MUNCIE, Ind. -Wednesday night isn't generally considered a big football night.
But don't tell that to the Mid-American Conference, especially this week.
Four of its best teams will be in action tonight, including 8-2 Ohio, which will meet 7-3 Ball State in an 8 p.m. game in which the Bobcats will be seeking revenge for last year's upset loss to the Cardinals at Peden Stadium.
As big as this game is, it isn't the biggest MAC game of the night. It will start an hour later at Dekalb, Ill.. where 9-1 Northern Illinois will entertain 8-2 Toledo in a contest that basically will determine the MAC West winner.
Heading into tonight's action, Northern Illinois leads the West with a 6-0 conference mark while Toledo is 5-1 and Ball State 4-2. In the East, Kent State is 6-0, Bowling Green 5-1 and Ohio 4-2.
The Cats are coming off a 26-14 loss to Bowling Green last Wednesday at Peden Stadium that dashed their hopes of playing in the MAC championship game. Ball State, meanwhile, won at Toledo last week, 34-27.
Fact Box
Tonight's Matchup
- Who: Ohio (8-2) vs. Ball State (7-3)
- What: Mid-American Conference game
- When: 8 p.m. today
- Where: Muncie, Ind.
- TV: ESPNU
Ohio has won 14 of its last 17 games and its 8-2 mark is its best after 10 games since the 1997 season.
The Bobcats will be seeking their fourth road win of the season.
Junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton needs just six completions to become Ohio's all-time leader in pass completions. Tettleton is the first quarterback in Ohio history to throw for 2,000 or more yards in back-to-back seasons.
Junior running back Beau Blankenship - who has accounted for 1,194 rushing yards -needs just 58 yards to move into the top three on Ohio's all-time single season rushing list. Wide receiver Donte Foster needs two touchdown catches to crack the all-time top three in TD receptions.
This is the 23rd meeting between the Bobcats and the Cardinals, with Ball State holding a 14-8 advantage in the all-time series. It will mark the 101st game in which Frank Solich has served as the head coach at Ohio, where he has compiled a 58-42 record during his eight seasons in Athens.
Over the last two years, Ohio has suffered just six losses, and they have come by a combined total of just 34 points, an average of less than a touchdown per setback.
Tonight's game could be high scoring as Ball State averages 33.7 points per game while Ohio scores at a 33.4 clip. The Bobcats have been more solid defensively, allowing 22.8 points per contest compared to 32.7 for the Cardinals.
