Less than 10 percent of the sudent body came out for the CMU game this past October. Could more marketing be the difference?

Molly Myers does not complain about her job as Director of Marketing for Ball State athletics but compared to other schools in the Mid-American Conference she is fighting an uphill battle. The marketing budget for Ball State Athletics does not stack up with fellow MAC peers.

“I believe it’s near the bottom,” Myers said. “Since I’ve been here my focus has been trying to be positive and focus on what you have to work with and not worry about what others have.”

With the limited budget Myers has to make tough decisions as to what sports are marketed and which games for the ones that are supported.

Even revenue producing sports such as football and men’s and women’s basketball are not immune to having certain games receive little to no dollars spent on marketing. In those cases Myers relies on free marketing such as Facebook events, Twitter, and campus e-mails to get the word out for upcoming home games.

“I can’t even market every single home game,” Myers said. “I have to be selective throughout the season of ‘these are the games that we should really try on focusing to get people to come to.’ There are some games that go by other than doing mentions through the free media that are not getting mentioned. I’m not doing a radio spot for it, I’m not doing TV for it.”

More money was spent marketing Ball State’s football game against Indiana in Lucas Oil Stadium than the other five home games in Scheumann Stadium combined. Even with a big turnout for the Indiana game Ball State finished 10th out of 13 teams in the MAC in average attendance. Basement dwelling Akron (1-11), Central Michigan (3-9), Buffalo (3-9) and Miami (4-8) fared better than Ball State (6-6).

For Myers, the biggest factor in attracting fans is out of her control.

Winning games.

Instead Myers can only improve the fan experience featuring the band, cheerleaders, Code Red dance team, and Charlie Cardinal.

“Those are the things we have control over,” Myers said. “Because if [fans] are coming and are like ‘that was really fun I had a great time, yeah it stinks they lost but lets go back again.’ Those are the pieces that I try to focus on.”

Fighting Negativity

A bad football team with a great marching band appears to be a tough sell for the student body. Then again this was the Stan Parrish era.

Even though he graduated from Ball State almost two years ago, Zach Brubaker still attends every Ball State home football and men’s basketball game sitting in student section titled “The Nest.” Describing Brubaker as a casual Cardinal fan would be like describing “Star Wars” as a casual film.

“We have 20,000 students that go to school here and only 400 came to the game,” Brubaker said after attending a men’s basketball home game against Miami University on Feb. 4. “Getting students here is more of a matter about getting students excited about sports which they are not. I’ve been to football games where students leave at halftime whether we are winning or losing.”

Brubaker has gone as far as creating facebook events for home sporting events. As a staff member for CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) he is able to get a strong following to those games.

“We don’t have a storied history like bigger schools in Indiana like IU, and Purdue,” Brubaker said. “They can have losing seasons and still have pack houses.”

Seeing students wear gear of other universities upsets Brubaker as he sees it as a lack of pride. An example is Indiana basketball beating No. 1 Kentucky the same day Ball State defeated Butler for the first time in eight years on Dec. 10.

The Butler win had 8,421 fans on hand but attendance plummeted as Ball State went on a nine-game losing streak in MAC play. Attendance hovered around 3,000 fans for three of the final four home games with the exception being Senior night. Radio host Morry Mannies was honored at halftime of that game for his 56-year career. With tickets going for as a little as 50 cents only 3,935 fans showed up.

“It’s pretty pathetic that when IU beats Kentucky you see more IU shirts than Ball State shirts the next day,” Brubaker said. “There’s just not a lot of school pride and that’s been a problem since I was a student.”

Dave Heinkel, a Cardinal Varsity Club member, has tried to promote Ball State athletics but knows that most of the CVC’s efforts have been in vain. He admits there is a gap between Ball State and the Muncie Community.

“In my opinion there is some animosity toward Ball State and why I don’t know,” Heinkel said. “I think it would help if a lot of the people in Muncie would realize that a lot of the sports are free. What a better way to come out and bring your kids to an athletic event.”

Heinkel is not a fan of the Muncie Star Press and their coverage of Ball State Athletics as he gets his news from other sources.

“We’ve dropped the paper here because of the coverage in sports has been very negative,” Heinkel said. “They seem to get better coverage up in Fort Wayne than we get here.”

Heinkel has had conversations with several men’s basketball players and developed a relationship with guard Tyrae Robinson.

“You root for them when you know them personally,” Heinkel said.

The personal aspect can be seen with the men’s volleyball team. Student attendance is higher for the team as Myers views them as the best self-promoters for their ability to mingle with the rest of the student body.

“Seeing teams get involved in self-promoting, I think that’s where I’ve seen the biggest return on getting the students to come,” Myers said. “[Men’s volleyball] are probably the best self-promoters out of any of the teams that we have.”

Manufacturing a Rivalry

The Bronze Stalk trophy did not bring many fans to the game when NIU visited Muncie in 2010. Then again it was the Stan Parrish era.

With no other MAC team in Indiana, Ball State does not have a natural rival the way Indiana is to Purdue.

“Our big rival at one time was Miami,” Heinkel said. “Now that we’ve gone to divisions we don’t play Miami much.”

The MAC went to divisions in 1997 with Ball State and Miami on opposite sides of the East and West split.

Ball State has tried to manufacture a rivalry with Northern Illinois as both are the only MAC schools in their states. Problem is the schools are far apart as Dekalb, Illinois is roughly 290 miles away, a five-hour drive.

In comparison, Miami in Oxford, Ohio is only 70 miles away as a 90-minute drive.  Bowling Green is second closest (three hours) but both schools play in the East division leaving Ball State without a close MAC West opponent.

With no natural rivalry fans do not have that one “must see” game of the season, hindering average attendance.

One of the steps made towards building the rivalry with Northern is the Bronze Stalk Trophy given to the winner of the annual football game. The trophy was introduced in 2008 to make the game more meaningful for fans similar to the Old Oaken Bucket between Purdue and IU.  The Huskies hold a 3-1 edge in the trophy series.

“I think there has been a little bit trying to manufacture from our end and from their end too with the Northern Illinois piece,” Myers said.

Ball State still has a rivalry with Miami for basketball but only play once a year. The two schools have not met in football since 2008.

With Temple upgrading, or what they think is an upgrade to the sinking ship of the Big East Conference earlier this year, the MAC is in pickle. As other conferences are expanding and partnering the MAC is stuck at 13 teams for football as Massachusetts is on “Exile Island.” No teams are near the Minutemen and few are excited to have them on board.

Like the blue/green combo but I think the MAC is feeling more blue because they can’t score any green in conference expansion.

Kicking out UMass may sound like an easy solution but it is not possible. There are MAC schools that I feel are holding the conference back and when I mean schools I mean Eastern Michigan. Dumping these schools to the curb is not an option. College conferences are not like fantasy football leagues where the guys who fail to update their roster have to play somewhere else next fall. The MAC made their bed and has to lie in it.

This leads to controversy of letting UMass in the MAC in the first place. With Temple out there are no east coast teams near the Minutemen that could work as a rival let alone excite fans.

The MAC took a gamble hoping to make some money off of New England TV revenue instead of sticking to its Great Lakes roots. At least UMass is a better fit than say Central Florida. It is not like the Golden Knights were ever in this conference or anything. That would be insane if they were.

While every conference is in the rat race to grab teams and make money the MAC may be better off on steering clear. Even Conference USA is trying to gobble up teams like Pac-Man right now.

Face it folks the MAC is not going to rake in big TV revenues. Conference expansion can do little to help.  The only way teams want to join the MAC is as a stepping stone to a bigger conference like Temple did. This is one of the few times where status quo may be the answer.

I seriously doubt UMass will be in the MAC for long. Like Temple the MAC is hotel room for them.

The MAC has some options.

1. Keep playing with 13 teams. Upset the NCAA with unbalance divisions and watch UMass join the Big East in 5 years to go back to 12. Then never add a team ever again.
2. Add another FCS team near UMass to keep them happy. Have balance divisions with a restored rivalry between Bowling Green and Toledo. Add another team five years later when UMass jumps to the Big East.
3.  Keep UMass on an island while adding another team closer to core of the MAC. Maybe one that would stick around and be willing to join in all sports. Then demand UMass joins in all sports to balance basketball.

As a Ball State fan I prefer the third option as a potential rival could come out of it. Sadly, the odds of option three happening are smaller than Ron Paul winning the Republican primary.

A key is to steer clear of Ohio and Michigan schools as we have too many of those in the MAC. I bet the MAC will add a team in a year, but the odds if it being a team we want is doubtful given the MAC’s track record. Watch it be something silly like Villanova just to replace Temple in the same city. The MAC should have learned its lesson the first time around… right?

Here are some teams I would like to see join the MAC regardless of how little chance it has of happening and in no logical order.

Indiana State – Indiana State would give Ball State a natural rival and fans would like to see them play. An added bonus to bringing the Sycamores in would be providing Cardinals fans a new motivation to buy firewood and print off excessive sheets of computer paper. Problem is Indiana State does not have a good history with football but is improving.

Illinois State – The Redbirds would also be rival in the way of mascots and nicknames. I honestly thought Tom Collins scheduled a game at Illinois State because he expected them to be in the conference soon. That is your Ball State conspiracy theory for the week.

Western Kentucky – The MAC would be able to expand their recruiting base with a Kentucky team. Western may be out of reach as it is in the Sun Belt but…

Murray State– A FCS school with a great basketball team to boot. The MAC West would finally have a basketball team that can push the East division around. Problem is Murray is really far from other MAC schools and may not like the higher cost of FBS football. This is the school I want the most to join the MAC but I do not see how it can happen.

Eastern Kentucky – Somewhat close to Miami and Ohio so could develop some rivalries. Being next door to Lexington and Big Blue Nation hurts them. Hard to get media attention and fans when you are right next to the biggest black hole in college sports.

Southern Illinois – Would be a nice rival with Northern Illinois and would be competitive right away. The Salukis may even turn into a rival for the Cardinals.

Marshall – Just to make sure you’re awake. Would be nice to have them back in the conference though.

New Hampshire – Ball State fans know from experience New Hampshire can beat MAC schools. Plus New Hampshire would help out Massachusetts as a natural rival.

Southeast Missouri State – Why not add another directional team to the conference so the MAC West could be renamed the “Compass” division.

Central Florida – Just kidding.

Serving humble pie to Ball State players for as long as we can remember.

None.

Even safety Sean Baker, A.K.A. “Soul Eater” has to “prove” himself in some workout at Tampa Bay. The school’s leader for interceptions was not even a lock for a free agent signing.

Little if anything has been reported on fellow safety Joshua Howard and center Kreg Hunter.

Here is the list of the 26 MAC players to sign as an undrafted free agent.

Akron, OL Jake Anderson
Bowling Green, OL Ben Bojicic, Cincinnati
Bowling Green, WR Kamar Jorden, Minnesota
Buffalo, WR Marcus Rivers, Green Bay
Kent State, C Chris Anzevino, Baltimore
Kent State, DT Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, Baltimore
Kent State, WR Sam Kirkland, Washington
Ohio, WR Phil Bates, Seattle
Ohio, P Paul Hershey, Kansas City
Ohio, LB Noah Keller, St. Louis
Northern Illinois, C Scott Wedige, Arizona
Northern Illinois, WR Nathan Palmer, San Francisco
Northern Illinois, LB Pat Schiller, Atlanta
Temple, OL Pat Boyle, Detroit
Temple, DE Morkeith Brown, Tampa Bay
Temple, OL Derek Dennis, Miami
Temple, LB Stephen Johnson, New Orleans
Temple, DE Adrian Robinson, Pittsburgh
Temple, WR Rod Streater, Oakland
Temple, OL Wayne Tribue, Denver
Toledo, WR Eric Page, Denver
Toledo, TE Danny Noble, Tampa Bay
Toledo, OL Mike VanDerMeulen, Tampa Bay
Toledo, DB Desmond Marrow, Houston
Toledo, OL Philipkeith Manley, Atlanta
Western Michigan, DL Drew Nowak, Jacksonville

There is not many defensive backs on the list. The value of a corner or safety has shrunk to almost nothing into today’s league that suspends players for any hit that is more fierce than norm.

Baker and Howard are hard-hitting safeties. Years ago their tackles would have been glorified on ESPN in their segment titled “Jacked Up”

Today, if those two players were in the league they would have to change their tendency to avoid fines and 15-yard penalties.

As the NFL tries to clean up its barbaric image, receivers and tight ends benefit from defenses trying hard not to get fined.

The NFL is only a couple of steps away from playing like the Arena League. Safeties do not fit in with such a style.

I don’t think scouts judge players based on where they play. Even though it appears the NFL finds little credibility in the Ball State program I hope that is not the case.

Could it be that Baker and Howard are a few years late? If these two were graduating in 2005 maybe this is a different story?

For now, if you have a son wanting to play in the NFL make sure he plays offense.

His receivers stepped up as Snead and Smith emerged as primary options. Something Ball State missed last year.

Smith even worked a trick play playing quarterback as he threw a nice pass to Snead for a first down. Nice to see some gadget plays in the spring game as Eastern Michigan will have another headache to game plan for on August 30.

Four months till the regular season would cause anyone to hit their head. Save it for EMU fellas.

Wenning did throw a pick but that was more on the receiver. There a few drops on the day showing the receiving corps still needs some work.

Kelly Page started off good moving the ball in the first half showing off his scrambling ability when he could. I was really happy for him when he threw a touchdown to Antonio Heard (yeah, I never heard of him either). No one needs a confidence boost more than Kelly Page.

Page did have some bad luck directing the second unit throwing two picks. The first one was more on the receiver really while the latter appeared to be a direct throw to the middle linebacker evoking bad memories of the 2009 season.

The defense only gave up 4 big plays that I mentioned earlier. I was most impressed with some of the pressure they were able to place on the quarterbacks. Then again, maybe the offensive line needs help. Never know with the spring game.

The defense was able to get stops on both the first and second units. Three touchdowns and two field goals were scored which is not bad when quarterbacks have little to fear in their blue jerseys. Wenning directed the first string offense to 20 points and Page, the second string, to 7. Yes, I did not care about the Red vs. White scoring system.

We also have a running back battle. Jahwan Edwards had the most snaps but several backs saw action. Hard to tell how it will shake out before the opener.

There is plenty for Ball State fans to be excited about if Wenning keeps this up. Especially if the receivers grow into threats defenses have to prepare for.

Over an hour after the game former quarterback Joey Lynch and current recruiting coordinator could be seen in the recreation center showing high school recruits the basketball courts. Since me and my buddies were the only ones playing I doubt they were impressed by the athleticism of Ball State students.

I hope I did not scare recruits off by dribbling the ball off my foot.

The Spring Game. Where Ball State tries to beat the heck out of Ball State.

1. The Alpha Wide Receiver

We all know Keith Wenning can throw and the offensive line returns most of their guys. So the only question about the passing game is at wide receiver.

Ball State had a team effort at the position last year as no go-to-guy emerged. That needs to change. Who is Wenning’s No. 1 target? Imagine what Wenning can do with star receivers. The Cardinals can keep up with Arena Football teams if stars present themselves.

2. Running Game Battle

After last season I thought Jahwan Edwards was lock to be the starting running back in 2012. Ball State is deeper at the position this season with Tennessee transfer Toney Williams ready to play.

Maybe the running backs will be harder to predict than first anticipated?

3. Anything From the Defense

Hard to judge a defense in a spring game where quarterbacks are untouchable. Nevertheless, the defense has to be the biggest question mark on the team after losing plenty of starters to graduation.

As fun as it is to watch Wenning launch bombs down the sideline seeing some deflections and good tackles will the best sign fans can hope for going in the fall.

Only the career night and spring game stand between Coach Lembo, the Cards, and the long offseason. (Photo credit BSU Photo Services)

Wednesday marked the final practice before Saturday’s spring game and the conclusion of offseason workouts for the Cardinals. It’s bittersweet to be sure, as after the spring game, it’s a long wait until August, fall camp, and the hopeful optimism that the season isn’t that far off. After Saturday, we’re in the dark for roughly 3 months or so, and that’s always not a lot of fun. Thankfully, this offseason is unlike recent ones, where answers outnumber questions, stability takes the place of uncertainty, and a sweeping calmness has replaced turmoil and doubt. Indeed, these recently uncharted waters for BSU football are strange days.

Coach Lembo sat down with media relations after Wednesday’s session and gave the fans the typical glimpse behind the curtain. (via)

Final practice before the Spring Game was a little shorter. What did you do differently?
Yes, we shortened it five minutes. I am sure the guys got a good laugh out of that when they looked at the schedule. You can’t argue that is wasn’t shorter though. We need to get our work done out there. We came out in helmets and put an emphasis on fundamentals, special teams and game situations today. The offensive skill players spent some time working on how to react when the quarterback scrambles from the pocket. This is one of those nuances to the game the average fan may not appreciate. Every player that is involved in the route combination has conceptual rules to follow based on which way the quarterback exits the pocket. These rules change slightly when the line of scrimmage is down in the Red Zone. Our defense was able to dedicate practice periods to blitz adjustments against various formations. We cut back on some team periods and did additional work separate from each other. Our PAT/field goal unit was also able to cover some unique game situations that might occur once or twice in a season.

Talk a little about your annual Career Night which is Friday?
We work very hard to develop our players as students and as well-rounded young men. We want them to maximize their potential academically and to be as prepared as possible for the “real world” after Ball State and after their football career concludes. The life lessons that our football alumni can teach help our players develop a vision for where they can go with their education. One of the things they inevitably learn from our former lettermen is that their college football experience is also a huge part of their education. There is a reason why so many employers look to hire former student-athletes. Last year, our players were amazed to learn just how successful some of our former players are in their careers. You hope they walk out of the event and say, “Wow, I can be like that guy some day if I stay the course.” It is also interesting to see how much the football alumni miss their days as college football players. That tends to help our current players develop a greater appreciation for the opportunity they have here right now. The career night event is a great way to hand pick some successful football alumni and get them reconnected to the program in a meaningful way.

What is the plan after Saturday’s Spring Game?
Even though spring practice will have concluded, next week is a very busy week for each member of the football program. Our guys will have a series of year end evaluation meetings, similar to what an employee might go through with his supervisor. Each player will meet with his position coach, strength coach David Feeley and with myself. They have some paperwork to fill out including a goal setting sheet and a self evaluation form. I want to know what they think of their own progress as well as what we think as a coaching staff. Goal setting is an important piece of the puzzle. It is important goals are realistic and attainable. This is usually a very good learning experience for the new players in the program. It is also very rewarding to see how some of the older players mature and take more responsibility for their own destiny with each passing year. There are also some additional peripheral activities next week including head shot photos, the athletic department year-end banquet and a final team meeting. Perhaps most importantly, our guys need to finish up the semester strong from an academic standpoint.

So the Cardinals take today off and then enjoy a bit of time focusing on life after football before the spring game fiesta on Saturday. Personally, I’m curious to see what sort of crowd will be on hand. This is Coach Lembo’s second spring game, the team enjoyed a bit of unexpected success last season, and there’s been another several months of pressing the flesh, emailing the community, and attempting to rouse the support in Muncie. Saturday will be a great indicator (in comparison to last year’s crowd) of what we can expect when the season starts for real in August.

Now that he has plenty of time on his hands, Rick Santorum has no reason not to attend the Ball State spring game on Saturday.

The spring football season is winding down at BSU as the Cardinals completed their second to last workout on Tuesday. Today will be their final practice, there’s a career night with alumni on Friday, and then Saturday will be the spring game. The format of the spring game has yet to be announced, but I can’t imagine it will differ much from last season’s experience with some slightly weird scoring to not only replicate a number of pertinent situations but also to help with the lack of depth that makes fielding a competitive team on both sides of the ball two or three deep a bit difficult.

The rules last year were:

The scrimmage will begin with a short PAT/field goal segment before we begin “moving the ball”. The first offense will go against the first defense throughout the scrimmage and the same goes for the 2’s and 3’s. After each stop by the defense, the field position will change 35 yards. The offense can go for it on fourth down if they choose to in or just outside the red zone. In between each “quarter” there will be some special teams drills. By the end of the day, we hope to get about 60 plays for the first team and 40 or so for the 2’s and 3’s.

Both sides have a number of opportunities to score points in the scrimmage. The offense will be awarded points for the following:
First Down (1)
Touchdown (6)
PAT (1)
Field Goal (3)
Two point conversion (2)

The defense can accumulate points in the following ways:
Stop a drive (1)
Stop a drive with a “Three and out” (3)
Takeaway (3)
Defensive Touchdown (7 – assume PAT)
Safety (2)

Whether that will be the way of things this spring has yet to be announced or released, but will probably come in the next day or so, especially if there are changes or tweaks.

Coach Lembo sat down with media relations after Tuesday’s drills and chatted a bit about all things BSU football related. The practice report from lucky #13… (via)

Today was the last day in full pads before the spring game. Did you get everything accomplished on your “to do” list?
It was a pretty solid session. We had three team periods, including one live scrimmage period in the Red Zone to conclude the session. Steven Schott has been very accurate all spring, but missed a pressure field goal today. We had two pass skeletons, including one in the Red Zone. Our kids get pretty competitive down there, even when it is just pass skeleton. We got some quality work done for punt protection and kickoff coverage. It was a pretty balanced practice with both sides of the ball having some success. I told our guys afterwards I love the enthusiasm I am seeing, but we have to balance that with better focus and awareness on the practice field. We have a lot of young guys still learning the expectations. This is a game for guys that can play with aggressiveness and detail. We are not out on the schoolyard.

We have not talked much about the linebackers this spring. How is that position group progressing?
The linebackers are benefitting from hearing the same message from the same voice for a second year. Jay Bateman has a very good rapport with his guys. I have seen him coach at four different schools and that has been the case everywhere we have been. Jay’s old players from Lehigh and Elon are always keeping in touch with him. That’s what it is all about – relationships. Travis Freeman is making better decisions and more confident decisions. He is playing with better posture and is wasting less movement. Travis is a very hard worker, but Jay and David Feeley can also take some of the credit for that. Kenneth Lee has a lot of physical tools and he has shown flashes this spring. He is currently where some of the guys were at this point last year from a mental standpoint. Tony Martin is a bright guy that understands the system. He moves well in space. I like the depth and competition we are seeing from the other guys we have in that position group. We need a lot of them to step up and be role players on our defense and major contributors on special teams. We simply did not have enough linebackers that played in games for us last year. Some of the freshmen have improved quite a bit, but a couple still have some growing up to do.

Ball State hired a new athletic director yesterday. Did you get a chance to spend any time with Bill Scholl?
I did meet Bill briefly after he introduced himself to all the head coaches on Monday. He really made a positive first impression at our meeting and afterwards at the press conference. He is a seasoned administrator that has worked in a variety of roles at Notre Dame. He seems to be very well prepared for the challenges of the top job here at Ball State. He and his family have spent many years in Indiana, so they know the culture and the landscape. I have to give President Gora a lot of credit for the confidentiality she maintained throughout the search process. Tom Collins was able to do that with the football search when I was hired in December of 2010. Fans always want to know how an important search is progressing, but you have to look at it from the perspective of the applicants. I was excited about the opportunity at Ball State, but I certainly did not want to alienate our student-athletes and program constituents at Elon. I was pleased to learn that Bill wants to jump right in and start quickly. We have a lot of challenges to attack and I am excited to work with Bill as we move forward.

Last practice before the spring game is today at 3:30, and like all of them, it’s open to the public. If you get the chance to check out a spring practice, you should. It’s not a luxury afforded to many fans of other programs, so please take advantage of this coaching staff’s willingness to throw open the doors and pull back the curtain a bit.

Replacing Sean "Souleater" Baker is going to be of paramount importance for the 2012 Cardinal defense

The news coming out of the BSU athletics office these days is more like a flood than the offseason trickle that we’re used to. Today’s headlines were dominated by the hiring of new Athletic Director Bill Scholl, but the football beat is marching steadily on as well. The Cardinals suited up Friday and Saturday for more spring practice fun, including their first foray into live scrimmage action with officials and the gameday feel. Per usual, Coach Lembo sat down with BSU media relations folks at the conclusion of the drills to talk about what went well, and what didn’t. (via)

Spring Practice #11 Report

With one week to go in Spring Practice are there a group of players who are solidifying positions for the start of fall camp?
We will definitely have a preliminary depth chart coming out of spring practice, but it is very likely playing time at some positions will still be up for grabs during preseason practice in August. There is also a lot of special teams playing time still up for grabs. What we are finding out now is who can play, who will compete, who is coachable and who will battle through adversity. In August, we will determine how much they will play. Of course, we hope some of these new players will come in and challenge for playing time as well – much like Jahwan Edwards and Willie Snead did last year. Chris Pauling appears to be on that track at safety. He needs to help us on special teams as well. We are young at many spots and have a long way to go as a team, but a large number of guys have improved physically and mentally this spring. My biggest hope is we can play more people in games than we did last year, especially in light of the rigorous out of conference schedule we play this fall.

You have Practice No. 12 scheduled for Saturday morning and will include another scrimmage. How important is it to get reps to all the players at this point in time?
Yes, we will have officials on hand tomorrow morning and plan to do a significant amount of live work. We will cut back on individual and fundamentals in Saturday’s session and focus on just letting the guys play. We want to see who can take what they learned from a technique standpoint and apply it in game situations. We try to get every player involved in each practice, although there is not an equal distribution of repetitions in team situations or pass skeleton periods. We are trying to develop all of our players, but we definitely do not believe in socialism, either. It is a free market philosophy in our program and you have to earn what you get. I should hang a picture of Adam Smith in my office. In a typical practice, the first group sees more action than the second group and so on. However, prior to practice, each position coach may change up the individual players that will work with each group. For example, we have been evaluating guard Jalen Schlachter with the first group some. We want to see how he holds up against guys like Nathan Ollie. We have been rotating our tailbacks through as well. We know Jahwan Edwards can play. Let’s see how Horactio Banks or Toney Williams performs with the first group. You get the point. Keenan Noel returned from an ankle injury and showed some promise today working with the second group at defensive tackle. Quintin Cooper, Michael Ayers and Ben Ingle are getting better. We will keep evaluating each player and creating internal competition while we work on game situations in team periods of practice.

Today was Practice No. 11, talk a little about the importance of the athletics training staff as the spring winds down and nagging injuries begin to surface.
Shawn Comer and his staff do an excellent job working with our players on a daily basis. On most days, numerous players are here in the Fisher Complex before breakfast to get treatment to start the day off. A lot of folks do not appreciate how much time the support staff and the players put in for peripheral activities like the treatment of injuries. Shawn might get a break in the middle of the day while the players are at class, but it is still a long day when you are in before dawn and leaving well after practice ends. Many of the graduate assistants and student trainers also put in significant time assisting our players with treatments. We also have a team of doctors that make themselves available if there is a more serious issue. It might be an illness or an injury that requires additional diagnosis. We are fortunate to have a major hospital right next to campus in case x-rays or an MRI is needed. Of course, a lot of the work David Feeley does in the weight room helps prevent injuries on the field. That might be the biggest benefit of the Olympic-style weight program – the fact that the additional bulk protects your joints. Dave is helping our guys become more explosive players. The goal is to become the hitter, not the one being hit.

Nice to see the Cards shoring up areas of concern like safety this early in camp. Not that it won’t be changing, as I’m sure the depth chart put out at the conclusion of spring will be nowhere close to what we see in August, the worries about the defensive backfield can at least be settled a bit for now. David Feeley again gets a shout out in one of these post practice recaps, so I’m excited to see the work that he’s putting the players through and more importantly, how that translates to success on the field.

Spring Practice #12 Report

Practice No. 12 featured a scrimmage with officials. What were some of the highlights and how do you feel about it overall?
Yes, today was actually a very similar format to what we expect to do next week in the annual Spring Game Saturday. We had a large group of officials on hand that were conducting their spring clinic. They did a nice job calling some fouls today, which is good instant feedback for the players and coaches. It was a pretty physical scrimmage, particularly when the first unit was in there. Our defensive line generated a good pass rush today. Nathan Ollie stood out at times. However, we also had a few mental miscues on the defensive line that were very costly. Eric Patterson has picked off passes the last two days. He is gaining confidence at the corner position. Michael Ayers also had an interception off of a pass that should have been caught. Receiver Willie Snead made a nice play on a fourth down to keep a two-minute drive alive. I was disappointed with some of the dropped balls by some of our other receivers. Those are drive killers. Jahwan Edwards looked good running it in limited duty. We had a turnover deep in the red zone that was very costly for the offense. I feel like our defense has improved a bit these last few practices and our offense has hit a bit of a plateau. Steven Schott has been very consistent kicking field goals and today was no exception. We have to step it up next week and finish strong.

People ask all the time if the offense or defense is better at this point. How do you respond?
If you simply look at where there is more age, experience and returning players, it is on the offensive side of the ball. We have everyone back except for our center and two wide outs from last year’s primary group. There are also a lot of guys back that did not start, but they played a specific roll in the offense. Chris Sparrow is technically a back up, but he started the last four games last year. He is a good player and nothing changes when he is in there. So, I would expect our offense to be a bit more cohesive, especially a couple weeks ago when we were just getting started. I have enjoyed seeing some of our defensive players improve this spring and the entire unit is becoming a bit more cohesive. Regardless of age, you have to remember none of these kids have been in the same system for back-to-back years until now. Last year, a guy would make a mistake and have no idea why. Now, there is more two-way communication going on out there. We are playing a little faster at times. We are still making some mistakes and are lacking consistency at times, but we are getting better. Ideally, you want both units to have modest success on a daily basis to keep it competitive and to keep everyone humble.

Heading into the last week of practice. Do you add, change or adjust leading up to the Spring Game?
We have three sessions left, including the Spring Game Saturday. Tuesday’s practice will be in full pads and will include three team periods. Wednesday, we will back off a bit physically and focus more time on game situations and special teams. Our installation on offense and defense is basically complete. We have a few special teams wrinkles to look at next week. With one less practice this coming week, we hope to get their legs fresh for a long scrimmage in front of the fans on Saturday. In addition to the Spring Game, we are looking forward to the football alumni career night event on Friday night. Several former players from various professions will be back on campus to speak to our student-athletes about their experiences since graduating from Ball State. It is one of the highlights of the year in my opinion.

Two more sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, then Career Night on Friday, and then the Spring Game on Saturday and that will be a wrap for spring ball. If you have a chance to make it out to the spring game, I encourage you to do so. There may or may not be a chance to meet the good folks at OTP. And clearly, aside from getting to watch the 2012 Cardinals up close, that’s reason enough to make the trek to Muncie.

Newly hired Ball State Athletic Director Bill Scholl addresses the crowd at his introductory press conference (courtesy Greg Fallon, The Star Press)

When the news on Twitter broke this morning that Ball State had hired a new Athletic Director, to say I was taking it with a grain of salt was an understatement. There had been a bevy of names thrown around by the various folks and even a few messages with the phrase “done deal” in it. So when Doug Zaleski of the Star Press broke the news that Bill Scholl was the new Athletic Director, I was skeptical. At today’s press conference though, President Gora confirmed what Zaleski broke and introduced Bill Scholl to Cardinal Nation.

Scholl comes to BSU from Notre Dame, where he’s spent 20+ years at perhaps the most visible athletic department in the country. His areas of expertise while there stretched from fundraising to compliance, and eventually being responsible for the Notre Dame football death star. From the BSU release about the hire…

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora today announced her appointment of Bill Scholl as director of intercollegiate athletics. Scholl brings to Ball State more than two decades of athletics administration experience at the University of Notre Dame. As deputy athletic director, he has been responsible for supervision of sports such as football, men’s basketball, baseball and men’s soccer. He is responsible for senior-level administration such as fundraising and donor relations, divisional budget construction and growing external revenue.

“I’m so pleased to introduce Bill to the Ball State community,” Gora said. “Our student-athletes, fans and donors immediately will find him to be warm and personable. He is a seasoned leader and skilled communicator with a long track record of increasing responsibility and success. Bill has played a major role in developing Notre Dame athletics into a well-rounded athletics department where most of the university’s sports enjoy success at the national level. He understands both the opportunities and challenges that come with managing a large and complex athletics program with a national profile.”

An example of Scholl’s major accomplishments at Notre Dame is working side-by-side with baseball head coach Paul Mainieri to grow the program into a destination for baseball talent in the northern U.S. The team earned its first trip to the College World Series in 2002 — the first time in 45 years — and won nine conference titles. Mainieri is now head coach at national powerhouse Louisiana State University.

One of Scholl’s first assignments was raising the visibility and stature of the women’s basketball program. In 1989, the team suffered from a limited fan base. Today, the team routinely ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA for attendance. The team rose to the final game of the NCAA tournament this year, falling only to undefeated Baylor. Scholl also led an $84 million athletics fundraising initiative for the Spirit of Notre Dame campaign. With coaches, he has managed issues of compliance, budgets, scheduling, media strategy and recruitment.

“I am excited about becoming a Cardinal,” said Scholl. “I understand and appreciate the confidence Dr. Gora has placed in me. I share an ambitious vision with our student-athletes, fans and donors. Our programs will be competitive at the national level, and our student-athletes will succeed in competition and in the classroom. I pledge no less than my very best effort to ensure their success. It has been my honor and privilege to serve Notre Dame over 23 years. That experience has prepared me to lead Ball State athletics to even greater success, and I look forward to the opportunity with great anticipation.”

Gora thanked the search committee members for their commitment and thoroughness as well as their thoughtful deliberations. With their help, the search attracted more than 90 candidates and concluded more than two months ahead of the university’s initial deadline of July 1.

“I was very impressed with the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the search committee,” said the Honorable Marianne Vorhees, Delaware County Circuit Court judge. “Each applicant received full consideration on the many aspects of success required of a complex and demanding position. The community will find Bill an unassuming yet confident and expert leader. He will be great not only for Ball State but for our community.” Vorhees is a Ball State alumna and played on the women’s softball team as a student-athlete.

“Bill is a great fit for Ball State,” said Frank Hancock, vice president of the Board of Trustees. “I spend most of my waking hours in the world of professional and collegiate sports. I’m confident that Bill brings Ball State the expertise and experience that will put him at the top of his profession. We will benefit greatly from his leadership.”

Bill and his wife, Julie Scholl, have three children, Michael, Stefanie and Kelly. Stefanie is a Ball State senior and will graduate in May. Michael is a Notre Dame alumnus and works in the athletics department of Vanderbilt University, and Kelly is a sophomore at Notre Dame. Scholl will start at Ball State University on April 30, 2012.

I think Scholl brings a wealth of talent to the job and expertise and experience in areas that I, and many others, would consider critical for BSU Athletics. The areas of fundraising and program building are two particular areas that fans have been grumbling about for a while now. Whether or not Scholl can have the same sort of results on the comparatively pauper-esque budget at BSU remains to be seen, but all signs point to if there was a way to do it, he’d find it. This site and its leadership have often been critical about the institutional approach to athletics and whether or not it was a priority. For now at least, it appears that it is, otherwise they wouldn’t have hired an Athletic Director with such zest and passion for the areas that demonstrate that priority. Perhaps what was most noticeable, at least for me, was the general tone, demeanor, and confidence from Scholl at the podium. I never got that feeling of happiness or excitement from Collins the few times I spotted him at games or postgames. He always just seemed like someone riding out a bumpy ride… one that came to a close today. Scholl will be replacing Collins effective April 30, which is considerably sooner than the end of Collins’ contract on June 30. What that means in terms of Collins’ role in the department wasn’t addressed at the press conference, but I would think it’s pretty safe to say that Collins only has the keys to this car for the next two weeks. And in some ways, I would imagine he’s pretty ok with that.

Scholl’s bio from Notre Dame..

Bill Scholl is in his third year as deputy director of athletics at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. He works with the Irish football squad on a daily basis from an administrative standpoint, working in concert with athletics director Jack Swarbrick in that regard.

Serving as one of the department’s two deputy directors, Scholl focuses his attention on external functions such as development, the Team Notre Dame program, marketing and ticketing operations. Among those areas reporting to Scholl is the newly created position designed to manage the department’s relationship with former student-athletes.

A 22-year veteran of the Notre Dame athletics department, Bill Scholl was promoted to senior associate athletics director in October 2004. His primary duties in that role included the creation, coordination, management and implementation of all annual, endowment, and capital development activities on behalf of the athletics department in alignment with the University’s central development office. In coordination with the central development office, Scholl oversees the Rockne Heritage Fund — the first-ever athletics annual fund that directly benefits student-athlete grant-in-aid scholarships. This is in support of the University’s scholarship implementation plan that now offers the full NCAA complement (more than 320) grant-in-aid scholarships to Irish student-athletes in all 26 varsity sports.

Prior to his position as senior associate athletics director, Scholl spent three years as the associate athletics director for marketing and was executive director of the Notre Dame Monogram Club, an organization of Notre Dame student-athletes, student managers and cheerleaders who have earned monograms during their years at Notre Dame through participation in one or more of its intercollegiate sports.

In addition, Scholl oversaw all aspects of the athletics ticket office, including ticketing, parking, staffing, systems and customer relations. His previous sport administration duties included providing supervision for the men’s soccer as well as assisting the director of athletics with the men’s basketball program.

Prior to being named an associate athletic director and the executive director of the Monogram Club, Scholl served seven years as an assistant athletic director for marketing, overseeing the Notre Dame marketing and promotions programs. As the promotions manager at Notre Dame, he greatly expanded the horizons of Notre Dame’s Olympic sports profile. Scholl was responsible for developing and implementing marketing and promotions plans for all athletic events. His activities included coordinating special events, giveaways, clinics, group nights and other general functions that broadened the community’s awareness of Notre Dame’s Olympic sports.

The former director of financial development for the 1987 International Summer Special Olympic Games, Scholl served in the same position for one year at South Bend’s Logan Center which offers services to persons with developmental disabilities. He also spent five years with the Juhl Advertising Agency in Mishawaka, Ind. While working for Special Olympics, the Lakewood, Ohio, native was responsible for raising a $4.8 million budget from national and local corporations, foundations, governments, special events and the general public. Through his efforts, the final amount raised for the `87 Games was in excess of $8 million. In June 2000, the Notre Dame Monogram Club awarded him an honorary monogram.

Born Sept. 2, 1957, Scholl is a 1979 Notre Dame graduate. He and his wife, Julie, have three children: Michael (a 2009 Notre Dame graduate), Stefanie (a senior at Ball State University) and Kelly (a sophomore at Notre Dame).

Welcome to Bill Scholl and let’s all hope this is the leap in the right direction I’m expecting it to be.

After the standard web search it turns out Davis was in the Arena Football League playing for the Kansas City Command. Keyword “was.”

Davis was let go only three games into the season on an Arena Football team. All three games were losses as the offense only scored 28 points in two of them. Scoring 28 points in Arena Football is like scoring 3 points the NFL.

Here is a quote in a press release from the team that did not mention Davis by name.

“We just felt like we had to do something,” said Command coach Danton Barto.  “We weren’t scoring points and in Arena Football you’re not going to win if you can’t consistently put the ball in the end zone.  When something’s not working you’ve got to move on and improve your football team.”

Apparently, Davis was cut two weeks ago on April, 3. I say apparently because even the Star Press did not publish anything on this as far as I can tell. I had no idea Davis was even in the Arena League. It seems as if this was something no one wanted to report.

Just two years ago Chris Collinsworth was comparing him to John Elway after he made this pass in a preseason game.

The fact that he could only last three games speaks for itself.

When it comes to playing professional football he is out of options.

Where can he go to play football that is lower than the AFL?

This brings us to the biggest “what if” question for Ball State football.

What if Nate Davis stays for his senior year?

The odds of him improving to the point where he could have thrived in the NFL may not be there but I am sure it would have helped. He would clearly have helped Ball State big time during a 2-10 season. Heck, if Davis plays in 2009 Stan Parrish may still be coaching your Cardinals.

Now that is a scary thought.

The moral of the story is to choose carefully who you take advice from.

I do not know who was in his ear, but I’m fairly sure no one close to him said the following statement; “Mid-major players should never come out early.”

It is clear rule to live by for MAC players. NFL teams typically downplay smaller schools in drafts. Davis only had to look at a couple of mocks to know he was not going to be in the first two rounds. If you are not in the first two rounds it is best to wait till next year. Another basic rule.

There are plenty of variables. I do not know his financial needs. Maybe he needed the money badly? Maybe he did not want to play for Stan Parrish and a makeshift offensive line?

For the sake of argument, here are some games Ball State may have won in 2009 with Davis as its QB.

North Texas, lost 20-10

New Hampshire, lost 23-16

At Army, lost 24-17

Toledo, lost 37-30

At Temple, lost 24-19

Ohio, lost 20-17

At Northern Illinois, lost 26-20

That is six games decided by a touchdown or less. Throw in what should have been a cupcake in North Texas and that is seven extra games Ball State could have won in 2009 with Davis taking snaps. Potentially a 9-3 record. Might be time to take up drinking.

Soon I will be graduating and I will be hearing a lot of advice from friends and family as to what jobs I should apply for. What I have notice so far my friends tend to tell me things I want to hear vs. my parents who are more concerned. I am sure something similar happened to Davis. People had to have told him he would be a wealthy and a famous quarterback in the NFL. Then they must have told him if he got hurt at Ball State he would get nothing.

Where were the people telling him to stay? Where were the scouts and coaches that should have been more critical? Did Ball State football simply enable the man to make a foolish decision?

Sure, Davis made some cash but at what price? It is reasonable to assume Davis would have been a higher draft pick in 2010 and may have been in a better situation than he was in San Francisco.

This is a story players throughout the MAC should take note with. For the next decade any Ball State player that is thinking about declaring for the draft early will have the warning signs left by Nate Davis to observe.

Let’s hope future Cardinals take the time to read the signs and see what they mean.