Ball State might carry a 1-6 record, but if last season was any indication coach Joe Novak and the NIU football team won’t be taking it lightly.

Last season the Huskies rolled into Muncie, Ind. boasting a five-game winning streak and were expected to make it six without breaking a sweat.

But the feisty Cardinals, who were 1-7 at that point, made the Huskies fight for every point they got.

After NIU jumped out to a 21-3 second-quarter lead, the Huskies allowed the Cardinals back in the game.

BSU wide receiver Terry Moss returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to 21-10 at the half.

BSU struck first in the second half on a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Lynch to tight end Michael Steinhaus.

With just 37 seconds left in the second half, in which BSU outscored the Huskies 21-10, Lynch ran for a touchdown from one yard out to tie the score at 31 and ultimately push the game into overtime.

“We had our chances to put them away in the first half,” Novak said after the game last season. “But we allowed them to stay in the game.”

The Huskies outlasted the Cardinals in overtime to pull out the 38-31 victory on a nine-yard touchdown run by running back Garrett Wolfe.

“That was a heck of a football game last year so we’re expecting a lot from them,” Novak said. “You watch them play and they’re a very skilled team.

“It was a great overtime game last year in Muncie and Lynch drove us crazy.”

Lynch, then a sophomore, completed 31 of 48 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

“They’ve got an excellent defensive line,” BSU coach Brady Hoke said of the Huskies. “And we don’t give Joey any help with pass protection or by running the ball.”

Novak said the Huskies have learned from last season’s game not to take teams lightly.

“We talked about it and we learned a lesson from it,” Novak said. “We just talked about how we need to go out and play every week no matter who it is.

“They’re a similar team to last season. They aren’t real big but they have good team speed.”