In the immediate aftermath of Ball State's 62-6 loss at No. 3 Oklahoma last week, coach Pete Lembo walked into his team's locker room.
He heard a group of players declare that they were in the Mid-American Conference now, an attempt to quickly put the blowout in the past and look ahead to the final seven games of the season, all of which are conference games.
Lembo said he had mixed emotions about the approach. On one hand, he was happy his team was ready to move on from Oklahoma. On the other, the declaration was emblematic of the culture Lembo wants to change in the program. When the team met Sunday, Lembo addressed the issue.
"I said, ‘Guys, I don't know about you, but I've been in the MAC since I signed the contract on December 20th to come here,'" Lembo said.
The point Lembo is trying to illustrate to the Cardinals is that they need to have consistent improvement throughout the season. With only 12 games in the season, Lembo said no week can be wasted or treated as any different from another.
"Last Tuesday's practice impacted our ability to compete with Temple this Saturday as much as this Tuesday's practice did," Lembo said. "All of a sudden, just because it's a MAC game this week doesn't mean we're going to try and reinvent the wheel or we're trying to go harder in practice than we should have went last week.
"You're preparing for Temple on January 12, your first day in the weight room when you come back for the Spring Semester."
Gibson looking ahead
In the last game between Ball State and Temple, the Owls won 24-19 in 2009 in Philadelphia. Despite the loss, wide receiver Tori Gibson played perhaps the best game of his career. Gibson caught five passes for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown.
This year, Gibson leads the Cardinals with 18 catches and is second on the team with 159 receiving yards. He said he doesn't think he can use his game in 2009 to his advantage Saturday.
"That's in the past, that's two years ago," Gibson said. "We've got a whole new system, a whole new offense. I really don't look in the past anymore. It's all about the future."
Confidence in Baker
While All-MAC safety Sean Baker is officially listed as doubtful with a sprained shoulder for Saturday, Lembo said Baker is something of a unique case when it comes to injuries.
With most players, Lembo needs to see them practice before he is comfortable they will be able to play effectively in a game. But because of Baker's experience – he has played in 42 games at Ball State – and his knowledge of the game, Lembo said he is more willing to trust Baker even if he can't practice all week.
"He would be the type of guy if he couldn't practice until Thursday or Friday, you'd feel OK about him playing because he's just had so much game experience and so many reps through the years," Lembo said.
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