Over The Pylon

Jordan Williams may very well be the surprise of 2013 (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

At least once a season there will be some Saturday that rolls around where my usual weekend festivities of watching football on Saturday until my eyes bleed and the final TDs have been scored gets interrupted for various personal goings on. This weekend was one of those weeks, and I was forced to take advantage of the wonders of the internet while living life. Surprisingly enough, the ability to keep with the Cards on an iPad thanks to high speed internet paled in comparison to the surprising nature with which the Fighting Football Cardinals dispatched the Black Knights of Army.

A victory, we expected. A thrashing we did not. And the questions this performance raised has little to do with the Cardinals’ talent and more to do with the Cardinals’ ceiling. Is it possible that we are witnessing a repeat of 2008? Dare I begin to visualize a MAC Championship? A major Bowl? A darkhorse shot at the BCS? Let’s pump the brakes a bit. But it is a fun thing to debate whether or not to think about.

How far this program has come in 3 years under Pete Lembo is nothing short of staggering. Names like Saban, Sumlin, and Stoops get the headlines and the top billing. But I believe in my heart of hearts that Pete Lembo is at worst their equal and more realistically, their better. What Lembo has done in Muncie, without the benefit of the bells and whistles of a top tier football factory, leads one to wonder what would happen if those things were in place for him. That’s a conversation for another day, but I can say with absolute certainty that there is no one in the coaching field I would rather have leading BSU than Pete Lembo.

On the field, the Cardinals were dominant and aggressive and against a team like Army that’s saying something. As we referenced last week, the opportunities would be there for the offense to strike. The key was taking advantage of those opportunities when they were presented, and Wenning and the offense did just that. The defense played disciplined and exactly how they should have to prevent the Black Knights from thrashing and gashing a much maligned defensive unit for the better part of the first game. After the first Army drive resulted in a 71-yard TD run I was worried. But in a repeat from the season opener, that worry was wasted as the Cards rattled off 37 unanswered. A 40-14 win against Army isn’t an easy thing to accomplish and to me, gives even more evidence of this team’s effectiveness and potential. The final word for Army…

Commanding
(adj)

• superior, authoratative

Some other thoughts from Week 2 of the 2013 season…

• Each week that passes is another in a long line of great performances by Keith Wenning. This coming week’s contest against North Texas may be the best defense he’s faced this season.
• How about Willie Snead? Is there anything that he cannot catch? Single coverage and the scoreboard operator can go ahead and put it on the board.
• Western Michigan lost at home to FCS Nicholls State on Saturday. Which may be a good thing since attention will be diverted from the ignorant “Row Row Row Row” student tradition video that made the rounds last week.
• It was nice to see former Ball State player and coach Brady Hoke be fawned over by the national pundits on Saturday after beating Notre Dame. Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal.
• Said it before, will say it again. Jordan Williams is going to be a star. Mark it down.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, Final Word |