KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan and Ball State will take the field against one another for the 33rd time on Oct. 21. The game, being played at Scheumann Stadium in Municie, Ind., will air live on Comcast Local at 2 p.m. and is a must win for both teams as they battle for position in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
THE GAME ? This is a pivotal match up in the Mid-American Conference West Division. Both teams need a win to keep pace with division leader Central Michigan. This is Homecoming for the Cardinals and it is the third of four games this season that Western Michigan has taken part in a contest on Homecoming, including its own a week ago.
TELEVISION ? Western Michigan will be highlighted on television in seven of its last eight games of the 2006 season, including the Broncos' showdown with Ball State in Muncie, Ind. It marks the first of three-straight games for WMU to be aired on Comcast Local - Ben Holden (play-by-play), Rob Otto (color analysis).
RADIO ? This and all Western Michigan football games will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network, which includes its flagship station, WFAT - 96.5 FM, as well as WZUU - 92.3 FM in the Kalamazoo market. Robin Hook (play-by-play) and Monty Porter (analysis) will have the call as they have together for the past eight seasons.
WEB SITE ? All home WMU football games can be seen and heard live via the official athletics web site (www.wmubroncos.com) by subscribing to Bronco Insider, which can be found on the home page of the site. Live Stats are available for FREE for all Bronco home games by clicking the link atop the home football page. This game can be viewed live as Bronco Insider subscribers by logging on at game time. You will receive the video and audio feed directly from Comcast Local.
SERIES IN BRIEF ? WMU leads this series in just 32 meetings but Ball State has taken the last three contests, including an epic five-overtime battle at Waldo Stadium a year ago. It was the longest game in Western Michigan football history and individual records were broken but it was not enough in the 60-57 loss.
THE COACHES ? Bill Cubit (Delaware, 1975) is in his second season as the head coach of Western Michigan. The Sharon Hill, Pa., native led the Broncos to the biggest turnaround in Mid-American Conference history with five conference wins. Cubit served as offensive coordinator for WMU from 1997-99.
Brady Hoke (Ball State, 1982) is currently in his fourth season with the Cardinals. He has 12-29 overall record at his alma mater where he was a four-year letterman from 1977-80 and a team captain for the Cardinals as a senior.
UP NEXT ? Easterrn Michigan comes to Waldo Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kick that will air live on Comcast Local. Last season, EMU hosted the Broncos at Detroit Field and WMU emerged with a 44-36 victory.
