With the departure of three former Ball State football players now fighting for a chance to play in the NFL, the 2005 Cardinals face the task of replacing their best players on offense, defense and special teams, statistically.
All three were key components to last season's team and will be replaced in the lineup by backups from last season and a redshirt freshman.
“How you replace them is by the development of young guys,” head coach Brady Hoke said. "You’re going to lose something in experience. That’s what made them so good, anyway.”
Dante Ridgeway, one of the top wide receivers in the country last season —he was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff award, given after each season to the country’s best wide receiver — leaves more of a crater-size hole to fill.
He broke several records during his career, including his 105 catches last season that broke the Mid-American Conference record, and he set two Ball State career receiving records. An All-MAC First Team selection in 2004, he also led the country in several categories, including total receiving yards (1,399).
“A guy who catches 105 balls, you obviously use him in your game plan a lot, and you’re not spreading the ball out, maybe, like you’d like to,” Hoke said. “Schematically, the offense and the quality of the guys we have, we’ve got great quality at the wide receiver position — more guys capable of making big plays. That hopefully will help us in that area of our game.”
Returning starter Bryan Williamson finished last season with 21 catches, second most on the team but 84 fewer than Ridgeway.
“That’s a big loss,” junior receiver Terry Moss said of Ridgeway. “He was such a big part of our offense. But [the receivers] have been working hard, and we should be able to make that up.”
Ridgeway's absence from the lineup this season, doesn't have Williamson worried, he remains confident in the team.
“I don’t think we lose anything,” he said. “We have great talent coming back. We have young guys who are looking to step up. I don’t think we’re going to lose anything.”
Moss is slated to replace Ridgeway in the starting lineup. He played in nine games last season, starting in three. He caught 12 passes for 105 yards, an 8.8 average.
Saftey Justin Beriault started 45 of 46 games during his career at Ball State and had been a member of the All-MAC First Team for the past two seasons.
“Justin Beriault, he’ll be a loss out on the field and also with his leadership, but that’s what other guys have to do and they understand that,” Hoke said. “David Gater has to step up in how he plays the game. Erik Keys, I know, will step up because he’s proven it.”
“It’s a huge loss,” Gater, this year’s starting free safety, said. “He was a big part of our team for four years, and since I’ve been here, he’s been here. He’s just been a great football player for Ball State.”
Gater, a fifth-year senior, will step in to replace Beriault in the lineup. Gater played in all 11 games last season, finishing with 34 tackles. He intercepted a pass and returned it 37 yards and recovered one fumble.
Keys returns as the starting strong safety. He was second on the team in total tackles behind Beriault last season.
“It’s gonna be tough losing someone like Beriault,” he said. “He was an all-star caliber player. We have some pretty good people stepping up. It’s tough losing him. A player like that, you can never really replace. You just have to play your hardest and do what you can.”
Punter Reggie Hodges repeatedly gave the Cardinals' defense room to work with by punting the ball 25 times inside the 20-yard line. He ranked second in the MAC and 26th in the nation in punting average, at 42.59, during his senior season.
“Reggie Hodges was obviously one of the two best punters in the country a year ago,” Hoke said. “There were only two of them drafted, and he was one of them. And he did an awful lot in changing the field position of a game.”
Chris Miller will replace Hodges for the punting duties. Miller was given a scholarship after walking on last season. He helped his high school, Mundelein (Carmel), win the Class 6A Illiniois State Championship as a senior, going undefeated, 14-0.
Miller’s last game was in his high school’s championship game.
“I haven’t played in a whole year,” he said. “I have to be mentally prepared, do my technique, don’t focus on anything but getting that ball off."
Starting quarterback Joey Lynch said it’s time for this year’s crop of seniors and veterans to take the leadership reigns from the NFL trio.
“A lot of times, coming through the program, those guys are older, you see what they do, and you learn from them,” he said. “When they leave, it’s time to step up and take their place. It’ll definately hurt, because they’re all such talented players. We’ve got some guys who can step in and take the challenge.”
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