It has been a rough start to the season for the Ball State University football team's defense.
After giving up nearly 460 yards per game last year, the Cardinals vowed this year's defense would be much improved.
While they have held both Eastern Michigan University and Indiana University under that mark, it hasn't been pretty.
Both opposing quarterbacks enjoyed big days. EMU's Tyler Jones accounted for 310 of his team's 435 total yards, including 164 on the ground. Indiana's third-string quarterback, freshman Kellen Lewis, had a huge day as well. He ran for 88 yards and sliced up the Ball State secondary for 228 yards in the air. 296 of Indiana's 373 total yards came in the second half also.
However, Ball State coach Brady Hoke said he was happy with the way the defense played in the second half.
"We had four or five guys to the ball carrier," Hoke said. "Did we tackle them correctly every time? No. But there were guys to the ball and I feel a lot better about us defensively now than I did after the Eastern game."
Look for a few changes in both defensive schemes and personnel before Saturday's game against Purdue University.
The Cardinals blitzed Lewis quite a bit without much success on Saturday. Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter is also mobile, and the Boilermakers will likely run the spread option, similar to what Eastern Michigan runs.
To combat that, safety Erik Keys said the team might try running what is a called a "spy." The spy, usually a linebacker or safety but sometimes a defensive end, is designed to slow down the threat of a mobile quarterback. The spy basically shadows the quarterback on the field, moving the same direction the quarterback moves, never taking his eyes off him.
Nine different Indiana receivers caught passes Saturday. However, the secondary held Indiana's primary receiver, James Hardy, to four catches for 19 yards. Keys said the secondary showed how well it can play.
"We came in with a little more confidence," Keys said. "This was our chance to show everybody that our pass defense isn't as bad as people think we are. That was a big challenge for us and I think we came out pretty good on that one.
"Our head is up high now. We have to reinforce it and keep showing it. We are a good secondary, no matter what people think."
Look for freshman Terrell Johnson and senior Ricky Rakestraw to get more playing time in the defensive backfield Saturday.
Hoke said the team needs to work on leverage, keeping the ball carrier on the inside shoulder so that the runner can't get outside.
"We have to keep the fundamentals, making sure we understand the fits to the concept of the defense," Hoke said. "Keeping the ball inside to get it to where the cavalry is. That broke down just a little bit. I was happier with how we played as a total defense when you watch 11 guys playing together."
A positive note for the struggling defense is that Brad Seiss, the starting middle linebacker last year, was cleared for contact on Thursday. Seiss tore three ligaments in his knee during spring practice. He will participate in full contact drills this week but won't play against Purdue. He is expected to play some against North Dakota State the following week and possibly start against Northern Illinois University on Sept. 30.
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