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FACTS & STATS: Site: Lucas Oil Stadium (63,000) -- Indianapolis, Indiana. Television: ESPN3.com. Home Record: Indiana 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Away Record: Indiana 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Neutral Record: Indiana 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Conference Record: Indiana 0-0, Ball State 0-0. Series Record: Indiana leads, 4-1.

GAME NOTES: Two coaches will make their debuts in Indianapolis this weekend, when the Ball State Cardinals and the Indiana Hoosiers clash at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Kevin Wilson will lead the way for the Hoosiers in 2011. He is the fifth coach for Indiana since 2001, and it will be interesting to see how Wilson handles the limelight since he has never been a head coach. Wilson takes over for Bill Lynch, who struggled at times in Bloomington. Last year's squad totaled five wins, which was the most for an Indiana team since 2007, leaving Wilson with some optimism.

Pete Lembo is not technically a rookie in the sense of head coaching like Wilson. Lembo has led Lehigh and Elon, but this will be his first gig in the FBS. Lembo is taking over a team that has just six wins over the last two years, and he should have some time to settle in since this is an obvious transition phase for the Cardinals.

The Hoosiers have won four of the five matchups against the Cardinals in the all-time series, but Ball State should have more confidence entering this showdown since the team's lone win in the series came in the last matchup which took place in 2008. In fact, the Cardinals soared to victory in that game, pounding Indiana by a 22-point margin.

Kevin Wilson's first order of business in Bloomington was to find a starting quarterback, and with days away from the start of the season the new head coach has chosen his man, sort of. On the most recent depth chart Indiana has either Dusty Kiel or Edward Wright-Baker starting. It is possible that both players could see time under center, but the pair combined for just 29 pass attempts last season.

Whoever is under center will likely look in the direction of Damarlo Belcher early and often. Belcher was a top target a year ago and should have another strong campaign.

Coach Wilson took over at Indiana also knowing he had to repair a rushing attack that has been dreadful over the last two seasons. Last year the Hoosiers totaled just 100 yards per contest, and that came on a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry. There is some experience in the trenches, so that should up the ground game. However, the question is who will be the main running back. As of now, Matt Perez will be the starter on Saturday, but also look for Stephen Houston to see plenty of carries.

Fixing the problems on offense was not the only job for Wilson, as the new head man also had to figure out how to turn around a defense that allowed 34.0 ppg in 2010 into a contender.

Stopping the run was an issue for Indiana, but that weakness might be a strength this time around thanks to the return some key performers. Adam Replogle is back in the mix, along with defensive end Darius Johnson. Replogle, who can play both tackle and end, started 12 games last year and picked up 32 tackles and a pair of sacks. Johnson is back after leading the team with 4.5 sacks in 2010. He notched 65 tackles in all, including seven for loss. Helping the front line improve against the run will be linebacker Leon Beckum.

Coach Wilson's defense might be better against the run, but defending the pass is a whole different story. Last year Indiana was torched for over 230 yards per game through the air, and with three new starters it is likely this secondary could struggle to start the season.

Last year Keith Wenning took over for Kelly Page as the quarterback for Ball State, and now this year the sophomore will be tabbed the starter to open the year. Wenning showed plenty of promise last year, but he will need to cut down on his mistakes. In 235 pass attempts, Wenning threw 14 touchdowns, but was also intercepted 14 times.

The passing attack was not overly productive last year, but Wenning does have most of his toys from a year ago back in his huddle. Jack Tomlinson led the team in receptions and touchdowns, and should have another productive year, but the biggest impact player could be Briggs Orsbon.

The rushing attack will have a major facelift as the team needs to find a tailback to replace MiQuale Lewis. Eric Williams did most of the work last year, but coach Lembo feels Barrington Scott is more suitable to start the opener.

The offense had its issues this past season, but what really hurt Ball State's chances was the play defensively. Coach Lembo is hoping for much more success in 2011 thanks to experienced players back in the fold.

Stopping the run has been a problem for Ball State long before Lembo stepped foot in Muncie, so do not expect a miracle in the first year. However, the hope is that a player like Adam Morris will lead the way.

The one area coach Lembo does not need to worry about is the defensive backfield, which returns three starters. One of those starters is safety Sean Baker, who is a vocal leader in the secondary.

Baker is definitely talented enough to lead by example. Last year the senior finished second with 88 tackles, but also led the squad with six interceptions.

There is reason to believe Ball State will improve this season. Lembo seems to be the right man for the job and there are key roles filled with experienced players. However, there are some major holes for the Cardinals and it is likely Indiana will exploit them. It won't be pretty, but look for Wilson to earn his first win at Indiana before Lembo claims his first victory at BSU.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Indiana 28, Ball State 20