Over The Pylon

GRRRRR!!!! 10 Losses!!!

First of all, congrats to Central Michigan tonight. They outplayed Ball State, outhit us, outhustled us, and generally just outperformed in nearly every facet. Central Michigan was the superior team in terms of preparation, coaching, and execution. There’s no blame-the-officials sort of angst, no sole recipient of blame, no excuses. Not tonight.

The Cardinal offense at times tonight looked good, efficient, and capable. But just as frequently, the offense had strange play calls, critical turnovers, couldn’t convert third (or fourth) downs and couldn’t capitalize on the rare times when CMU was backpedaling. But let’s be honest… we sort of knew that was going to happen.

On defense, the Cards struggled mightily at times but at others performed admirably. The goalline stop? Impressive to say the least. The blown assignments, over pursuit, missed tackles, and inability to pressure or disrupt Dan LeFevour in any meaningful way? Not so impressive. But let’s be honest… we sort of know that was going to happen as well.

There were certainly bright spots throughout the night, like Corey Sykes’ impressive rushing performance or Davyd Jones’ hits and hustle, but overall, this game was disappointing no matter how you evaluate it. The people I feel worst about? The seniors. On their night, their final home game, they are treated to a 30-point loss in awful weather in front of an overwhelmingly empty stadium. They all deserve better than that.

Perhaps the largest bright spot is the constant reminder that while tonight was senior night, and players are in their final games as Cardinals, the returning pieces coming back next season are impressive. Let’s just hope that these “experiences” are not repeated.

So, congrats to Central Michigan on their 7th MAC win this season. They earned the win tonight and if they don’t end up 8-0 in the MAC, I will be shocked. More tomorrow on this one, but for now, it’s time to find something wet and high proof to wash down loss #10.

Filed under: Ball State, Consciousness |