Just two questions into the news conference following Ball State’s 44-24 win over Central Michigan University on Wednesday night, head coach Pete Lembo was already being asked about the next game.
Lembo didn’t hesitate to show he wasn’t interesting in fielding questions about next week’s game.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” he said, cutting off the reporter’s question. “We’re going to enjoy this win. We’ll start worrying about that at about 6 o’clock [Thursday].”
It’s that mindset, of not looking ahead, that the Cardinals have adopted since Lembo’s arrival, which has put the team in control of its own destiny for a Mid-American Conference championship with two games remaining. After next week’s game against No. 18 Northern Illinois, that destiny could be fulfilled.
With a massive road game looming against the other undefeated team in the MAC West, it may have been difficult for Ball State to not overlook Central Michigan.
But Lembo said after the game, he doesn’t believe in such thing as overlooking opponents.
“It tangibly reflects on the culture we have and what we expect out of these guys,” he said. “We came out ready to go [Wednesday night]. … We were focused on Central Michigan.”
By 6 p.m. today, Ball State will shift its attention to Northern Illinois with the MAC West Division title on the line. Like Wednesday night’s game, the game in DeKalb, Ill., will be on ESPN2.
But in the two-year span after the 12-2 season in 2008 and Lembo’s arrival, Ball State being in a game of this magnitude seemed nearly impossible. Twelve straight wins in MAC play will put Ball State in a position to win the West Division for the first time since 2008.
More importantly, it’s created a culture of winning.
“I’ve said it from day one, we have to sustain excellence,” Bill Scholl, athletic director, said after the game. “That’s exactly what [Lembo] has done. We’ve gotten better every year, and he’s designed a program that’s built to be competitive year in and year out.”
Realistically, the showdown with Northern Illinois isn’t set up if Ball State isn’t sitting at 6-0 in the MAC standings. By Lembo’s and the players’ view, each MAC game is its own conference championship.
But playing in competitive games on a weekly basis helps the athletic department.
“It’s a sign of a healthy program,” Scholl said. “We continue to put ourselves in position where the next game is more important than the one you just played.”
Scholl said next week’s game against Northern Illinois is important in accomplishing the team goal of winning the conference title, but quickly said the Central Michigan win was just as important, too.
Nevertheless, whether Lembo and the Ball State football team wanted to think about beating Central Michigan, it doesn’t mean a MAC West title isn’t on the line at Huskie Stadium at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
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