As he faced pressure deep in his own territory, Ball State senior quarterback Keith Wenning was about to leave his defense in a high-pressure situation of its own.
The Cardinals had been forced to punt on back-to-back drives after scoring on each of the first two drives. The two offenses were locked into a battle for field position, as the University of Akron had punted on its last two drives as well.
Wenning took a hard hit and fumbled, leading to an Akron recovery at the Ball State 30-yard line. The Zips trailed by 11, but any points would have made it a one-possession game.
“We don’t like to play with a lot of emotion because we can get down,” junior defensive end Nick Miles said. “We could have easily gotten down when the offense put us in that position, but we try to play with a lot of enthusiasm and keep our juice up.”
The defense didn’t lose sight of the situation at hand. It made a stand that aided Ball State in reaching its 42-24 victory over Akron.
The Cardinals gave up 16 yards on the next five plays, leading to a 32-yard field goal attempt for the Zips. Miles said keeping Akron out of the end zone was important.
“There’s a big difference between three points and seven points,” he said. “We take pride in that stop. Our offense is a great offense, but they’re going to mess up. We just come out on the field and try to have their back.”
Though the Ball State defense gave up 437 yards, it allowed scores on four of Akron’s 15 drives. Miles was hesitant to accept the title of a “bend but don’t break” defense, but he acknowledged that some of the best play comes in the red zone.
“When we get down there, we always tell each other, ‘We need a play right here, we need a stop,’” he said.
Miles said the defense could afford to communicate more before the snap. He said coaches remind the defense to communicate before, during and after the play since “over communicating” will never be a problem.
Miles said being able to trust teammates is key, so each player needs to know his assignment before the play.
Head coach Pete Lembo said Ball State could have avoided big plays if they didn’t make some simple mistakes. Other times, Akron was able to get past the defense based on raw athleticism.
“There were definitely two or three times where we didn’t fit things right,” he said. “[Along with other] things that may or may not be correctable at this point on defense.”
Miles said his defensive unit can be great, it just has to improve on some of the “little things.” Of those, consistency was one he stressed.
The team will strive to make stands whether it’s under pressure in the red zone or lining up at midfield.
“I believe that’s where the bend but don’t break mentality comes in because we’re really focused [in the red zone], but we’d rather not bend at all.”
Read More
'We didn’t bring it today:' Ball State softball falls to Purdue in final non-MAC contest of 2024
By Zach Carter / 10 minutes agoIn the loss to the Boilermakers, the Cardinals only recorded one hit, which was a solo home run from senior Kaitlyn Mathews. Ball State finished its 2024 non-conference season with a 13-14 record.
Third round rise leads Ball State women’s golf to 4th place finish at MAC Championship
By Nick Shelton / 23 hours agoThroughout a season that saw a number of ups and downs, from placing 14th in their season opener to placing 1st at the Brittany Kelly Classic two weeks later, the Cardinals continued to climb. Closing out their season at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, Ball State’s young squad had a lot to prove.
Bearcat pitching struggles lead to Muncie Central loss at Delta in Delaware County baseball clash
By David Moore / 2 days agoAt the end of the evening, it was the Eagles who ended their four-game skid as Delta took the victory against the Bearcats 16-1 in five innings. Delta will be on the road for its next contest against Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Shelbyville April 23 at 6 p.m. Muncie Central will travel to Muncie Burris for its next matchup, also April 23 at 6 p.m.
