the second season-opening win for the Cardinals in the last three seasons. It only gets harder for Ball State after this matchup, as the team will be on the road for four of its next five matchups.

These two teams squared off last season and the Cardinals grabbed a thrilling, 34-31 victory on the road. It was only the second ever meeting between BSU and Navy, both of which were won by the Cardinals.

The Midshipmen opened the season with an outstanding performance over Towson, racking up a whopping 602 total yards. However, as usual the majority of the production came from the ground attack, which pounded Towson's front line for 558 yards. Over the past six seasons the Middies have averaged over 300 rushing ypg four different times, including last season when the Middies tallied 349.0 ypg on the ground. Navy finished with 26 first downs in the win over the Tigers, and also converted 3-of-4 red zone chances. Shun White was in mid-season form for Navy, as the running back rumbled for an eye- popping 348 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jarod Bryant added 75 rushing yards and one touchdown in the win, and also threw for 44 more yards to go along with a scoring strike to Bobby Doyle.

While Navy's offense is the main story of the season-opener, the struggles for the defense cannot be overlooked. The Middies held Towson to just 30 rushing yards, but the secondary was embarrassed for 330 yards in the matchup. This was a major problem for the Midshipmen last year, as the team was torched for 263.0 ypg through the air. Navy only forced one turnover in the contest, but the team was able to collect three sacks, and limited Towson to just one red zone opportunity. Clint Sovie paced the team with eight tackles in the victory, while Wyatt Middleton added six stops for Navy.

The Cardinals' offense was clicking on all cylinders in the team's opening win over Northeastern, as Ball State tallied 487 total yards en route to a 34- point win. Ball State was extremely efficient, and out of the 26 first downs collected by the offense, 12 came on the ground, and another 12 came through the air. Coach Brady Hoke's squad was a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone and committed just four penalties in the victory. Quarterback Nate Davis was the star of the show, completing an outstanding 21-of-24 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Davis' success coincided with the play of Dante Love, who finished with nine catches, 171 yards and one touchdown. Not to be overlooked was the effectiveness of the ground attack for BSU, as the Cardinals rumbled for 190 yards and three scores. MiQuale Lewis was the main option, and the tailback delivered in a big way, racking up 95 yards and one TD on just 11 carries.

The Cardinals also put forth a strong performance on the defensive side of the football, holding Northeastern to 324 total yards, including just 93 rushing yards on 32 carries. It was a surprising effort for BSU against the run, especially since the team struggled mightily in that area last season, allowing 204 rushing ypg. Ball State was unable to force a turnover in the contest, and also allowed Northeastern to convert on 8-of-17 third down attempts. Davyd Jones led the defense with eight tackles and also grabbed 1.5 TFLs for BSU, while Sean Baker also had a solid showing, collecting seven stops in the win.

The Cardinals might have held the Huskies to under 100 rushing yards in their season-opener, but there is little chance Ball State will be able to duplicate that effort against Navy. However, the Middies will likely struggle to find a way to stop Davis and the high-powered Ball State offense, so expect a high scoring matchup.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ball State 45, Navy 35

Friday, September 5th, 7:00 p.m. (et)