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.

Quarterbacks

Ball State has grabbed the nation’s attention going 8-0 this season, and it’s done so with one of the nation’s best offenses.

Quarterback Nate Davis ranks No. 10 in passing efficiency in the country. His 270.25-yards-per-game rank him No. 21 in the nation in total offense for an individual player.

Only a junior, Davis has left his mark at BSU. He holds the record for most career touchdown passes with 63. The previous record was 44 by Talmadge Hill. Davis is also the career leader in passing yards, with 7,700 yards in a little over two-and-a-half years.

Completing 68.5 percent of his passes, Davis has passed for 2,058 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. However, the quarterback hasn’t been invincible, as he has thrown five interceptions this season.

Grade: A-

Running backs

With 123.6 rushing yards per game, Ball State running back MiQuale Lewis ranks No. 6 in the nation in the statistic.

And Lewis has done more than just run on the field, although he does have 989 rushing yards.

The junior has found his way into the end zone 14 times this season. Lewis’ 10.5 points per game ties him as the No. 4 scorer in the nation.

The running back, who only started four games because of injury last year, has broken out short and long runs this season – as his longest rush was for 52 yards.

Ball State has also used freshman Cory Sykes to run the ball. The half back has 317 yards on 60 attempts this season, for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Sykes has also scored three touchdowns for the Cardinals this season.

Grade: A

Offensive line

In eight games this year, the Cardinals offensive line has only allowed seven sacks. The 0.88 sacks per game are the ninth fewest sacks allowed in the nation.

Ball State’s offensive line has also allowed only 32 tackles-for-a-loss this season. That effort ranks No. 10 in the nation.

For the last six games, the same five players have started on the line for BSU. Two of these include center Dan Gerberry and right tackle Robert Brewster. The two seniors have played in every game in their careers. Gerberry has started every game since his freshman season, giving him 44 consecutive starts.

During Brewster and Gerberry’s time as offensive linemen, the Cardinals have produced 9,237 yards of offense. Of this, 5,773 yards of offense has come from the passing attack, making up 62.5 percent of BSU’s offense over the past three-and-a-half years.

Grade: A-

Wide receivers and tight ends

Coming into the 2008 season, wide receiver Dante Love had 2,318 receiving yards.

In four games this season Love recorded 460 yards on 28 catches. The senior was averaging 115 yards per game and had three touchdowns.

Sadly, Love was injured on a hard tackle during the Cardinals’ victory over Indiana on Sept. 20. The spinal injury has ended Love’s career, although he is recovering and hopefully will achieve a full recovery.

In his absence, true freshman Briggs Orsbon has emerged. The six-foot 185 pound wide receiver has 33 catches for 388 yards and four touchdowns.

Tight end Darius Hill has also been an effective weapon for the Cardinals. The senior shares a lead for receiving touchdowns with four. On 23 catches, Hill has 344 yards, averaging 15.0 yards per reception.

Grade: B+