This year, the Chippewas and first-year Head Coach John Bonamego head to Muncie, Indiana, focused on retaining the momentum CMU gained from a 51-14 beating of Buffalo. At the same time, the Chippewas aim to snap the 0-5 streak against their Mid-American Conference West counterparts.

As the team tries to claim its first road victory of the season, it will be without at least one key leader and be forced to rely on the production of other playmakers.

“Ball State is a lot like us. They’re better than their record says they are,” Bonamego said. “The thing that impresses me is that they don’t hurt themselves. They make you earn it the hard way. You have to be disciplined to beat them.”

Senior linebacker and captain Tim Hamilton’s season came to an end two weeks ago when he tore his pectoral muscle during CMU’s 41-39 shootout loss to Western Michigan.

A week later, junior quarterback Cooper Rush kept CMU’s defense off the field for much of the game, throwing for four touchdowns and 313 yards against UB’s hapless secondary.

It was the latest impressive performance from Rush, who was in a similar position to Ball State quarterback Riley Neal just two seasons ago.

Ball State's freshman quarterback threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns during the Cardinals 31-19 loss to Georgia State last week.

Neal was the backup passer when the season began, but got his shot when coach Pete Lembo benched starter Jack Milas after the Cardinals fell behind 17-0 on the road to Eastern Michigan.

Neal led BSU to 28 unanswered points and a 28-17 win over the Eagles, similar to when Rush made a second-half comeback to beat New Hampshire in his first collegiate appearance in 2013.

“(Neal is) a good quarterback. He makes good throws and good decisions. He’ll be a challenge for us,” said senior defensive back Stefon Armstead. “It’s important to separate yourself from the average teams. But that comes with the way you carry yourself behind the scenes. That’s what shows up on gameday.”

The MAC West remains wide open entering Week 8 of the season. No. 19 Toledo (3-0 in MAC) sits atop the standings, with Western Michigan (2-0 in MAC) lingering close behind.

The Chippewas have faced off with Ball State 44 times in program history. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 24-22-1.

BSU handed CMU perhaps its most gut-wrenching loss of the regular season on a 55-yard field goal by Scott Secor with less than 10 seconds remaining last season at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

That loss virtually ended CMU's 2014 MAC title hopes.

"There really isn't any need for extra motivation this week," said senior defensive end Blake Serpa. "Nobody on this team has beaten Ball State. That's motivation in itself. The only way we can keep this going is just taking it one day at a time."

Ball State’s biggest issues this season have come defending the goal line. The MAC’s second-worst defensive unit has allowed 32 touchdowns and an average of 491 yards per game this season.

Specifically, BSU has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete a league-worst 68.9 percent of their passes. Rush has the third-best passer efficiency in the MAC, presenting a favorable matchup for CMU.

With the advice of offensive coordinator Morris Watts, Bonamego allowed Rush to run an up-tempo style offense against Buffalo that helped rectify CMU’s sluggish starts to games.

With the added incentive of beating BSU, a recent thorn in CMU’s proverbial side, the Chippewas know how important each game is as the postseason push next month draws closer.

"Sitting at 2-1 (in the MAC), it's right there for ya," Rush said. "It's a big opportunity. We basically have to win out. Ball State will be a big one.”

Bonamego views CMU’s progression through a more incremental prism.

"I really look for improvement week in and week out," Bonamego said. "We've done that. Hopefully we aren't done with that. I'd like to think we've just started to hit our stride.”