At 7 p.m., Wednesday, NIU will take on No. 16 Ball State University in its first road game since Oct. 4 at Tennessee. The Huskies (5-3 overall, 4-1 MAC) played BSU in its final game last season in DeKalb, falling 27-21. The game will be televised on ESPN 2 and can be heard on WSCR AM 670 (Chicago) and WLBK AM 1360 (DeKalb). To help gain an understanding of the Cardinals (8-0, 4-0), the Northern Star breaks down the team’s offense and defense.

Defensive Line

Unlike most teams, Ball State doesn’t go with the normal 4-3 alignment, instead going with a 3-4.

Ball State’s three starting defensive linemen feature junior defensive end Brandon Crawford, sophomore nose tackle Renee Perry and junior defensive tackle Drew Duffin.

Crawford leads Cardinal defensive linemen in sacks with two, and also has six tackles for loss on the season.

Last season, Crawford had eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and was named third team All-MAC.

What’s unusual about Crawford is that he’s 32 years old. He worked in an automotive factory after high school and was in the Marines from 1999-2003.

Grade­ — B

Linebackers

Ball State’s lineback crew is another strong point of a Cardinal defense that’s ranked second in the MAC in scoring defense.

Senior outside linebacker Bryant Haines is currently second on the Cardinals in tackles with 53, and has one sack and five tackles for loss.

Last season, Haines led Ball State in tackles and was named second team All-MAC.

The rest of the lineback core is strong as well.

Sophomore middle linebacker Davyd Jones has 50 tackles on the season and five tackles for loss. Senior middle linebacker Kenny Meeks is tied for fifth in the MAC with NIU defensive end Larry English with 4.5 sacks this season. Sophomore outside linebacker Robert Eddins has three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Grade ­­— A

Secondary

Free safety Sean Baker is only a redshirt-freshman, but he is arguably the star of head coach Brady Hoke’s defense.

Baker leads Ball State in tackles with 64, interceptions with four and pass breakups with six. Baker also has the team’s only fumble recovery, which he returned 33 yards for a touchdown in Ball State’s 41-24 victory over Akron on Sept. 13.

Baker leads the MAC in pass breakups, and he ranks 12th in tackles.

The team’s strong safety, Alex Knipp, was a third team All-MAC selection a year ago.

The Cardinals are also strong at cornerback, with two experienced seniors in B.J. Hill and Trey Buice. Hill was a second team All-MAC selection last season.

Ball State lead the MAC in defensive pass efficiency.

Grade — A

Special Teams

Punter Chris Miller has a lot on his resume. The senior has been named first team All-MAC the last three seasons, and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy award last season.

This preseason, Miller was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list and Playboy Magazine’s preseason All-America team.

The Libertyville native’s 45 yards-per-punt ranks second in the MAC.

Kicker Ian McGarvey is currently 9-14 on field goals with a long of 47.

The team’s punt returner is cornerback B.J. Hill, while freshman wide receivers Torieal Gibson and Briggs Orson handle kick return duties.

Grade ­— A-