Beef O'Brady's Bowl discussion

It involves a MAC team so I crossed it off my list right away. With that being said, small lean to dog here.
 
Who is more motivated?
Is Wenning playing?
Can BSU run the ball on ucf front?
If ball shuts down the big back for ucf can bortles(sp) torch them?

help.
 
No. But I am trying to find the best play in every bowl game and get a play in every bowl game if I can locate it. Maybe i will wait until halftime with this one. Was going to be hard without knowing for sure yet how wenning is ... but I am finding this game really difficult to handicap. Figured I would get a few tidbits of help if we all pitched in ... where the hell is marsski when ya need him?
 
Ball St.<!--*-->
INSIDE SLANT<!--*-->
Ball State excited about first bowl game since 2008<!--*-->
After being one of two teams in the nation passed over for selection to a bowl game last season, Ball State couldn't have cared less about which game it participated in this season.
When the Cardinals found out where they were going, not only were they excited to be included, they were absolutely thrilled about the location.
Ball State was picked to oppose UCF in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Dec. 21. The warm-weather site was high on the Cardinals' approval meter, and the location is an area in which they make a concentrated effort to recruit players outside the state of Indiana.
"It's obviously a great destination for us for a lot of reasons," Cardinals coach Pete Lembo told the Muncie (Ind.) Star Press. "There's good weather. A lot of alumni from Ball State live on the west coast of Florida. We recruit the Tampa area heavily. It's very easy for our fan base around the country to get there."
Ball State figured to be a desirable team for selection this season because of an entertaining offense. The Cardinals have strong balance between the pass and run, leading to an offense that ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 35.2 points per game.
One question for the Cardinals is the health of quarterback Keith Wenning. The second-team All-MAC pick missed the final regular-season game with an ankle injury and a game early in the bowl season might not give him enough time to fully heal.
Ball State (9-3) won its final game without Wenning, beating Miami (Ohio) to extend its winning streak to six games.
The nine wins are tied for third most in program history and were something of a surprise this season. Ball State was picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC West Division but tied for second with a 6-2 record.
Ball State has never won a bowl game. The Cardinals are 0-5, including a 45-13 loss to Tulsa, a Conference USA school like UCF, after the 2008 season.
NOTES, QUOTES<!--*-->
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
--QB Keith Wenning was a second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection this season. Despite missing the final game of the regular season with an ankle injury, he passed for 2,878 yards and 22 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions.
--TB Jahwan Edwards is a hard-charging runner with an ability to be shifty in breaking through the line of scrimmage. He averaged 110.1 yards per game and a hefty 6.1 yards a carry.
--WRs Willie Snead and Jamill Smith. Snead ranked second in the MAC in receptions with 82 for 1,070 yards and seven TDs. Smith caught 69 passes and scored six touchdowns. Smith also was third in kick returns (25.8 yards) and would have led the MAC in punt return yards (13.8 average) if he had enough runbacks to qualify.
--MLB Travis Freeman has been a durable and dependable player for four seasons. He has 119 tackles this season (455 in his career) and has a good nose for the ball.
BOWL HISTORY: Ball State is 0-5 all time in bowl games as an FBS program. The Cardinals' last appearance resulted in a 45-13 loss to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl in January 2009.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We heard a lot of comments about the kind of program we run and the kind of kids we have. They were hearing really wonderful things about how the Ball State football program is developing." -- BSU Athletic Director Bill Scholl telling the Muncie (Ind.) Star Press what he was hearing from bowl reps about the Cardinals.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL<!--*-->
BOWL BREAKDOWN:
Scouting the running game: Ball State has a strong 1-2 punch in bruising TB Jahwan Edwards and backup Horactio Banks, who is more of a sprinter/scatback. Edwards is the workhorse with five 100-yard games this year and 1,321 yards.
Scouting the passing game: QB Keith Wenning, who is battling an ankle injury, is one of the top players in the MAC at his position. He averages 261.6 yards passing a game with 22 TDs and 10 picks. WRs Willie Snead and Jamill Smith are dangerous threats with a combined 151 catches. Snead operates on the sidelines and deep down the field, and Smith works over the middle from a slot position.
Scouting the run defense: The Cardinals don't do a good job of containing runners. They allow an average of 205.8 yards a game on the ground.
Scouting the pass defense: Ball State plays soft coverage at the cornerback position, trying not to get beat long. The Cardinals will give up passes underneath and that results in them yielding 253.9 yards a game. They tend to blow coverages. Ball State gets a nice pass rush from DE Jonathan Newsome but he doesn't get enough support from the rest of the defensive front.
Scouting the special teams: The Cardinals have one of the top special teams units in the MAC. P Scott Kovanda is one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, and Steven Schott is the top placekicker in the MAC. The return game is good, too, with Smith averaging 13.8 yards per punt return and 25.8 yards on kickoff runbacks.
Intangibles: Coach Pete Lembo took over a moribund program in 2011 after the Cardinals went 6-16 the previous two seasons. He and his young, aggressive assistants have done an amazing job of convincing players that they are good enough to win games. They bought in immediately, producing a 15-9 record the past two seasons.

ROSTER REPORT
--QB Keith Wenning suffered an ankle injury Nov. 14 against Ohio and didn't play in Ball State's final regular-season game Nov. 23. He is expected to play in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl against UCF on Dec. 21.
--WR Jamill Smith suffered a foot injury on Nov. 14 and missed the final regular-season game. He's still hobbled but is expected to be ready for the bowl game.
--The Cardinals lost two starting OGs in November and both are out for the bowl game. Starter Jordan Hansel and backup Chris Sparrow each suffered a broken leg.

 
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[TD="class: xl26, width: 575, bgcolor: #333333, colspan: 5"]Important Injuries[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl27, width: 575, bgcolor: #969696, colspan: 5"]Ball State[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 64, bgcolor: silver"]Date[/TD]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 64, bgcolor: silver"]Pos[/TD]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 64, bgcolor: silver"]Player[/TD]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 64, bgcolor: silver"]Injury[/TD]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 319, bgcolor: silver"]Status[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:54pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]QB[/TD]
[TD="class: xl24, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Keith Wenning[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Ankle[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]is upgraded to probable Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]WR[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Jamill Smith[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Foot[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]"?" Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]2ndQB[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Kelly Page[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Concussion[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]"?" Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]C[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Dan Manick[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Ankle[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]injured last game, "?" Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]T[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Austin Holtz[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Foot[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]probable Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]S[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Brian Jones[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Ankle[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]"?" Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 4:36pm[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]G[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Jordan Hansel[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Ankle[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]"?" Friday vs. Central Florida[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]12/02 7:24am[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]G[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Chris Sparrow[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Leg[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]out for season[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]11/11 7:15am[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]TE[/TD]
[TD="class: xl25, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]David Schneider[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 64, bgcolor: white"]Leg[/TD]
[TD="class: xl23, width: 319, bgcolor: white"]out indefinitely[/TD]
[/TR]
</TBODY>[/TABLE]
 
I hear ya vk, I don't really know much about either so will probably watch a half like you.
 
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