For Central Michigan and Ball State, the light representing a Mid-American Conference championship is beginning to flicker out. Each team has a loss, one that may be impossible to overcome in a shortened season.

But the light isn't completely gone.

With CMU and Ball State set to match up Dec. 5 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium, each team has a chance to cap the other's fire while reigniting its own. The Chippewas are in a tougher spot, as the Cardinals still have a chance to take on MAC West leader Western Michigan and could still hypothetically be in the championship race with a Bronco loss.

Yet, there's still plenty to play for the Chippewas and coach Jim McElwain. After what McElwain called an "embarrassing performance" in a 31-23 win over rival Eastern Michigan, CMU is hungry to put forth a quality showing with a chance to keep its season alive.

Ball State (3-1) is coming off its third consecutive win, a 27-24 triumph over Toledo, and has put together three solid performances after a late mistake cost its season opener against Miami (Ohio). Senior quarterback Drew Plitt was named MAC West Player of the Week following the Toledo game after throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cardinals, in year five under coach Mike Neu, are seeking their first MAC West title since 2008, when they were nationally ranked under former coach Brady Hoke.

Here are three key storylines heading into the Chippewas matchup with the Cardinals:

Key players injured at skill positions

Where Ball State has the tenured Plitt behind center, CMU will turn to redshirt junior Ty Brock, who is making his first start with the Chippewas. Brock is replacing redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson, who went down in the Chippewas' win over EMU, and is making his first start since last season with Sam Houston State.

"As its turned out, this will be a great opportunity for (Brock)," McElwain said. "Not getting spring ball, not getting any of the summer work and then missing some things with what we considered fall camp, it took him a little bit. And yet, we constantly were giving him different things to help move him along."

Brock is a dual-threat quarterback who has run for a touchdown already this year and has looked good in his limited game action. Behind Brock, however, the Chippewas have no available options at the position, so the backup will be junior receiver Kalil Pimpleton and the third-string option will be junior running back Darius Bracy.

Elsewhere, the Cardinals have injury issues of their own. Running backs Caleb Huntley and Will Jones each missed last week's game against Toledo, and are day-to-day with undisclosed injuries. Redshirt sophomore Tye Evans started in their place and promptly ran for a career-high 101 yards against the Rockets.

If Huntley is able to return, the Cardinals will have a player averaging 145 yards on the ground per game at their disposal. To counter this, it's important to note that the Chippewas have allowed just one rusher, WMU's La'Darius Jefferson, to cross the 100 yard mark in a single game.

Controlling the air raid

Ball State has a plethora of weapons in the passing game. Plitt ranks fifth in the conference in passing yards while the Cardinals place two receivers in the top 10 when it comes to receiving yards. Meanwhile, the Chippewas have struggled to produce big numbers through the air, but the success they've had on the ground has offset those struggles.

The Chippewa secondary has struggled throughout the season, giving up the second-most passing yards in the MAC. The only team that has given up more passing yards is the Cardinals. Yet, despite the struggles in CMU's secondary, it's the fourth-highest graded team in the MAC in terms of pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

After struggling against the pass for much of the season, and not generating any turnovers with the exception of a fumble recovery by sophomore Willie Reid, the Chippewas flipped the switch in the fourth quarter of their matchup with EMU. Junior Devonni Reed and freshman Donte Kent each picked off their first career passes to close out the win.

"It starts at practice with us," Reid said. "Our coaches emphasize (creating turnovers) a lot. We have periods where we just focus on taking the ball away and when we get to the game, it shows up in situations like when one man hits and the next man comes in and strips the ball."

Plitt has thrown an interception in each of the Cardinals' first four games, and the Chippewas rank tied for second in interceptions with four. If CMU wants to boost its chances, it will need to create opportunities for its offense with its defense.

Defensive line success

CMU and Ball State have two of the MAC's top pass rushing units. The Cardinals have nine sacks to the Chippewas' eight, and are the second highest graded unit in terms of pass rushing according to PFF.

Anthony Ekpe, who transferred to Ball State from Rice, has made an immediate impact and is tied for the MAC lead in sacks with four. Ekpe ranks 12th in pass rush productivity according to PFF, one spot above CMU senior defensive end Mohamed Diallo. Fellow Chippewa senior defensive end Troy Hairston II ranks seventh.

Hairston and Diallo are part of a thin defensive line rotation that features nine players rotating around four spots. Sophomore Tico Brown and senior Robi Stuart start on the defensive interior, with only sophomore Jacques Bristol serving as a consistent backup.

Despite that, the Chippewas have done a good job, ranking third in rush defense.

"More than anything, those guys are really playing as a unit," McElwain said. "And I think (they're) really understanding that if they do their job, it's gonna be those linebackers. You see the tackle totals by a George Douglas, you see those numbers and you know your defensive line is doing a good job."

Ball State has been almost equally as good against the run, allowing just 546 rushing yards to the Chippewas' 504. Ekpe and Jordan Williams form as good a defensive end combination as their is, and outside linebacker Christian Albright is versatile and brings heat in pass rushing situations.

If the Chippewas are going to come out victorious with a backup quarterback, they're going to need to keep the Cardinal defensive line out of the backfield.

Matchup to watch: Ball State DE Ekpe vs CMU OT Derek Smith

According to PFF, Ekpe has spent all four games lining up on the defensive left side, meaning he'll likely match up with Smith, who has been the Chippewas' best offensive lineman. Both players are graded extremely high by PFF and have tons of experience as fifth-year seniors.

If Smith can keep Brock, who is capable of extending plays with his feet, upright and out of the grasp of Ekpe, then CMU will be able to do a lot of what it wants to do on offense. However, if Ekpe is able to get pressure, it could create turnovers and back the Chippewas against the wall. This matchup will dictate a lot of what their units want to do on their respective sides of the ball.

Ball State (3-1) at Central Michigan (3-1)

All-time series: Central Michigan leads 26-25-1

Time: 2 p.m.

Date: Dec. 5, 2020

Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium

Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Odds: CMU -1.5

Over/Under: 61.5

TV: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman)

Radio: 98.5 WUPS (Adam Jaksa, Brock Gutierrez)