Keionte Newson warned against looking too closely at the Football Bowl Subdivision’s (FBS) total defense rankings. The senior linebacker holds a lot of pride in the unit he leads, but the fact of the matter is that Ball State’s total defense ranks second-to-last in all of the FBS through the first five games of the season.
The Cardinals have been down a starter on defense in each of their four straight losses, including missed time from linebacker Joey Stemler and defense back Thailand Baldwin, but Newson is not using any external factor as an excuse for Ball State’s subpar defense.
“It’s something we have to work on,” Newson said. “You gotta play the cards that you were dealt. We’re gonna get it figured out, even if it’s the last week of the season.”
Head coach Mike Neu said he and the Cardinals’ defensive coaching staff would have to “take a closer look” at the defensive personnel, and Neu clarified Monday what exactly those conversations entailed. Personnel decisions moving forward include potentially moving backups to a starting role, or even challenging some roster members to change positions in an attempt to utilize each player’s talent to its full potential.
Newson, who was visibly frustrated after Ball State’s 63-7 loss to James Madison two weeks ago, said he was just as disappointed after the Cardinals fell to Mid-American Conference (MAC) rival Western Michigan by just three points last weekend. However, Newson is not discouraged.
He believes the defense’s communication has improved, even if some issues like missed tackles and blown coverage still happen more than Newson is content with.
“We showed signs of life,” he said. “We can do great things when we’re all locked in and bought in.”
The lone silver lining in Ball State’s defense being ranked second-to-last is that there is one program sitting behind the Cardinals. And it’s their opponent this Saturday, Kent State.
The Golden Flashes are 0-5 this season and not only have the lowest-ranked defense, but the worst statistical offense in FBS as well. Ball State has lost games this season by 62 and 56 points, but Kent State went scoreless two weeks in a row with a 76-0 loss to Tennessee and a 56-0 loss to Penn State.
Even if the Golden Flashes are statistically the worst team in the FBS heading into this Saturday’s game, Neu believes the Cardinals must prepare for them as if they are a nameless, faceless foe. After all, Ball State isn’t in a much better position sitting at 1-4.
“Everybody, naturally, has a tendency to be their own worst critic, but at the same time, too, you got to allow yourself to know you're human, and you're going to make mistakes,” Neu said. “ …
When you get knocked down and then you respond to that, that's a sign of growth to me.”
Perhaps the biggest example of a Cardinal being knocked down and coming back with a statement response last week was junior wide receiver Ty Robinson.
It wouldn’t be much of an overstatement to say the 6-foot, 4-inch Colorado native has been through hell the past 13 months. Robinson excelled for Ball State in his first season with the program last year when he collected 111 yards and a touchdown on just six catches against Kentucky and Georgia.
However, Robinson missed the final 10 games of the 2023 campaign with a thumb injury. During 2024 training camp, Robinson spoke at length about his excitement to get back on the gridiron this season, not shying away from the personal struggles he faced during his comeback.
In the first game of the 2024 season, Robinson went down with a shoulder injury and missed the next three games. He was back once again last Saturday against Western Michigan, and he wasted little time showing Cardinal fans what he is capable of when healthy, catching a 21-yard touchdown pass for his first reception since Sept. 2023.
“Being injured last year, which was unfortunate, did help me this time around,” Robinson said. “I knew I had to get into rehab and attack that, and attack lifting with the strength coaches. I just knew that my team still needed me.”
Even with moments of joy for the Ball State offense like Robinson’s touchdown and senior wide receiver Malcolm Gillie’s 97-yard kickoff return touchdown, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Western Michigan Broncos. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kadin Semonza threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns, but his two interceptions stood out most to Neu.
That’s not to say Neu or anyone within the Ball State football program has lost confidence in Semonza, far from it, but the ninth-year head coach did acknowledge that Semonza is taking his two-turnover disappointment the hardest of anyone. Neu knows what it’s like to play the quarterback position and have a single-game performance that could be viewed as a failure, however, Neu also has faith in his squad’s ability to make in-game adjustments on both sides of the ball.
“You can take the [tablet] and you can actually watch the tape with the player and show them exactly what you're referring to,” Neu said. “So you’re not only communicating with them, you're able to show them visual evidence as well. I do think our guys can handle that.”
Even after scoring 34-plus points in three of five games this season, Ball State’s offense is still ranked 112th out of 134 FBS programs. Combined with a defense that has been reeling for four straight games, Robinson believes this Saturday’s Noon kickoff in Ohio is a must-win for the Cardinals.
“A win would really benefit the whole team,” Robinson said. “Wins feel good, and they make us feel like all the work we put in during the offseason is for a good reason … We all know we’re right there; we have the players and the coaches to win these games.”
It’s a must-win contest for the winless Kent State as well, but Newson’s motivation to turn the 2024 season around for Ball State goes deeper than most others’.
“I sit and tend to think about the future a lot, and at the end of the day, I need to be where my feet are,” Newson said. “I only have seven more games, guaranteed, with these guys. Who else would I rather play with? Nobody else in the country.”
Contact Kyle Smedley via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
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