Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 123 BY BRYAN DRISKELL Ball State head coach Mike Neu has won with the Cardinals. The problem is that was back in 1993 when he won Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors while quarterbacking the team to a MAC title. He has been unable to find that level of suc- cess as a coach, and the pressure is on to turn it around in his third year. "This is Neu's third season, and he may be on the hot seat," said Ryan O'Gara, a sports re- porter for The Star Press of Muncie, Ind. "The Cardinals are 6-18 under Neu, including 1-15 in the MAC. Ball State has a new president and a new athletic director, and if this season goes like last season, where Ball State is not only losing but losing big, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Neu Era come to an end." Last season began well, with Ball State start- ing 2-1, but that's when the wheels fell off. "Ball State was crippled by injuries on of- fense, most notably playing those last nine games without arguably their top two play- ers, quarterback Riley Neal and running back James Gilbert," O'Gara explained. "The only silver lining to having so many injuries was that a 2017 recruiting class ranked near the top of the MAC, headlined by wide receiver Jus- tin Hall and running back Caleb Huntley, got extensive playing time and performed well." The Cardinals will look to build around an offense that returns a quarterback (Neal) that ranks fifth all time in passing yards at the school, and two running backs (Gilbert and Huntley) that have produced 1,000-yard seasons. The offense will have to be good consider- ing the Ball State defense returns just six start- ers from a unit that surrendered 40.7 points per game last fall. In order to ensure the offense reaches its potential, Neu has decided to take a more hands-on role. "Neu will take over play calling, a duty handled by offensive coordinator Joey Lynch the last two seasons," O'Gara noted. "A com- mon complaint among fans is that the offense features too few vertical shots, so it will be in- teresting to see if Ball State tries to stretch the field more to keep defenses honest and open up some space for Hall underneath." If Neu's offensive charges can stay healthy the Cardinals could field one of the top attacks in the league, which could facilitate a turn- around season. ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Aug. 30 Central Connecticut State — Sept. 8 at Notre Dame — Sept. 15 at Indiana — Sept. 22 Western Kentucky L, 33-21 Sept. 29 Kent State — Oct. 6 Northern Illinois L, 63-17 Oct. 13 at Central Michigan L, 56-9 Oct. 20 Eastern Michigan L, 56-14 Oct. 25 at Ohio — Oct. 31 at Toledo L, 58-17 Nov. 13 Western Michigan L, 55-3 Nov. 20 at Miami (Ohio) L, 28-7 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: First meeting Head Coach: Mike Neu, 6-18 at Ball State and overall (3rd year) 2017 Results: 2-10 overall, 0-8 MAC West (6th) Returning Starters: 14 (8 offense, 6 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 120 by Athlon, No. 122 by Lindy's and No. 124 by ESPN Football Power Index Did You Know?: Ball State head coach Mike Neu played quarterback for the Cardinals from 1990-93; he is third all time at Ball State with 6,271 passing yards and fourth with 43 passing touchdowns … Offensive coordinator Joey Lynch and running backs coach Kevin Lynch are broth- ers and the sons of former Ball State head coach Bill Lynch (1995-2002) … Defensive coordinator David Elson is installing a 3-4 defense in year two … Wide receiver Justin Hall was named an ESPN Freshman All-American last season after leading all rookies with 78 receptions. Prediction: Notre Dame 54, Ball State 16 STRENGTH: Backfield Ball State head coach Mike Neu thought he would have a high-octane offense in 2017 due to the return of a seasoned, proven backfield. Then-junior quarterback Riley Neal was going into his third season as a starter after passing for 4,817 yards, rushing for 939 yards and accounting for 39 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Neal was joined in the backfield by classmate James Gilbert, who rushed for 1,332 yards and 12 touchdowns, and the duo helped the Cardinals get off to a 2-1 start. By the fourth game, however, both Neal and Gilbert were lost to season-ending injuries, and Ball State didn't win another game. Neal is healthy and poised to skyrocket up the Ball State record books. The 6-6, 225-pound In- diana native showed improved passing acumen in limited action last season and is a playmaker with his legs. When Gilbert went out, true freshman Caleb Huntley was thrust into the starting lineup and responded with 1,003 yards, including 300 in the final two games of the season. Last year's injuries crushed the offense, but now the Cardinals return a pair of 1,000-yard backs, plus a junior in Malik Dunner that rushed for 440 yards and eight scores last season, and a proven quarterback to give Ball State one of the best returning backfields in the Mid-American Confer- ence. CONCERN: Defensive Line Ball State had one of the nation's worst defenses last season, ranking 123rd in defensive efficiency according to the Fremeau Efficiency Index. The Cardinals ranked near the bottom among the 129 FBS programs in total defense (87), rush defense (91), yards per play allowed (123), yards per pass attempt allowed (123), scoring defense (124) and pass efficiency defense (124). Head coach Mike Neu hired David Elson to forge a turnaround, but his second-year defensive co- ordinator is going to have to make improvements with a front that lacks experience, talent and previ- ous production. Ball State ranked 70th in the country last season in sacks with 24, but 11.5 were made by end An- thony Wimbush, who has since graduated. Wim- bush and Ball State's other two starting defensive linemen are gone, and the current two-deep re- turns just 10.5 tackles for loss and one sack from last season. Junior end Sean Hammonds started five games in the middle of the season, so he at least brings some starting experience. Despite starting five games and playing in five others, Hammonds had just 15 tackles and four stops behind the line, plus the lone returning sack at the position group. Junior tackle Chris Crumb and senior end Fred Schroeder combined for four starts last season, but neither recorded a sack. BALL STATE CARDINALS SEPT. 8 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Caleb Huntley (1,003 yards, 3 TD) Passing: QB Riley Neal (659 yards, 6 TD) Receiving: WR Justin Hall (801 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: LB Jacob White (72) Sacks: White (3) Interceptions: S Bryce Cosby (2) X-FACTOR: Senior James Gilbert rushed for 1,332 yards in 2016 — the fourth-best single-season mark in Ball State history — but went down with a season- ending thumb injury in the third game last fall. PHOTO COURTESY ICON SPORTSWIRE