Ball State football head coach Mike Neu stayed up late last Saturday to watch Missouri State take on Montana.
Although the Bears lost, he had seen enough to know they were tough and would be a challenge in week one for the Cardinals.
“Missouri State is a good football team,” Neu said. “When I look at them on tape, I am like, “Alright we are preparing for another MAC team.” It is going to be a dogfight. Their personnel is really good.”
The 2 p.m. kickoff against Missouri State on Sept. 7 will be the first time Ball State has opened up its season at home since 2021. Neu said opening at home is important to the players especially to feed off the crowd.
“We would love to have a strong showing, especially from the students,” Neu said. “Our players need them. Our university needs them. Our program needs them. It would be awesome to have a great showing.
“Our guys relish the opportunity to play at home in Scheumann Stadium. When it is full and the students are here, it is an awesome environment.”
Neu said it is not an advantage to have film on the Bears and no film on the Cardinals since it will be their first game. He said he wishes Ball State had a game under their belts in preparing to face Missouri State but has to turn that into a positive to prepare.
Neu said the Bears do a good job of controlling the time of possessions and also noticed several key players. He pointed out specifically senior quarterback Jacob Clark and senior running back Jacardia Wright from the Missouri State offense.
Clark was 23-for-39 through the air and had 257 yards with one interception. Wright slashed Montana on the ground and through the air. He had 79 rushing yards on 19 attempts with one touchdown and 69 yards receiving on six receptions.
“He is really the complete package,” Neu said about Wright.
Junior tight end Tanner Koziol said he is expecting a physical defense in Missouri State with players who have high motors.
On the defensive side of Missouri State, Neu was focused on junior safety Todric McGee and senior linebacker Tahj Chambers.
“This is a team that is physical and plays with great effort,” Neu said.
Senior linebacker Keionte Newson said that the running back room for the Bears has apparent talent and will be a focal point for the defense. He also said it would be key to watch the passing game to keep Missouri State at bay.
Newson is the leader of a Ball State defense that is almost entirely new. Neu said the new defensive players have done a good job getting used to the Ball State system thanks to the help of players and staff.
Newson said the defense as a whole has begun forming a tighter brotherhood as the season nears. He said the group feeds off each other and has been communicating better on the field.
“[Communication] has taken a major leap from the beginning of camp to where we are right now,” Newson said.
Newson said he makes sure to check in with every player he sees to make sure each person feels like they are a part of the “brotherhood” of Ball State football.
The defense will be without transfer linebacker from the University of Indianapolis Justin Thomas for the remainder of the season due to a season-ending leg injury. Newson said losing his energy was big, but everybody has stepped up to fill his role in his absence.
Kyran Montgomery, a defensive lineman transfer from Missouri, is not on the depth chart currently. Neu said Ball State is working on the transfer to ensure he will be eligible to play.
“We want to be the first defense not just in the MAC, but the best in that nation,” Newson said. “Regardless of who we play or prepare for, we just want to dominate, dominate, dominate.”
Newson said the defense can complete that goal by making plays and sticking to their assignments. He wants to get away from the idea of someone being a hero or a teammate doing something out of the ordinary, he wants everybody to do their job.
“Plays will fall to you, I think that is what is going to separate us from everyone else in the country because consistency is the hardest thing a human being can do,” Newson said.
George Udo is a new defensive starter in the sniper position, more known as the nickel. Defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles calls them the sniper because the position is there to go and get hits and stops.
“George, in my opinion, is perfect for that role,” Neu said. “He is one of those guys who is powerful and has a great build.”
Neu said that Udo's physical, tough play makes him a threat to rushing and passing schemes.
Although the defensive faces are new, Neu said it is important that they have a lot of football experience. Some of them even have top-25 and Power 5 experience.
“They understand what the speed of the game is so that is not something you have to get them prepared for,” Neu said. “Now it is just a matter of buying into the scheme and what their specific role is.”
Sometimes the gameplan for a game is not always going to work, so having players who are experienced and can adjust will help the defense in a big way, Neu said.
On the offensive side of the ball, offensive coordinator and tight end coach Jared Elliot will be the playcaller for the Cardinals' offense this year.
Koziol said he has trust in Elliot more than anyone else. He said Elliot has lit a fire on the offensive side of the ball and shows his passion for the game every single day.
Lining up alongside wide receivers Ty Robinson, Justin Bowinck and Qian Magwood, Koziol said their size advantage will create mismatch problems for opponents.
“Covered or not, we got to go get it [the ball],” Koziol said. “That is something they do very well and something [quarterback Kadin] Semonza understands and does really well. It is really fun because that is where the explosive plays happen.”
When Koziol looks next to the tight ends and sees his name first, he recognizes that it is an honor for him.
“I am so blessed that God gave me this opportunity to be a starter and be a part of this program,” Koziol said. “I am so grateful for it every day. I understand not everyone has the opportunity to play as much as I do.”
“Every time I have the opportunity to play tomorrow, I am thankful for it because not everyone does.”
In case the helmet communication fails for the defense, Newson said signals will be the way the defense gets play calls. He said there have been issues with communication for a variety of reasons but the Cardinals’ have worked out plans if it fails.
“I like the signals more than the helmet communication anyway so I will be telling them to run signals just so we can have that even if I can’t get the communication,” Newson said.
Neu said the Cardinals have been working on alternate ways to communicate in the event the helmet communication goes down. For offense, Neu said the quarterbacks will go back to signaling and they have been working to communicate both ways in training camp in case something goes wrong.
Neu said the character and energy out of the locker room are perfect for the Cardinals. He said he has noticed an extremely tight group in the locker room that goes extremely far in chemistry on the field.
“The locker room has grown into what is 120 of your best friends,” Koziol said.
“There are no cliques within this team, we are a team,” Koziol said. “You see everyone and say hi with a smile on your face. Every guy on the team I see in the hallway I am like, “That is my friend.” It is really fun to have 120 friends in the facility every day.”
Contact Elijah Poe with comments via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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