east mich/ball state...

[IE]

Cardinals will not come out flat
Ball State must be ready for Eastern's no-huddle offense



Last fall in Ypsilanti, Mich., facing a team that was in its second game with an interim coach and struggling more than itself, Ball State came out uninspired and appeared worn out.

Eastern Michigan, on the other hand, played inspired, energetic ball and stuffed the Cardinals, 38-14.

Brady Hoke doesn't see his team (1-4 overall, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) again this year against the Eagles (1-4, 1-1), if only because it's this year, game six, as opposed to last year, game 11.

"Last year was a different football team," Hoke said. "This is the 80th football team at Ball State.

"[There's] different leadership. I think we've managed them differently in not wearing them out. That's one of my big goals -- not to do that. I would be very shocked if we came out flat."

The Cardinals can ill-afford to come out flat, especially on defense.

Under new coach Jeff Genyk the Eagles are using a no-huddle offense bent on wearing down opposing defenses by running as many plays as it can.

Eastern is second in the league in rushing (193 yards per game) and fourth in total offense (415.6). It has averaged 81 plays per game so far.

"You have to rotate guys through (on defense)," Hoke said. "You have to be smart in that. Their offense gives you some difficulty in preparation."

Regardless of how many plays the Eagles run, Hoke's team can count on a heavy dosage of Anthony Sherrell. Last year, the senior tailback burned the Cards for 230 yards and four touchdowns on a school-record 43 attempts.

Sherrell has 443 yards and five touchdowns in 2004.

"He's a tremendous running back," Hoke said. "We have to do a better job in attacking the line of scrimmage, giving them different looks, because they're going to check every play at the line of scrimmage."


BACK FROM INJURY

Sophomore linebacker Brad Seiss, expected to start at weak side linebacker before breaking his right wrist in August, could play Saturday. Seiss no longer wears a cast on the wrist, but would wear a protective "club" over his hand during a game.

In Seiss' place, sophomore Jason Sieman has started every game and is second on the team with 36 tackles.

Defensive tackle Tom Kellar, who started the season opener but missed the next three games due to injury, recorded one tackle at Toledo. Riley Larimore has started in Kellar's place.


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'Work in progress' defense struggling to make stops for EMU






The defense is giving up an average of 40.2 points and 449 yards, which is in the bottom 17 of Division I-A. The pass defense is surrendering 263 yards per contest, which is ranked 100th in the nation.

EMU coach Jeff Genyk said his defense is a work in progress at best, but said there are players that are stepping up for the unit and playing well such as safety Jerry Gaines, linebacker Kevin Harrison and cornerback Chris Roberson.

Harrison leads the Mid-American Conference with 63 tackles, while Gaines is third with 54 stops. Linebacker Keyvon Barbee is tied for fifth in the MAC with 49 tackles.

Genyk said Roberson, who was selected as the Eagles defensive player of the week for his performance against Idaho, has been outstanding in his first-year as a cornerback.

?He responds the right way after he give up a big play and he has been physical,? he said.

However a few players stepping up hasn?t helped the EMU?s defense shut opponents down. Genyk said the Eagles lack depth and size on the inside, which is hurting them. Due to this, Eastern has had to modify its defensive system to get defensive players on the move, because players have had a hard time getting off their blocks.

?We held Idaho to 10 points in the second half,? Genyk said. ?Hopefully that?s a sign of better things to come.?



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If possible, Jeff Genyk would likely place a construction zone sign around an Eastern Michigan University defensive unit he refers to as a work in progress.

He sees promise in a unit that gave up only a field goal in the third quarter of Saturday's 45-41 loss to Idaho. But he remains concerned about the same unit that surrendered 35 points in the first half.

"What we need to have




happen is for the defense to play more consistently," Genyk said Tuesday during his weekly

media luncheon. "Where we're at physically, I think we need to play at a very high emotional level in order to be successful."

Genyk talks about players that are "in development" that, over time, will be bigger, stronger and faster than those who are currently making up the Eagles' first-team defense.

But until those players are ready, Eastern Michigan must continue to rely on a defense that is struggling to get off blocks due to the size differential at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles are currently ranked 10th in the Mid-American

Conference in total defense and 103rd nationally out of 117

programs.

Against Idaho, the defense surrendered 464 yards of total offense - 318 of which came via the throwing arm of Vandals quarterback Michael Harrington. The run defense again struggled in the red zone, in which five of Idaho's

touchdowns came.

Things won't get any easier Saturday against Ball State, which is led on the ground by Adell Givens, who has rushed for 264 yards this season.

"We know Ball State is going to come in looking to run the ball," Genyk said. "So our main priority will be to stop the run."

Points of Interest

While the Eastern Michigan defense again struggled, the Eagles' offense again put up enough points to, by all means, win.

In the last two weeks,

Eastern Michigan has scored 69 points. But when it came to

doing what it took to erase a late four-point deficit after

effectively moving down the field, the Eagles' shortcomings were again glowingly evident.

Receiver Chris Talley dropped what looked to be the game-

winning pass - a play that Genyk believes Talley would make "99 out of 100 times." In addition, Genyk said quarterback Matt Bohnet started pressing, which kept him from making

fundamental plays.

"Those last two games were right out in front of them for the taking," Genyk said. "We just have found a way not to make a play to win the game. As a staff, we expect to win those games.

"(Players) need to learn how to take a Division I victory - no one's going to giftwrap them for you."

Woodruff out

Senior defensive back

Rontrell Woodruff will miss

Saturday's game after being suspended for breaking a team rule.

Road Warriors

Eastern Michigan will spend all but one of the next six

Saturdays playing away from Rynearson Stadium. After

traveling to Ball State Saturday, the Eagles travel to Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Kent State. The Eagles play Central Michigan at Ford Field before finishing the season at home Nov. 20 against Northern Illinois.

"We're out to steal a few homecoming victories because we messed up ours," Genyk said.

 

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Ball State appears set on freshman QB


TOLEDO, Ohio - Ball State football coach Brady Hoke said true freshman quarterback Cole Stinson gave a "good" performance Saturday in his first game as a starter.

Toledo coach Tom Amstutz voiced a stronger opinion on Stinson's play.

"College football is a whole different speed than high school, and it has a different tempo," Amstutz said. "I really respect that young man for his courage, and the way he went out there and executed his offense.

"He was on the road starting his first game, and I thought he did quite well," he said.

The Cardinals officially awarded their starting quarterback job to Stinson after going with sophomore Joey Lynch in the first four games.

Stinson completed 17-of-29 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown during the Cardinals' 52-14 loss to the Rockets in the Glass Bowl. Stinson has thrown 62 straight passes without an interception.

Stinson put himself in position to become the starter after a sterling performance off the bench on Sept. 25 in the Cardinals' 41-14 victory over Western Michigan. He completed 17-of-31 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns against the Broncos.

Stinson is believed to be the first true freshman at Ball State to start at quarterback since the Cardinals joined the Mid-American Conference in 1975.

He was told he would start against Toledo when the Cardinals left for the game on Friday.

Hoke appears set on staying with Stinson, saying he would not get into a game of flip-flopping starting quarterbacks.

"We're going to evaluate everything, and we'll start that when we get back and watch the film," he said. "We're going to evaluate like we normally do every day.

"Coming out of what I know right now, yeah (we're settled on Stinson)," he said, "but we have confidence in both of the quarterbacks."

Stinson was not made available to media after the game, and a request by The Star Press to interview him last Monday was denied. Hoke said he doesn't want freshmen to be interviewed until he thinks they're ready.

Stinson played the entire game against Toledo. He didn't connect on as many deep pass plays as he did a week earlier against Western Michigan. He relied heavily on receiver Dante Ridgeway, mostly on medium-range routes.

Stinson was 10-for-15 for 135 yards in the first half. With the Cardinals forced into more passing in the second half after trailing 31-14 at halftime, Stinson hit only 7-of-14 passes for 78 yards in the final two quarters.

"(Stinson) is a very good football player, and Ball State is going to win some more games this year with him at quarterback," Amstutz said.

Ridgeway, meanwhile, caught 10 passes for 144 yards. He had 217 receiving yards a week earlier against Western Michigan.

The 361 yards broke a Ball State record for most receiving yards in back-to-back games. The previous record was 350 in 1983 by Dave Naumcheff (113 against Eastern Michigan and 237 against Bowling Green).

Ridgeway also tied Brian Oliver for most 100-yard receiving games by a Cardinal with seven.

 

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Teams find success throwing against BSU

MUNCIE - Ball State's pass defense has been stretched in nearly every way imaginable through the first five football games of the season. There seems to be no let up in sight for the unit that ranks last in the Mid-American Conference in yards allowed.

The solution, Cardinals coach Brady Hoke suggested, is simply to get better in a hurry.

Defending the pass is shaping up to be as big a challenge as was containing opposing teams' rushing attacks for last year's Ball State defense.

"It is similar to a certain degree because we're younger," Hoke said. "We're starting a (true) freshman (Ryan Patrick) and a true sophomore (Randall Means) at the corners."

During the first half of the Cardinals' season, they faced three outstanding quarterbacks: Kyle Orton of Purdue, Brad Smith of Missouri and Bruce Gradkowski of Toledo.

Orton, a top contender for the Heisman Trophy, passed for 329 yards and five touchdowns against the Cardinals while playing less than three quarters. Smith threw for 213 yards and two TDs while playing just over three quarters. Gradkowski produced 455 yards passing and six touchdowns.

The three players combined to complete 73 percent of their passes.

"Obviously, you can help yourself by putting pressure on the quarterback, which we have not done a good enough job of consistently," Hoke said.

Toledo broke down Ball State's pass defense, which has allowed 289.6 yards a game, with a deep pass attack. The Cardinals were crossed up by expecting more underneath routes and bubble screens.

"Toledo had us more confused than anything," Cardinals free safety David Gater said. "They ran a couple of formations and plays that we hadn't seen (on tape). We didn't stay calm."

Ball State figures to receive another stiff test, this time against Eastern Michigan, when the teams meet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Cardinals' homecoming.

First-year Eastern Michigan quarterback Ken Bohnet, a junior who transferred from Iowa, ranks 10th in the nation and third in the MAC in total offense. Bohnet averages 222.6 yards passing and 62.6 yards rushing per game.

"The kid from Eastern is pretty good," Hoke said. "They score 29 points a game, and their offense is difficult to prepare for because it's no-huddle and they like to play fast."

There's no dropoff in potent passing attacks on Ball State's schedule in October.

The Cardinals will face Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs, second in the MAC in passing, on Oct. 16. Akron's Charlie Frye, one of the most skilled passers in the MAC, will play against Ball State on Oct. 23.

"It's really a big challenge," Gater said. "We face a different style quarterback every week, and that makes it difficult to adjust."