Preview: Ball State Cardinals at Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers will rely on QB Cameron Coffman, who is expected to start in place of the injured Tre Roberson. Ball State counters with a high-powered rushing attack and this match-up should feature plenty of scoring.

By Dave Carey

Sep 11, 2012 at 9:40 pm ET • 1 min read

(Video courtesy DustinDopirak)

Ball State (1-1, 1-0 MAC) at Indiana (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

Kickoff: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)

Spread: Indiana by 2.5

Watchability: TheIndiana Hoosiers Hoosiers will rely on QB Cameron Coffman, who is expected to start in place of the injured Tre Roberson. Roberson broke his left leg in a 45-6 win over Massachusetts last week. Ball State counters with a high-powered rushing attack and this match-up should feature plenty of scoring.

Shining stars: Ball State: Sophomore RB Jahwan Edwards is among the national leaders in rushing as he has amassed 254 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. He also has three catches for 19 yards through two games. Indiana: Coffman completed 16 of 22 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown against the Minutemen in relief of Roberson. The junior college transfer is expected to start, but isn’t as good with his legs as his injured classmate. The game plan will be tailored to his skill set.

Who could steal the show: Ball State: LB Travis Freeman has been a tackling machine for the Cardinals, amassing 23 stops through two games. The senior typically plays in the middle and the defense is built to funnel ball carriers to him. Indiana: LB David Cooper has bolstered the defense since transferring this spring. The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder leads the team with 15 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. He should have plenty of chances to add to that total against run-heavy Ball State.

Magic number for Ball State: 24. Consecutive starts at quarterback for junior Keith Wenning. He is fifth in school history with 4,554 passing yards.

Magic number for Indiana: 606. Yards of offense for the Hoosiers in their win over Massachusetts last week, their highest total since 2001.

The game comes down to: Can Indiana stop the run? The Hoosiers allowed 78 rushing yards in a blowout against Massachusetts, but were gouged for 176 yards on the ground in the season-opener against Indiana State. Ball State averages more than 290 rushing yards per game and will be difficult to contain.

Prediction: Indiana 31, Ball State 28

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big Ten bloggers Dave Carey and Mike Singer, follow @CBSSportsBigTen.