Cards D Actually Shows Up, Hoke Again Murder Free

It was a glorious end to the week. The cameras rolled, the pancake makeup on Chris Spielman and Sean McDonough was plentiful, and the WorldWideLeader brought their truck full of smarmy commentary and pithy banter to Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana. Valle fired up the LiveBlog, we settled in at the big screen here in DC, and watched a curious thing happen.

Ball State won. They actually won! Wait... let me check ESPN again. Yep. Still won. I mean, sure, they were the favorite. Yes, we called a win here on this site last week. No, they weren't playing a great team. But damn it, this one feels good. We didn't hose it up, we got through the first test of the season with flying colors, and apparently, Ball State actually has a defense. Giddy up.

Edge's Rock and Roll Report Card will break down the finer points of the game, but here's what I take away from our little foray into Friday Night Football.

• Nate Davis looked damn strong. He had two picks, sure, but looked good otherwise. Accurate, good yards, highlight type throws and catches. Hopefully the media types who vote on polls and decide who they're going to anoint as award-worthy were paying attention, except when he threw those two picks.
  
• MiQuale Leweis played his ass off. Nice work.
• The Defense also played its collective ass off. Gave up some yards but stopped when it counted. Nice work.
• The crowd was great to see. Let's keep it up.
• Dan Ifft needs some new hands. Look on EBAY.
  

So where do we go from here? Most folks are looking forward to the IU game in two weeks, but I'm concerned about next week's game against Akron. It's on the road, they are a decent team, and there is potential for overlooking them as IU lingers in the wings. We'll focus on Akron as the week goes on, but for right now, I'm enjoying the W. Fight team, fight, for Ball State!

Hoke-O-Meter:
(1-5 Bradys, 1 being happy enough to burst into song,
5 being filled with murderous rage)


2 Bradys
A win, sure, but there were some areas of concern. The defensive line's inability to shut down Navy's rushing attack, Davis' poor decision making that led to two INTs, and Dan Ifft's crucial drop, but all in all, a happy sort of night for Hoke, the Cards, and the fans.