Pumpkins, ghosts and cool weather once again set the scene for that time of year.

Yes, it’s time for the Ball State vs. NIU football game.

The Cardinals, a California Bowl prospect, will appear in costume (white uniforms) for the 1:05 p.m. contest Saturday in Huskie Stadium. The Huskies, meanwhile, have cashed in their white travel outfits for the season and will kick off the first of their last three home games with Homecoming.

BSU head coach Paul Schudel didn’t sound concerned that NIU’s performance might be any better just because it’s Homecoming.

“You’ve got to play the game whether it’s Homecoming or not,” Schudel said. “You play the game for what it’s worth. It just so happens that we’re playing on (NIU’s) Homecoming.”

It was exactly one year ago on Halloween when BSU haunted NIU with a 42-17 victory at their own Ball State Stadium. The Cardinals were quick to begin their massacre, jumping to a 21-0 lead over the Huskies in the first quarter.

Blame last year’s loss on the mysterious holiday or blame it on the “Ball State Curse”, but NIU coach Pettibone isn’t making any excuses this time around.

“I don’t believe there’s such thing as a jinx,” Pettibone said. “I recognize they’re an outstanding team, and they have as much talent and overall ability as any of the teams we’ve played this year.

The Cardinals’ troops carry their 6-1 record onto the field as ammunition to battle the Huskies 5-3 mark. BSU leads NIU in series play 14-7-2, with Pettibone 0-3 against Ball State in his past three seasons.

Leading in the Mid-American Conference with a 5-1 slate, BSU has more than doubled its opponents in scoring this year, 206-100.

“They’re scoring a lot of points, but the real strength is their defense,” Pettibone said. “They’re ninth in the nation in total defense, and they’re 10th in rushing defense. They virtually shut people down.”

Stunting and blitzing are a few tricks to watch for in the Cardinal’s defense, which features seven returning starters, including MAC Defensive Player of the Week Greg Garnica. Garnica had 24 tackles against Central Michigan last Saturday, assisting the Cardinals to a 27-20 victory over CMU. He currently ranks second in the MAC, averaging 14.1 tackles per game.

While BSU runs the I-formation, Schudel said NIU’s wishbone could boggle a few game plans.

“This is maybe our toughest test of the season,” Schudel said. NIU “has an excellent quarterback (senior Marshall Taylor) and their defense could cause some problems for us.”

Pettibone said fullback Adam Dach started practicing Wednesday, and is expected to play Saturday. Dach suffered an abdominal muscle strain in last week’s game.