Ball State @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2012 ) Ball State 41, Indiana 39

With the game on the line, newly minted starting quarterback Richard Lagow was at his best for Indiana, which looks to win its fifth straight home opener Saturday against Ball State. Lagow, a junior college transfer, threw for one touchdown and ran for another in the fourth quarter at Florida International to send the Hoosiers home with a lot of confidence.

"We had a new defense, a new quarterback and a first game on the road," coach Kevin Wilson told the media. "You think you have a good team, but you're not tested yet." Like Lagow, the new defense responded in a big way to its first test by coming up with three turnovers, including interception returns for a touchdown by Rashard Fant and Tegray Scales. Scales' 16-yarder capped a 22-0 run to end the game for the Hoosiers. The unit also limited FIU's running game to 63 yards, something it will need to repeat against Ball State, which churned out 325 yards on the ground in its opening win against Georgia State. The Cardinals are not to be taken lightly, especially by Indiana, which has lost three straight in the series, including a home loss in 2012.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNews. LINE: Indiana -18.5

ABOUT BALL STATE (1-0): Judging by quarterback Riley Neal's poor stat line against Georgia State, the Cardinals will either win or lose with their ground game. James Gilbert was the bell cow against Georgia State with 160 yards and two scores, but Darian Green and Teddy Williamson also were explosive for the Cardinals. Freshman Malik Dunner, who did not have a carry in the opener, will also get a chance according to coach Mike Neu, who returned to his alma mater after spending the last two years as the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints.

ABOUT INDIANA (1-0): Devine Redding, a junior who finished with 1,012 yards and nine scores last season, had 135 yards on the ground against FIU, his fourth straight 100-yard game dating back to last season. That streak matches LSU's Leonard Fournette and Tennessee's Jalen Hurd for the longest active streak in the nation, but all Wilson could talk about was his one fumble. "He had 100-yard games four times in a row, which is getting ready to not happen the next time he puts it on the ground. He is getting ready to start seeing the bench," Wilson told the media.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Hoosiers have won 13 of their last 14 and 30 of their last 34 home openers.

2. Neu, a former quarterback and the 1993 MAC Player of the Year for Ball State, picked up his first collegiate coaching victory against Georgia State.

3. Indiana, which plays Ball State again in 2018, 2019 and 2020, holds a 4-3 edge in the series.

PREDICTION: Indiana 37, Ball State 24