Baseball great Satchel Paige once advised not to look back. The 2011 Ball State Cardinals football team not only need not look back after a 4-8 season, it might do well not to look forward, either. New head coach Pete Lembo and the Cardinal’s will embark on a formidable schedule Sept. 3 when they meet in-state rival Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. South Florida, Army and Oklahoma – a possible preseason No. 1 pick – provide opposition in three of the next four games. All three made it to bowl games in 2010.
There will be plenty of challenges in Mid-American Conference play, as well. The Cardinals won three MAC games last year, and only one of those victories came against a MAC West rival (at Central Michigan, 31-17).
If anything, the MAC road might be even tougher this time around, with East division stalwarts Temple and Ohio on the slate. A three-week stretch of MAC West road games late in the season precede a finale at home against preseason MAC No. 1 pick Toledo.
With new coach Pete Lembo at the helm, it’s something of a transition year for the Cards. Lembo got the Ball State job after taking over an Elon (Southern Conference) team that was 14-42 through five years prior to his arrival and guiding the program to a 35-22 mark in his five years as head coach. He brings creativity and an up up-tempo offensive style that could theoretically keep the pressure on opponents.
OFFENSE
Ball State now has two experienced options to lead the offense on the field. Quarterback Keith Wenning played in all 12 games as a freshman in 2010 and started the last 10 contests. He had three touchdown passes each against Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Kent State. Inexperience and some pressure (13 sacks) showed at times, however, as Wenning threw 14 TDs and 14 interceptions. Overall, he completed 128 of 235 aerials (54.5 percent) for 1,373 yards
Junior Kelly Page saw action in nine games, completing 38 of 71 passes (53.5 percent) for 470 yards with four touchdown tosses and two interceptions.
“Both the quarterbacks did some good things, and they both struggled at times,” Lembo said after the Cardinals spring game. “We’re not operating as fast as I would like yet. It is up to them to get us moving a little bit faster” as the season approaches.
Getting more production out of the passing game would help the Cardinals’ cause. They ranked eighth (MAC games) in passing last year, with only Akron, Buffalo and run-oriented Ohio behind them.
Senior receiver Briggs Orsbon (28 rec., 295 yards) and sophomore Jack Tomlinson (29, rec., 484 yards) combined for seven touchdowns. Tomlinson, a 5-9, 160-pounder registered six of the seven with an 80-yard best on the year. The Cardinals could also get some important yardage out of 6-4 Trey Gardner or 6-3 Jacolby Owens, both freshmen. With significant contributions by either or both, the 6-0 Orsbon could move into a slot position
Ball State fared better with the run in 2010, ranking fifth in MAC play with 154.1 yards per game. The 4.3 ypg was tied for third best, just one tenth behind Ohio. Four players each gained at least 200 yards
Eric Williams earned Second Team All-MAC honors , picking up a team-high 613 yards with five TDs on 127 carries last year. However, he subsequently opted the leave the program. Cory Sykes, a 5-7, 160-pound senior, returns after averaging a team-best 5.7 ypc in 2010 in limited action last season. He played in eight games and managed 46 carries.
Redshirt sophomore David Brown (5-10, 198) showed good potential while gaining 358 yards on 62 carries (5.6 ypc) during his first season with the Cardinals. He had an 80-yard TD run during BSU’s only West division win of 2010 (31-17 at Central Michigan).
Whether it’s running the football or passing, production will be related to line play, and that is one of the question marks for BSU. Junior Kitt O’Brien (6-6, 305) is the biggest player in a relatively light, but athletic group. A return of tackle Cameron Lowery would also be a boost. Lowery (6-6, 189) started all 12 games in 2009 but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Cardinals second game (Purdue) last year.
DEFENSE
Size might be a concern on the defensive line, as well. Ball State ranked 11th against the run in conference games (179.6 ypg) and was also 11th in total defense (397.9). Not surprisingly, the Cardinals finished 11th in scoring defense, allowing 32.4 ppg. Seniors Andrew Putoff (6-3, 249, DE) and Adam Morris (6-0, 279, DT) provide experience along the D-line.
Middle linebacker Travis Freeman led the Cardinals in tackles with 109 stops. Classmate and fellow linebacker Tony Martin was third with 76 hits.
Senior Sean Baker, who earned team MVP honors last year, should be a stalwart in the secondary. He also gained Second Team All-MAC honors while becoming the all-time Ball State interceptions leader (six on the season and 16 career picks).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Among the losses from last year’s roster is another Second Team All-MAC selection, kicker Ian McGarvey. He had three field goals in an overtime win against Akron and was the team’s leading scorer with 71 points. He converted 14-of-17 field goals and 29-of-30 PAT kicks. The total points left him fourth among MAC scorers, and he finished his career with 287 points.
Junior Steven Schott, who handled kickoffs in 2010, will take over field goals with the departure of McGarvey. During the spring game, Scott converted a 49-yard field goal in what Cardinal fans hope is a sign of continued success from the kicking game. Scott Kovanda, meanwhile, averaged 40 yards per punt a year ago and dropped 16 kicks inside the 20.
As for kickoff returns, the departure of Williams opens that job. Williams finished second in KO returns with an average of 25.5 yards per return over 11 games.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Lembo’s uptempo style will likely fare better if the Cardinals can stay healthy. The weekly injury report could say a lot about how much progress BSU can make against a tough schedule.
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