Seeing his defense not executing its game plan precisely enough, Ball State University's resident Marine stood up in the locker room during halftime of Friday night's game against Navy and addressed his teammates.
Using the leadership qualities he garnered in the Corps, the 32-year-old man his teammates call "Crawdaddy" - a testament to his mature age - urged the defensive unit to increase its intensity level. He told his teammates if they stuck to their assignments on the field they would finish on the high end of the scoreboard.
"In the first half, some things got mixed up, some signals as far as what people were supposed to do," Crawford said after his team's 35-23 victory. "I told them, 'Just calm down, and make sure we're all on the same page. Stick to your jobs, and continue to execute, but keep fighting. Don't give up, don't let up, just keep playing with that same aggression, get off the ball and I think we'll be all right.'"
When Navy took its only lead of the game at 23-21 after its first possession of the second half, Crawford's motivational speech began taking effect. The Cardinals' defense allowed 82 rushing yards during the Midshipmen's opening drive in the third quarter, but Ball State after that point allowed 63 rushing yards in the game's final 28 minutes.
Starting defensive tackle Drew Duffin, one of Crawford's best friends on the team, said when Crawford speaks everyone listens because of the respect they have for their captain.
"We knew we had to do a better job of keeping their offensive line from getting to our linebackers and our secondary," Duffin said. "So we decided to key our man and just do our job. We knew if we did that we were going to come out victorious."
There was a time when Crawford's leadership didn't carry as much weight.
When he entered the program as a 30-year-old, Crawford's teammates knew nothing about his past. Coach Brady Hoke said he was initially skeptical of Crawford, but one conversation with the mature walk-on gave him confidence Crawford could become a vital piece of his program's future.
"This was a man who had obviously grown up a lot in his time with the Marines," Hoke said.
It didn't take the players long to embrace their older teammate. These days, Duffin said, he and Crawford are almost inseparable.
"Me and him are with each other all the time, watching film, doing everything together," Duffin said. "Having an extra coach there really helps me out. We help each other; we're each other's backbone."
Crawford made his presence felt Friday night, recording four tackles, including one for lost yardage. While his teammates appreciate the work Crawford puts in on the field, Duffin said, it's the leadership he demonstrates at practice that matters most to his teammates.
"He never quits," Duffin said. "You look over at him, and he's not tired even though other people are tired. It gives you that [motivation]."
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