Oct. 21, 2005

Ohio Football Gameday Central

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio football returns to action when it hosts the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday, Oct. 22. Kickoff at Peden Stadium is slated for 2 p.m.

Saturday's game is homecoming for the Bobcats (2-4, 1-2). The schedule makers couldn't have made a more appropriate designation as it is Ohio's first home game in nearly a month. The last time the Bobcats played at Peden Stadium was a 35-32 victory against Kent State on Sept. 24. Ohio has had a bye week and road games at Bowling Green and Central Michigan since. The Bobcats are 2-0 at home so far this season with victories against Pittsburgh and Kent State.

Ohio's game with Ball State (1-5, 1-2) is the first meeting between the two schools in football since 1999. It is the longest stretch between games versus the Bobcats and any other MAC opponent. It is the first time the Cardinals have visited Peden Stadium since 1995.

Ohio is 42-39-1 in its 82 previous homecoming games. The Bobcats lost their homecoming game last season to Bowling Green. Ohio was victorious in its 2003 homecoming contest, defeating UCF, 28-0, in quarterback's Austen Everson's first career start. Everson ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, while going 4-for-4 for 118 yards and a touchdown through the air. The Bobcats have never played Ball State on their homecoming.

The Cardinals lead the all-time series with the Bobcats, 13-6. The two teams have not met since 1999, a 37-25 Ohio win in Muncie, Ind. Prior to the Bobcats' victory in 1999, Ball State had won eight straight in the series. Most of the more recent meetings between Ohio and Ball State have been close games. Since 1988, only three of the 10 meetings between the two teams have been decided by double figures.

Ball State comes into Saturday's game after a home loss last weekend at home to Toledo, 34-14. Ball State led 7-6, but the Rockets scored 21 unanswered points to take control of the contest. Charles Wynn led the offense with 93 rushing yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Joey Lynch hit 11-of-19 for 76 yards and a touchdown pass to Darius Hill. The Cardinals scored a special teams touchdown against the Rockets when Larry Bostic recovered a blocked punt in the endzone. The Ball State special teams also blocked a Toledo extra point. For the season, Wynn leads the Cardinals rushing attack with 73.0 yards per contest in his three games. B.J. Hill leads the team with 246 rushing yards on 48 carries (5.1/carry). Lynch has been the Cardinals' starting quarterback in all six games this season. He is completing 64.2 percent of his passes (95-for-148) for 936 yards (156.0/game). Lynch owns a nearly 2-to-1 touchdown/interception ratio with nine scores and five picks.

Ohio running back Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) had his second 100-yard game in the last three contests with 117 yards on a career-best 29 carries against Central Michigan. It was his third career 100-yard game, pushing him above the 1,000-yard mark for his career (1,008). McRae is the first Ohio player to have multiple 100-yard games in a season since Chad Brinker had four in 2002. Brinker is also the last Bobcat to run for 100 yards in consecutive games. McRae became the first Bobcat runner to go for at least 200 yards since 2000 (Dontrell Jackson, 211 vs. Miami) when he racked up 200 yards even on 28 carries against Kent State, both career bests. McRae ranks sixth in the MAC and 64th nationally in rushing at 74.8 yards per game.

Junior quarterback Austen Everson (Brentwood, Tenn.) passed for 78 yards and a touchdown at Central Michigan, and is now just 162 yards shy of the 2,000-yard mark for his career. When he reaches that mark, he will be the fifth Bobcat to throw for 2,000 yards since 1987. Everson threw for a season-high 171 yards and ran for 23 yards and a touchdown at Bowling Green. He is the eighth Bobcat to reach that 2,000-yard mark in total offense since 1996 (2,151).

For ticket information, call the Ohio Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-575-CATS.