FOOTBALL: Quarterback to face off against top MAC defense

Redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Milas prepares to throw a pass during the game against Western Michigan on Oct. 11 at Scheumann Stadium. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Milas prepares to throw a pass during the game against Western Michigan on Oct. 11 at Scheumann Stadium. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY

The quarterback of the Ball State football team, Jack Milas, calls himself a gunslinger.

It’s a title given to quarterbacks who push the ball down the field, take chances, aren’t afraid to fire the ball deep and trust their ability to make every throw possible, even if it sometimes results in a turnover.

Except Milas hasn’t thrown an interception through his first two games, unlike stereotypical gunslingers.

“I’m aggressive and it’s worked so far,” Milas said. “I can’t abuse it, and up to this point, I don’t think I have.”

So far, he’s thrown five touchdowns, and his only turnover is a fumble against Central Michigan. He’ll be facing off against the Akron defense on Saturday, which is allowing the least amount of points per game in the Mid-American Conference by over six points.

And they have forced 16 turnovers this season, including just over an interception per game, a gunslinger’s worst nightmare.

Going up against a defense that’s taken the ball away from its opponents so frequently doesn’t intimidate Milas, and he doesn’t want to change how he plays because of the potency of the defense.

“I haven’t done anything dumb yet,” Milas said. “I have to trust what I know I can do and go full speed.”

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Lynch watched Milas progress through the last two weeks. He said after the loss to Western Michigan that Milas made some risky throws where receivers helped turn a potentially bad play into a good one.

But Lynch has also seen the ability to take broken plays and pull out something special, noting that Milas has the ability to extend plays that seem doomed for failure.

Against Central Michigan, Milas dropped a bad snap out of the shotgun and it bounced to his right. Not panicking, he scooped it up and scrambled to his right before finding KeVonn Mabon on the right sideline, who ran for a touchdown.

A very gunslinger-like play for a quarterback who prides himself on being able to do exactly that.

“He understands that he needs to make plays, but he also can’t make a bad play worse,” Lynch said. “He’s taking some chances and made some tough throws, and if it’s there, we want him to let it rip.”

Milas will be expected to take care of the ball against a dangerous Akron secondary and stay calm in the pocket against a set of defensive linemen and linebackers who have combined for a MAC-high 21 sacks.

He’s been described as a pure pocket passer, which is difficult to maintain when the pocket is collapsing. When teams get pressure on the quarterback, turnovers can be the result, especially for gunslingers.

Lynch said the offense always focuses on protecting the ball, but it’ll be especially prevalent against Akron. Milas described the defense on film as fast and athletic, comparing them to Central Michigan, which is the No. 2 ranked defense in the MAC in points allowed per game.

“When you play a team like Akron, you can’t give them anything. They’re going to make life hard enough already,” Lynch said. “We have to take care of the football and make sure we don’t put our defense in bad situations.”

Upcoming Games

Date: Opponent: Location: Time:
Sat, Oct 25 Akron Muncie, Ind. 2:00 p.m.
Wed, Nov 5 Northern Illinois Muncie, Ind. 8:00 p.m.
Wed, Nov 12 Massachusetts Amherst, Mass. 8:00 p.m.
Sat, Nov 22 Eastern Michigan Muncie, Ind. TBA
Fri, Nov 28 Bowling Green Bowling Green, Ohio TBA

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