2007 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 2007 Ball State Cardinals football team competed in football on behalf of the Ball State University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They won the majority of their games, led by their quarterback Nate Davis who threw 20+ touchdown passes connecting to receivers Dante Love and Darius Hill for more than 10 touchdown passes combined.

2007 Ball State Cardinals football
MAC West Division co-champion
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest
Record7–6 (5–2 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorStan Parrish
Defensive coordinatorMark Smith
Home stadiumScheumann Stadium
(Capacity: 22,500)
Seasons
← 2006
2008 →
2007 Mid-American Conference football standings
Div     Conf Overall
Team   W   L         W   L     W   L  
East Division
Miami (OH) xy   4 2     5 2     6 7  
Bowling Green x   4 2     6 2     8 5  
Buffalo x   4 2     5 3     5 7  
Ohio   3 3     4 4     6 6  
Temple   3 3     4 4     4 8  
Akron   2 4     3 5     4 8  
Kent State   1 5     1 7     3 9  
West Division
Central Michigan xy$   4 1     6 1     8 6  
Ball State x   4 1     5 2     7 6  
Eastern Michigan   3 2     3 4     4 8  
Western Michigan   2 3     3 4     5 7  
Toledo   2 3     3 5     5 7  
Northern Illinois   0 5     1 6     2 10  
Championship: Central Michigan 35, Miami 10
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth.

The Cardinals finished the regular season 7–5, reaching their first bowl game since 1996. The team has tallied victories against Eastern Michigan, Navy, Buffalo, Western Michigan, WKU and Toledo, while being defeated by Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Central Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. The offense is led by sophomore quarterback Nate Davis (57.6% comp., 1928 yds., 18 TD, 3 INT), junior tight end Darius Hill (35 rec., 517 rec. yds., 6 TD), junior wide receiver Dante Love (44 rec., 643 rec. yds., 7 TD), and freshman running back Frank Edmonds (347 rushing yds., 5 TD).

The most impressive win of the season came at home against Buffalo, where the Cards, anchored by three Nate Davis passing TDs and two Frank Edmonds rushing TDs, won 49–14. The worst defeat of the season, in what was being billed by many as a showcase for who would represent the Western Division in the MAC Championship game, was at the hands of the Central Michigan Chippewas, who routed the Cardinals 58–38. The Chippewas passing/running sensation, sophomore quarterback Dan LeFevour put in his finest aerial performance of the season to date, completing 30 of 38 passes (5 TD/1 INT) while also adding 146 yards rushing yards on 16 carries (1 TD).

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:00 pmMiami (OH)ComcastL 13–1415,488
September 812:00 pmat Eastern MichiganComcastW 38–165,794
September 155:00 pmat Navy*CSTVW 34–31 OT32,087
September 2212:30 pmat No. 24 Nebraska*L 40–4184,394
September 2912:00 pmBuffalo
  • Scheumann Stadium
  • Muncie, IN
W 49–1414,333
October 612:00 pmCentral Michigan
  • Scheumann Stadium
  • Muncie, IN
WNDYL 38–589,617
October 132:00 pmWestern Kentucky* 
  • Scheumann Stadium
  • Muncie, IN
W 35–1215,824
October 202:00 pmat Western MichiganComcastW 27–2317,892
October 2711:00 amat Illinois*BTNL 17–2855,578
November 312:00 pmat Indiana*BTNL 20–3834,406
November 137:30 pmToledo
  • Scheumann Stadium
  • Muncie, IN
ESPN2W 41–2010,162
November 243:00 pmat Northern IllinoisComcastW 27–218,237
January 512:00 pmvs. Rutgers*ESPN2L 30–5231,455
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Players

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  • Nate Davis: Passing Yards-3000+ yards and 25 + touchdown passes
  • Dante Love: 70+ receptions, 1000+ receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns.
  • Darius Hill: 40+ receptions, 650+ receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns.
  • Frank Edmonds: 121 rushes, 466 rushing yards, 3.9 yards/per carry, and 6 touchdowns.
  • Chris Miller: All American First Team punter.

HB MiQuale Lewis only played 4 games following an ACL injury, but ran for 447 rushing yards, 4.9 yards/per carry, and 2 touchdowns. He also put up 111.8 rushing yards a game.

References

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