At the University at Buffalo, a season that seemed to have a smidgen of championship potential has been rendered a disappointment. At Ball State, modest expectations have been subverted.
Two programs experiencing frustrating seasons will play at 6 p.m. tonight at UB Stadium in a game that lacks much of the sizzle of the last time they met.
Tonight's game is a rematch of the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit where the heavily favored 12th-ranked Cardinals entered the game with a perfect 12-0 record. UB, which was already invited to the International Bowl, upset Ball State, 42-24, for its first league championship.
Since then, both schools have struggled to win. The Bulls (2-7, 1-4) are 7-14 since that season and have lost four in a row, including last week's 34-17 setback at Ohio University. Ball State (3-7, 2-4) is 5-17 and opened the 2009 season at 0-7 but ended a four-game losing streak last week against winless Akron, 37-30, in double overtime.
"The MAC is an up and down conference, it's the kind of conference where competition is equal year in and year out," said senior Kyle Brey, who started the MAC title game at tight end. "But I think we're getting back on track to where we need to be with coach [Jeff] Quinn and this offensive and defensive staff. I think we've got a leg up on [Ball State] and there's a lot of room for improvement."
While tonight's game isn't a high-stakes affair, both programs have tried to maintain a positive outlook on seasons that soured to varying degrees.
Quinn said his team has "no margin for error." Ball State coach Stan Parrish said his group has been a "high-energy team" considering its struggles this season.
The Bulls hit a few low points -- back-to-back blowout losses to Northern Illinois and Temple, falling to Miami (Ohio) at home and on the road to Ohio -- all of which have epitomized their season of misery.
"We need to get this thing going on track, we need a win, we need to get everyone moving in the right direction," said Brey, who grew up in Indiana and is the son of Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey. "I think Coach [Quinn] has done an unbelievable job of making sure the message throughout this season, regardless of circumstance, has been clear and consistent."
It's definitely hot and heavy for Parrish at Ball State. He's won championships as an assistant at Michigan and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but his teams haven't performed well at the FBS level. When Parrish coached at Kansas State in the mid-80s, he was 2-30-1. At Ball State, the fans' patience is wearing thin, but Parrish is unfazed.
"The good news is the fans are not part of our preparation everyday," Parrish said. "Of course [fans] are not happy, fans aren't happy anywhere and a lot of times they're not happy when you are winning. That goes with the turf."
The Cardinals lost to FCS Liberty, 27-23, in their second game of the season and lost to Eastern Michigan, 41-38, in overtime on Oct. 16, ending the Eagles' 18-game losing streak.
"Our game is about results and we've let a couple of games get away from us that we've had the opportunity to win," Parrish said. "We've gone through some tremendously tough struggles staying somewhat healthy this season and trying to develop some new players but through it all we've had a high-character team and high-energy team. [But] I'm not happy with our record right now so I join the fans with not being happy with it."
After the Ohio game, Quinn huddled with his coaching staff before heading into the locker room to talk with the players. The loss guaranteed a losing season for the Bulls, and Quinn felt the staff needed a pep talk.
"I told them I know they're disappointed because we work 80 hours a week in order to get our kids ready," he said. "It's always tough when you lose these games."
Two programs experiencing frustrating seasons will play at 6 p.m. tonight at UB Stadium in a game that lacks much of the sizzle of the last time they met.
Tonight's game is a rematch of the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit where the heavily favored 12th-ranked Cardinals entered the game with a perfect 12-0 record. UB, which was already invited to the International Bowl, upset Ball State, 42-24, for its first league championship.
Since then, both schools have struggled to win. The Bulls (2-7, 1-4) are 7-14 since that season and have lost four in a row, including last week's 34-17 setback at Ohio University. Ball State (3-7, 2-4) is 5-17 and opened the 2009 season at 0-7 but ended a four-game losing streak last week against winless Akron, 37-30, in double overtime.
"The MAC is an up and down conference, it's the kind of conference where competition is equal year in and year out," said senior Kyle Brey, who started the MAC title game at tight end. "But I think we're getting back on track to where we need to be with coach [Jeff] Quinn and this offensive and defensive staff. I think we've got a leg up on [Ball State] and there's a lot of room for improvement."
While tonight's game isn't a high-stakes affair, both programs have tried to maintain a positive outlook on seasons that soured to varying degrees.
Quinn said his team has "no margin for error." Ball State coach Stan Parrish said his group has been a "high-energy team" considering its struggles this season.
The Bulls hit a few low points -- back-to-back blowout losses to Northern Illinois and Temple, falling to Miami (Ohio) at home and on the road to Ohio -- all of which have epitomized their season of misery.
"We need to get this thing going on track, we need a win, we need to get everyone moving in the right direction," said Brey, who grew up in Indiana and is the son of Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey. "I think Coach [Quinn] has done an unbelievable job of making sure the message throughout this season, regardless of circumstance, has been clear and consistent."
It's definitely hot and heavy for Parrish at Ball State. He's won championships as an assistant at Michigan and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but his teams haven't performed well at the FBS level. When Parrish coached at Kansas State in the mid-80s, he was 2-30-1. At Ball State, the fans' patience is wearing thin, but Parrish is unfazed.
"The good news is the fans are not part of our preparation everyday," Parrish said. "Of course [fans] are not happy, fans aren't happy anywhere and a lot of times they're not happy when you are winning. That goes with the turf."
The Cardinals lost to FCS Liberty, 27-23, in their second game of the season and lost to Eastern Michigan, 41-38, in overtime on Oct. 16, ending the Eagles' 18-game losing streak.
"Our game is about results and we've let a couple of games get away from us that we've had the opportunity to win," Parrish said. "We've gone through some tremendously tough struggles staying somewhat healthy this season and trying to develop some new players but through it all we've had a high-character team and high-energy team. [But] I'm not happy with our record right now so I join the fans with not being happy with it."
After the Ohio game, Quinn huddled with his coaching staff before heading into the locker room to talk with the players. The loss guaranteed a losing season for the Bulls, and Quinn felt the staff needed a pep talk.
"I told them I know they're disappointed because we work 80 hours a week in order to get our kids ready," he said. "It's always tough when you lose these games."
