Ball State University's players still worried about Dante Love's health less than 24 hours after beating Indiana University on Saturday.
They didn't allow their concern to detour them from focusing on the rest of the season.
"We had a tremendous practice last night," coach Brady Hoke said at his press conference Monday. "Our guys know what our focus is and what we're playing for, what our goals are. It was tremendous, it was very positive."
Ball State's victory pushed its overall record to 1-43 against BCS schools.
Entering Saturday's game, Hoke downplayed the importance of earning the program's first win against a team from one of the six major conferences. In his mind, Hoke said, the Cardinals' three wins against Navy, including two in the past two seasons, qualifies as a win against a power-conference program.
"I think when you play Navy, you're playing a BCS school," Hoke said. "They can have those titles and all that stuff they want, but that's a pretty good football team. They're a pretty good football team year in and year out. I don't make a big deal about it, never mentioned it to our players."
Hoke didn't have to preach the importance of Saturday's game to his players. During the past couple years, senior cornerback B.J. Hill said he and his teammates had grown tired of being forced to answer the constant questions of whether the program would ever beat the BCS.
"It feels pretty good, especially against IU, an instate rival," Hill said. "It feels good to get one off our back, and hopefully we can continue that."
In addition, Ball State stepped up to the challenge of containing a mobile quarterback.
The Hoosiers quarterback, Kellen Lewis, rushed for 148 yards on 25 carries.
However, Lewis threw for 159 yards on 11-of-25 passing without a touchdown. Ball State recorded two interceptions.
"Kellen had a pretty good football game, especially with his feet," Hoke said. "He's going to drive you crazy. Our front kept playing hard. They kept running and hitting, and running and hitting. That's what we talked about."
Senior cornerback Trey Buice said his team wasn't entering its contest against Indiana trying to send a message. Regardless, he said the result of Saturday's effort does make a statement to the rest of the Cardinals' opponents this season.
"It sends a message that we're a force to be reckoned with," Buice said. "You can no longer play Ball State and think you're going to beat us week in and week out. You have to bring your A game, just as well as we have to bring ours."
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