Ball State football opens its 2013 spring practice today, though looking at Scheumann Stadium one might say it’s winter rather than spring.
But the snow won’t stop the team and coaching staff from getting prepared for the upcoming season. Until the Spring Game on April 20, the team will get its first look at who will be placed on the depth chart and hopefully answer some questions from the offseason.
Coach Pete Lembo and his team will have work to get done over the course of the next month. The team will have 14 practices leading up to the Spring Game.
OFFENSIVE LINE
What was the most experienced group of Ball State’s football team in 2012 could be one of the least experienced in 2013. The Cardinals lose several pieces from their offensive line, including Austin Holtz, Kitt O’Brien, Dan Manick and Cameron Lowry who anchored the offensive line that allowed only 14 sacks on quarterback Keith Wenning.
The offensive line won’t be completely new as Matthew Page, Jalen Schlachter, Jacob Richard and Jordan Hansel all saw playing time last season. But losing pieces from the most experienced in the offensive line in the country from last season will be a problem that Lembo and offensive line coach Nick Tabacca hope to resolve in the coming weeks.
LINEBACKERS
Ball State lost two key pieces on its defense from last season in co-captain Travis Freeman and Tony Martin. The team also lost another linebacker in Justin Cruz who saw a healthy amount of playing time in his career. With the trio gone, Ball State will lack experienced linebackers for 2013. In the offseason, Lembo and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman made changes to the structure of the defense. Bateman now also controls the inside linebackers, while Daryl Dixon has responsibilities for the outside linebackers and nickel backs.
Ball State moved to a base nickel defense because of the styles of offenses the team sees in Mid-American Conference play. The depth chart currently lists Julian Boyd and Ben Ingle as the starters at linebacker. Christopher Calloway, Quintin Cooper and Kenneth Lee are listed as the nickel backs for the defense.
SPECIALISTS
It’s not often that the kicking specialists could become a focus in spring practices, but for Ball State that could be the case. The team lost both decorated punter Scott Kovanda and place kicker Steven Schott to graduation after the 2012 season. The newest player with the responsibility to uphold Ball State’s “Punter U” reputation will be Kyle Schmidt, a freshman from Chesterton, Ind.
As for the place kicker, Scott Secor returns in 2013. His primary responsibility a year ago was strictly kickoffs, but because of his power he will be responsible for kicking field goals this season. Long snapper Garrett Mack also returns in 2013, which will help Ball State with stability for the special teams.
WIDE RECEIVER
The one area where Lembo and offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky have to be ecstatic about is the wide receiver position. Not only does Ball State return its 1,000-yard receiver in Willie Snead, but Connor Ryan, Jamill Smith and KeVonn Mabon also return to an offense that averaged 457.2 yards of offense per game last season.
And the wide receiver position could only get better, should players make impressions on Lembo during the spring practice. Sophomore Chris Shillings and freshman Jordan Williams saw playing time last season, and should continue to get more involvement in the offense for 2013. Redshirt freshman Efe Scott-Emuakpor will also be competing for playing time this spring, and with his 6-foot, 3-inch frame, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him fit into the offense somewhere for the upcoming season.
Weekday practices go from 3:35-5:50. Weekends go 10 a.m. to noon. Spring game is at 3 p.m. on April 20.
Spring Practice Schedule
Tues., March 26
Wed., March 27
Fri., March 29
Sat., March 30
Tues., April 2
Wed., April 3
Fri., April 5
Sat., April 6
Tues., April 9
Wed., April 10
Fri., April 12
Sat., April 13
Tues., April 16
Wed., April 17
Sat., April 20 (Spring Game - 3 p.m.)
