Less than 30 minutes after Ball State football’s 63-7 loss to James Madison, Keionte Newson sat in front of a computer screen and let out a long sigh. The senior linebacker chuckled to himself as he looked down, then formulated his thoughts.
“I just gotta be better,” he said. “ … Right now, I’m being a fraud.”
Newson finished Saturday’s game with three total tackles and an early pass breakup in coverage. By the Tough Cardinal No. 1’s standards, that wasn’t good enough to help Ball State compete against the Dukes.
However, Newson has not been the only Cardinal defender to struggle this season. Through the first four games, essentially the entire unit has underperformed.
Saturday marked the third straight game Ball State’s defense has allowed 520-plus yards, and the 63 points surrendered are the most given up by the Cardinals since 2017.
“The biggest thing that's holding us back right now is communication on the defensive end, and I don't know what I got to do to fix it,” Newson said. “ … It’s all on my shoulders. [Head] coach [Mike] Neu is trying to take all the blame, but at the end of the day, he ain't doing nothing but coaching.
“It comes down to the players executing, and I'm not executing. My teammates and I aren’t executing at a high level.”
While the Ball State offense has compiled 430-plus yards on two occasions this season, the Cardinals have struggled against opponents of higher standards. Sure, James Madison is theoretically on the same playing field as Ball State given the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) each falling in “Group of 5” territory, but the Dukes (4-0) have earned two straight winning seasons since joining the SBC in 2022.
They even peaked as the 18th-ranked team in all of FBS collegiate football last season. So even if Ball State’s offense was coming into Harrisonburg, Virginia, white hot after compiling 431 yards and four touchdowns last week, James Madison halted that momentum.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza threw three interceptions to one touchdown, and he was sacked an additional five times.
“I gotta play better; It is what it is, and there's nothing more to it,” Semonza said. “It's tough. Nobody wants to be where we're at now.”
The California native was just as frustrated as Newson, but his first priority post game was centering himself in his faith. Semonza declared that he will continue to stand by his “Lord and Savior” Jesus Christ no matter what, citing his belief and trust in God as his main source of refuge when he begins to lose self-confidence.
“No matter what happens, it could be on the field or off the field, I'm going to stand by that,” Semonza said. “There’s not a moment that goes by where I slack on that. I take pride in my faith.”
Like Neu and like Newson, Semonza believes much of the blame for Ball State’s 1-3 start falls on him, but he also acknowledged that it is his responsibility to try and instill confidence in his teammates. Although the Cardinals’ loss to Central Michigan by just three points in Week 4 after a last-second touchdown, the other two Ball State losses have been all-time lows for the program.
The 62-0 Week 3 loss to Miami (FL) was the largest margin of defeat during Neu’s nine-year tenure and the widest gap since 2000. Saturday’s 53-point loss to James Madison is not only the second-largest margin of defeat in Neu’s time as the Cardinals leader, but it’s the largest of the 21st century when facing a Group of 5 opponent.
Neu said he could see the Cardinals’ afraid to make mistakes against the Dukes, he could see his players tensing up mid-game. That all comes back to the confidence Neu feels Ball State is lacking right now, and ultimately he believes these issues are his fault.
“I got to figure out a way on my end as the head coach to be better and to make sure I'm putting our football team – putting our guys – in the best position to be successful,” Neu said. “ … I believe in the process. I believe in what we're doing. I believe in what we're giving our guys.”
Whether it be sticking to a strict diet, pushing through an intense training regimen or waking up before the sun rises every day, Neu recognized everything his 100-plus players go through before each game. Still, for a reason unknown to Neu, Semonza or Newson, these efforts are not enough.
“Losing stinks,” Neu said. “It’s the worst feeling in your gut because you know how much you put into it every single week, and you know how much work and effort that the players put into it.
“There's no magic answer I can give right now that's going to take any of the pain away.”
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Oct. 5 when they host MAC rival Western Michigan at 2 p.m. in Muncie’s Scheumann Stadium. During the six days in between games, Newson believes what Ball State’s roster needs most is perspective.
“We play a kids game. I’ve been playing since I was five,” Newson said. “Just find your base. Get back to talking to family, talking to your girlfriend, friends, whatever you need to do to center yourself.”
Contact Kyle Smedley via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
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