When Joey Lynch looks over to the opposing sideline on Saturday, it will be a different experience.
With one glance toward the Indiana University bench he will see his father, offensive coordinator Bill Lynch. A second glance over, he will see his brother, Billy Lynch, talking to the wide receivers and fulfilling his role as Indiana's wide receivers coach.
But it's just another game for Joey Lynch. He said he imagined coaching against his father or brother someday - not playing against them.
"My dad and brother are on the IU side, but they got a job and we got a job to do," Joey Lynch said. "It's a unique opportunity to [have Indiana] come in and play on our home turf. I thought someday [there'd be] the opportunity to coach against them, but I never thought about playing against them. I guess it's kind of a similar situation."
Bill Lynch, who compiled a 37-54 record as the head football coach at Ball State University from 1995-2002, said he'd treat it as just another football game.
"We did have a lot of fun in the spring and summer talking about it," he said. "You could sense that once the season started it was coming pretty quick. It's all part of competing and we have a proper prospective and not make it more than was it is. It's Ball State playing Indiana."
The person caught in the crossfire is Linda Lynch, Bill's wife and mother to Billy and Joey. On Saturday morning, she'll be at Franklin College watching her third son, Kevin, play football before coming back for Saturday night's Ball State-Indiana game. Where her allegiance lies, however, remains unclear.
"I want to take myself out of the equation to see what son she likes the best," Bill Lynch said jokingly. "It will be tough on her. I have a daughter that's married living in Muncie. I have three little grandkids. They're all close to Joey. They're getting razzed about it as well. The entire family, I think, we all have it in proper perspective."
Like his father, Billy Lynch also has ties to Ball State. He attended the school from 1997-2002, playing football all five years and was part of the basketball team for four. He also led the football team in receptions his senior year with 40.
Billy Lynch will turn 28 on Sunday. He said he usually talks to Joey Lynch on the phone every Sunday, but there have been no phone calls the past few weekends.
"You could tell it's getting close," Billy Lynch said. "I got no phone call on Sunday, a day that I typically hear from him whether it's my birthday or not. You can tell it's game week."
Both Bill and Billy Lynch said they probably won't be able to watch Joey Lynch perform too much, because Ball State's offense will be on the field when they'll be going over offensive instructions.
None of it really matters to Joey Lynch. His main goal for Saturday is to win, and it doesn't matter who is or who isn't on the opposite sideline. He said he doesn't expect to be nervous as game time approaches.
"No matter who we're playing, I want to win so bad that it's going to be, for me, the same way on Saturday," Joey Lynch said. "I'm going to prepare myself like I do every week. I really don't anticipate any extra butterflies because I'm going to be excited and ready to go."
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