One week after sophomore Eric Patterson supplanted senior Jason Pinkston as one of Ball State's starting cornerbacks, another official change could come to the team's secondary this week.
Coach Pete Lembo said sophomore safety J.C. Wade will "likely" start against South Florida on Saturday. Wade will take over for freshman safety Chris Pauling, who started at Clemson and played extensively against Eastern Michigan.
Lembo said Wade played 70 out of Ball State's 88 defensive snaps against Indiana and was "pretty productive" on the field, finishing with five solo tackles. Ball State's released game sheet shows Wade started the game next to junior Jarrett Swaby.
"I can't say enough good things about J.C. Wade," Lembo said. "You go back to last year when we first got here. I don't think it was the easiest transition for him with the new staff coming in. With some guys it just takes a little bit longer to get comfortable. J.C. has really blossomed this year."
Wade and Patterson's promotions come with troubling statistics from Ball State's pass defense through the first three games. The Cardinals have given up a Mid-American Conference-worst 981 passing yards, and are one of two teams in the league yet to record an interception.
The staggering numbers translate to 3,924 passing yards given up over the full season.
Naturally the coaching staff decided changes needed to be made.
Wade didn't just earn a starting position during live games, however. Lembo said he mainly took advantage of his chances during practice.
"That's something you're always sharing with all the guys on your team," Lembo said of Wade's development this season. "When an opportunity presents itself, and you get a chance to get in there in practice or in a game, you've got to make it count. And what J.C. has done this year is when he has gotten in there, he has played pretty well. And now the challenge goes back to those other guys, 'Hey, if you want to play 70 plays against South Florida, you've got to have a great week of practice.'"
Despite its poor defensive statistics, Ball State's recent changes have given Lembo a reason to be optimistic. He praised starting cornerbacks Patterson and junior Jeffery Garrett for their physicality against Indiana, and he said senior backup cornerback Andre Dawson did a "solid job" as well.
Lembo also addressed the demotion of Pinkston, who started the 24th game of his career against Clemson on Sept. 8, saying the senior cornerback would have to prove himself to get back on the field.
"Obviously for Jason, it's a little bit of adversity right now," Lembo said. "And whether it be in practice or whether it be in Saturday's game, if he gets an opportunity to get back out there and play well, he's got to seize that opportunity, just like J.C. Wade has done when he comes in off the bench to play.
"So nobody's given up on Jason by any means. Like so many other guys, I know we're going to need him here perhaps in the short-term, but certainly as the season goes on. And it's going to be up to him to show us that he's got some fight in him to earn his job back."
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