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Ball State 2015 Schedule Taking Shape

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Alan

MACThough it’s January, there’s still football in the air as the Mid American Conference announced which of their MAC brethren the Cardinals will take on in 2015. Ball State will host Central Michigan, Toledo, Massachusetts and Bowling Green, while playing at Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ohio.  Dates for the 2015 league schedule will be announced at a later time. Get yourself ready for payback, UMass.

The Cardinals’ non-conference slate is set to start Sept. 5 at home vs. VMI.  Ball State still needs to add one non-conference tilt, but will play at Texas A&M Sept. 12 and at Northwestern Sept. 26. As for the final non-conference game, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. My hope is a home game against an FBS school, but that’s going to be hard to do on such short notice. Selfishly, there’s a gap in the home schedule for the University of Kentucky next fall thanks to UAB shuttering its doors, but I doubt either party would be exceptionally jazzed about playing that game.

The rumor of the month so far is that Ball State was going to fill out their schedule by playing at Florida State. Number one, FSU doesn’t need another game as their schedule as full. Number two, I’d be not ok with playing three FBS games all on the road. Number three, we are already going to be witness to a curbstomping when A&M opens their new stadium, so let’s try not be a MACrificial lamb in Tallahassee, mmmkay?

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Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC | Leave a comment »

Cardinals End Season On High Note, Upset Bowling Green

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Alan

BSULogoI think with Friday’s 41-24 upset victory over MAC East Champion Bowling Green that included:

  • Bowling Green needing two plays (a 75-yard run a 96-yard kick return) to jump out to a 14-7 lead (after an Ozzie Mann 62-yard TD pass of his own)
  • Bowling Green taking a 21-7 lead with 9 minutes to go in the 1st quarter
  • Ozzie Mann starting his first game since October 4’s loss at Army in place of injured Jack Milas

we can officially call 2014 the absolute weirdest damn season that I can remember covering this team. Fluke plays, freak injuries, upsets of favorites, being upset as the favorite, this season officially had everything possible. And let’s not forget the record-breaking year and career that Quake Edwards turned in.

For Friday’s game, a game that admittedly both Jason and I thought would end the Cards’ season on a bit of a sour note, it is a ray of hope for fans to take away from this season and the coaching staff to go out and recruit on for the next class. After losing a slew of NFL-caliber talent and a deep senior class, the Cardinals still managed to pull a .500 record in the MAC, which (being honest, here) seemed somewhere just short of impossible after the loss to Western Michigan dropped the Cards to 1-5.

But a funny thing happened on the Cards’ way to irrelevancy this season, as QB1 was bestowed to Jack Milas and the Cards at pulled Ws in four of their last six. There’s plenty of opportunities for the pessimistic fans among us to cherry-pick the games that were basic coin flips that could have easily gone the Cards’ way (Iowa, WMU, and UMass at bare minimum) but that would be overlooking the Cards victories that could have easily gone the other way as well. Plus, it takes away from the stellar finish to this season for this senior class.

It’s funny how as a season progresses expectations and definitions change. If you had told me at the beginning of the season this year would be a 5-7 experience, I’d have been a tad bit unhappy and unsatisfied. Now, after the early losing streak and the (at times) complete unsatisfying experience known as Ball State football, I’m thrilled with 5-7 and just about ready to drive to Muncie to celebrate and tongue kiss whoever I see. Alas, it’s Thanksgiving break, so that would be a fruitless endeavor.

Friday’s BG win was a return to the Cardinal brand of football we have come to sort of expect and get awfully used to. It was a balanced attack through the air and the ground, and kudos to Joey Lynch for putting together a gameplan and playcalling that allowed the Cards to thrive. The Cards had no turnovers, no significant mistakes or penalties, dominated the time of possession, and most importantly in the second half: got the hell out of Quake’s way.

Edwards finishes his Cardinal career in true Quake-ian fashion, gashing the Falcons for 165 yards and 2 TDs. It is a fitting end to the career of the school’s career rushing leader, career rushing TDs leader, and career attempts leader. They don’t make ’em like Quake much anymore, so count your blessings you were able to see him play.

The focus around these parts will shift a bit over the next few weeks to season recaps, lookaheads to the NFL futures of our graduating Cardinals, and trying to put an appropriate bow on this season. We’ll be there right there with you for all of it. More on BG tomorrow, but for now, it’s just enjoying this win, some leftover turkey and such, and just generally being in a much more pleasant mood than I expected to be at this particular juncture. So thank you Cards, for this game, this season, and everything else. Final word tomorrow, Go Cards!

Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC | 1 Comment »

Better Know: Western Michigan

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Alan

Better Know Logo 200Good morning, Cards fans! It’s a busy day around the Pylon so keep popping by for some goodies in advance of Homecoming against the Western Michigan Broncos and PJ Fleck’s oars. There’s reason for optimism around the Scheu. There’s a new QB1 in Jack Milas, the weather for Homecoming is looking picture perfect, and last I checked, Muncie Liquors still has plenty of beer and liquor for your various Homecoming-type activities. But today isn’t about standing in a parking lot and drinking your face off. Today it’s time to Better Know Western Michigan…

Team: Western Michigan Broncos
Record: 2-3 (0-1 MAC)
Ranking: Unranked
Head Coach: PJ Fleck
Series: WMU leads 21-19
Last Meeting: 2013, Ball State W, 38-17 @ WMU

Western Michigan Head Coach PJ Fleck…
… is the youngest head coach in FBS. At just 33 years of age, Fleck was a child of the 80s, probably tight-rolled his pants, and DEFINITELY had some badass Trapper Keepers.
… is an NIU alum and spent two seasons in the San Francisco 49ers organization.
… has compiled a 3-14 record at WMU as he continues through his second year. Though normally that would be cause for concern, to his credit he did inherit a steaming pile of hot garbage.
… is a beast on the recruiting trail, signing a class last offseason that was ranked 58th by Rivals, the highest non-AQ conference school rank and the highest MAC class ranking ever.

When it comes to WMU versus Ball State…
… the series wasn’t always so close. BSU has won seven of the last ten to make it 21-19 WMU.
… the Cardinals are 11-9 against the Broncos in games played in Muncie.
… this year won’t be the first time they have played on Homecoming. Most recent? A 2012 win for the Cardinals.
… the fact that it’s Homecoming is good news for BSU. The Cardinals are 53-32-2 all-time in Homecoming games.

The Western Michigan Broncos…
… opened MAC play last week with a 20-19 overtime home loss to Toledo.
… had that oddity of a score against the Rockets thanks to a missed extra point in overtime.
… scored wins this season over Idaho and Murray State, scoring both 45 points in the wins.
… had losses this season to Virginia Tech (away), Toledo (home), and Purdue (away)
… have five student athletes named to their respective positional award watch lists.

Really though, the story of Western Michigan begins and ends with this fan video:

The amount of things that causes me to vomit in my mouth in this fan video are so numerous I can’t even hit them all in this space. The 7 Nation Army? Awful. The boat oar schedule? Quaint. The boat oars in general? Still puzzling. But I have a new question… can someone explain why the Broncos get hype with a big foam steak?

WMU Raw Meat

This damn program, man.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, Better Know, MAC | Leave a comment »

Coach Lembo’s MACtastic Teleconference [AUDIO]

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Alan

MACEvery Monday the MAC coaches gather via teleconference to discuss the prior week’s results, the week ahead and any other assorted facts or fun that the media on the call want to ask about. It’s a nice inside look at the man who wears the headset and you hear it straight from CPL as opposed to the filtering and spin that media (OTP included) puts on quotes, soundbites, etc. Kudos to the MAC for making these available, as the days of routing our phone through a recorder seem quite dinosaur these days. Take it away, Coach…

Filed under: ConferenceCalls, MAC | Leave a comment »

Better Know: Toledo

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Alan

ToledoRocketsLogoLarge

The adage of “Put up or shut up” certainly seems applicable to the Fighting Football Cardinals this weekend, as they go on the road to the Glass Bowl to face the Toledo Rockets with a pretty high likelihood that the rest of the season hangs in the balance. With a demoralizing loss to Indiana State following a heartbreaker at Iowa, this team is on the precipice of one of two roads. Either the losses are fuel for the team going forward in a band-them-together-to-come-out-stronger kind of deal or they become an excuse to let the season unravel and with it, the program building of the last three seasons is swiftly detonated. So yes, this game, and more importantly than the outcome, the performance within it, is kind of large.

Before we get into the whys and the hows of the game itself, it’s important to know the whos, namely the Toledo Rockets and their season to date, their young up and coming coach, and their replacement skill players that seem to be just as talented if not more so than the player they are replacing. If you thought when starting QB Phillip Ely went down with an injury against Missouri that Toledo became irrelevant, then you have another think coming. Replacement Logan Woodside torched Cincinnati and I am sure is licking his chops looking at the completions to the seam in the middle of the field that Indiana State found so successful over and over and over. Kickoff on Saturday is 7:00PM and it’s nut cutting time in the Glass Bowl for the Cardinals. The coaches are working on gameplanning, the players focused on practicing, but it’s time for you to better know Toledo!

Team: Toledo
Record: 1-2 (0-0 MAC)
Ranking: Unranked
Head Coach: Matt Campbell
Series: Tied! 19-19-1
Last Meeting: BSU won 31-24 in 2013 in Muncie

Toledo Head Coach Matt Campbell…
… is in his 3rd full season as the head coach at Toledo
… owns a career head coaching record of 18-11 (11-5 MAC)
… has spent all but two years in his 12-year coaching career in the MAC (4 of them at BG, 6 of them at Toledo)
… describes himself as “relentless”. That’s cute.
… is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS at age 34.

When it comes to Toledo versus Ball State…
… the Cardinals are riding a two-game winning streak, each coming by exactly 7 points.
… in games played in Toledo, the Rockets have an 11-7-1 all-time series lead.
… Toledo head coach Matt Campbell is yet to notch a W against the Cardinals as a head coach.
… this year’s game will be streamed on ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN app.

The Toledo Rockets…
… were picked in the preseason poll at media day to win the MAC West.
… lost starting junior QB Phillip Ely against Missouri on Sept. 6.
… replaced Ely with sophomore Logan Woodside who went 27-40 for 322 yards, 3TDs, and 0 INTs against Cincinnati.
… trailed at one point to Cincy 34-0, and mounted a furious comeback to make it 41-34. The final was 58-34.
… have a stout running game as well, as sophomore Kareem Hunt gained 101 yards on 12 carries against Cincy. He’s rushed for 100 yards or more every game this season and eight different times over his young career.
… also lost to SEC foe Missouri at home 49-24 in a game much closer than the score would indicate.
… defeated New Hampshire 54-20 to open their 2014 campaign.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, Better Know, MAC | Leave a comment »

[VIDEO] Dr. Steinbrecher Gives the State of the MAC #MACtion

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Alan

Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher took some time at Media Day to speak on the State of the Conference. It wasn’t widely broadcast and wasn’t part of the ESPN3 coverage. That doesn’t mean it isn’t something you should watch. Once Dr. Jon gets done with the thank yous, the introductions, and the gladhanding (about the 2:30 mark) it’s actually not a bad way to spend 15 minutes or so. It gives some good perspective on where the conference has come from and more importantly, where the conference is headed. Of particular note is the heavy hand that Dr. Jon reigns with in regard to the shifting landscape of pay for play and the college football playoff. He also went all Ginger Hammer on coaches who may get caught cheating, stating they’d be fired and his one word Popovich-esque answer for whether the power five will break away. It’s worth your time.

Filed under: MAC, Preseason | Leave a comment »

A Non-MAC Coach Weighs In on the MAC Media Poll

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Alan

When the MAC media preseason poll was released today, I was quite vocal about how I thought the media as a whole had put the screws to the Cardinals. Voting Ball State third in the MAC West I wasn’t that fired up about. Voting Central Michigan first in the West twice? That’s where I draw a line. But perhaps I was overreacting. Obviously with my Cardinal colored glasses, sometimes I get a tree lost amidst the forest. Was that really all that bad?

We at the Pylon decided to reach out to a neutral third-party observer to ensure we were not inadequately fired up about these poll shenanigans at the hands of the dastardly MAC media conglomerate.

Coach Gundy, any thoughts on the MAC Media preseason poll released today?

That was sort of my thoughts as well. But let’s get a little more in depth. The most obvious thing that I thought was amiss was the fact that Central Michigan had two first place votes and the team immediately above them had none. That team happens to be Ball State. Any reason as to why a team that limped home to 6 wins, most of which came against the bottom of the barrel would get voted so high?

But are we wrong to get upset about our team again being overlooked and undervalued from those in the know? These are supposed to be the best and the brightest in the media that champion all the good things about college athletics. Right?

So I take it you’re not a fan of the media. Not even your local newspaper? I mean here, take a look at the latest edition of the Muncie Star Press and tell me what you think about that…

Well, not everything can be perfect. There are probably times when everyone makes mistakes. Thoughts on the myriad other ways to stay connected to Ball State athletics besides OverThePylon?

Can’t argue with that. So back to the MAC Media Poll, is there any explanation for the oddities of the poll? And not just the CMU thing. There’s the love for NIU with significant questions, some fliers taken on Akron, and a whole host of other things that just seem to defy explanation. Buffalo in 4th in the East? Come on. Any rationale?

That’s a bold accusation, Coach. Perhaps you could give us your opinion of some of the teams in the conference.

Toledo?

Bowling Green?

NIU?

Buffalo?

I’m noticing a pattern. We’ve been hard at the Pylon on WMU’s PJ Fleck. Between the dancing, the dj, and the boat oars, we’ve taken a fair share of jabs at Coach Fleck. Your thoughts on him?

I’m actually kind of shocked. Anything else to add before we let you go, Coach?

Vomit away.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, ItsCalledSatireDBags, MAC, Preseason | Leave a comment »

How You Can Follow All the MACtion from MAC Media Day

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Alan

MACWednesday marks the unofficial start to football season as MAC Media Day gets underway from Ford Field in Detroit. See, it’s cyclical because the MAC season ends there too. Oh MAC, you are a clever one.

The festivities are from 12-4 and that includes things like the commissioner’s address and time with every single coach and two players from each MAC squad. There are several ways to loop yourself into the MACtion, and this is what we would do if we were you and what we will do because we are us…

  • Broadcast radio coverage in Muncie is on Fox Sports Radio 102.9 FM or 1340 AM starts at 1 with voice of the Cardinals Joel Godett (the man who apparently needs no sleep as all he does is work) (which is incidentally the original chorus of the DJ Khalid song. Not nearly as catchy). You get 40 minutes of that until Reds coverage starts and then you have to flip over to…
  • BallStateSports.com will have your listen live links for when the radio becomes a Joey Votto lovefest. I would imagine they’ll have all of it, not just the preempted by baseball substance, so I’d check it out at 1.
  • For the Cardinals, Pete Lembo, Quake Edwards, and Ben Ingle will be the guests of record and they’ll be on throughout the program. Godett will also get a chance to sit down with various other players and coaches throughout the day from around the conference, including the MAC commissioner.
  • If you’re the Tweeting type, you should be following (if not already) @JoelGodett, @BallStateSports, and @BallStateFB. There will be opportunities to ask questions through Joel of the various people he talks to.
  • If you want to watch and not listen, and we all know how you like to watch, ESPN’s Michael Reghi and Dustin Fox will be interviewing players and coaches and previewing the upcoming season on ESPN3 today from 2-4 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action from your WatchESPN app, WatchESPN.com, or the ESPN3 hub on MAC-Sports.com.

So, you’ ve got about two and a half hours to accomplish something at the office before you mentally check out for the rest of the day to get yourself prepared for the fall football season. Plan accordingly.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, MAC, Preseason | Leave a comment »

MAC New Media Preseason Poll

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Alan

MACI remember a time when the MAC New Media group was a small collection of blogs that all varied in degrees of frequency, professionalism, fan-voice, and ad bait. That was back in ’08 when we hung our shingle in the blogosphere, and the group of sites that covers the Mid American Conference has evolved, advanced, and evolved some more. Though some blogs have gone dark, others have sprung up, and Hustle Belt has been pushed to the forefront by the SBNation Death Star, the passion of the group hasn’t waned.

Tomorrow is MAC Media Day in Detroit. You’ll get to see what mainstream media thinks about the coming season of MAC football. But who better to get your information from than the group of people who follow these teams and this conference day in and day out. The great things about getting news and other goings on from blogs is that you’re hearing from someone who doesn’t have a myopic view of just one team, which also happens to be couched in between the local high school goings on, national sports stories, and all the other things that a mainstream journalist has to scramble for. So, the new media of the MAC thought it best to give you what you need, an unvarnished opinion about how the conference is going to shake out in the fall.

Our voters?

For the East…

  1. BG (6) 52 points
  2. Akron (1) 41 points
  3. Buffalo (1) 39 points
  4. Ohio 38 points
  5. Kent State 23 points
  6. Miami 19 points
  7. UMass 10 points

For the West…

  1. NIU (4) 42 points
  2. Toledo (2) 41 points
  3. Ball State (2) 33 points
  4. CMU 25 points
  5. WMU 15 points
  6. EMU 13 points

The group collective picked NIU as the MAC Championship winner, with Terry Bowden claiming Coach of the Year honors and BG QB Matt Johnson taking home Player of the Year.

My reply all response to the above when it hit my email for the group was “You are all high.” and I stand by that. My other thoughts outside of the aforementioned assumption that people are either inebriated, ignorant, or blissfully unaware (or a combination of all of the above):

  • It’s so good to see people expect to see a drop off after good QBs graduate, hence BSU landing in third in the West, 6th overall. What’s that? NIU is still ranked #1 in the west despite losing their All-Galaxy QB Jordan Lynch? Well that doesn’t seem very consistent, now does it?
  • Apparently the slurping of BG can now begin in earnest. Thank God! (That’s sarcasm)
  • This the last year for UMass in the MAC, so next year’s new media poll will have to pick a “zOMG WORST TEAM EVUR!!!!111” to champion. I nominate Buffalo. Or Western Michigan.
  • My ballot was:
    • East: BG, Akron, Ohio, Kent State, Buffalo, Miami, UMass
    • West: BSU, Toledo, NIU, CMU, EMU, WMU
    • My MAC Champion was BSU, Coach of the Year was Pete Lembo, and Player of the Year was Jahwan Edwards

That screams “homer pick” and in theory you could be right given how mine shook out, but you would be wrong in practice, as I also shared my working theory for why I picked the way I picked. I’m of the belief that BSU behind the running prowess of Quake wins the West. That explains why they are tops in that division and why he would be my Player of the Year. I had BG as E1 because of Johnson, and had the Cardinals tossing their second thumping in a month on the Falcons in Detroit. Why Lembo you ask? Because apparently the people “in the know” think BSU is going to have a God awful season with a drop off like no other MAC team. I’d say if CPL can win the conference with those expectations, then he’s a shoe-in for Coach of the Year. The rest of my picks were a mixture of educated guesses and unadulterated hatred. Massholes and boat oars sunk to the bottom of both my divisions and the rest were just a toss-up.

So there you go, boys and girls. If I could walk these down from Mt. Cardinal on two stone tablets, I would, and frankly, given the heat and humidity I wouldn’t mind wearing a flowing robe. And nothing else. HEY O! But yeah, MAC media day is tomorrow, so get yourself ready for some more fun from your friends here at OTP.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, Blog Buddies, MAC, Preseason | 3 Comments »

BSU & Miami By the Numbers

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Alan

By the Numbers200On Friday while masses of people slam themselves into each other at retail establishments to try and get a television that’s 5 percent lower on sale than usual, the Cardinals will be tucked safely in bed getting ready for their 1pm showdown against the 0-11 Miami Redhawks. It’s the definition of a trap game, as the Cards are attempting to position themselves for the best possible bowl and the Redhawks are simply trying to avoid the goose egg in the win column. They’ve already fired their coach, their last home game drew under 9,000 fans, and their starting quarterback suffered a knee injury on October 31 ending his season. Suffice to say, times in Oxford aren’t so fun right now.

The Cards come in at 9-2, looking to get to double digits and solidify their rightful place as the second best team in the MAC. That will matter come bowl season and invite time, especially if NIU crashes the BCS again. But bowls and placement within them are not the concern right now. Right now, the thrashing of the hot garbage pile from Oxford is the top priority. Let’s see what the numbers say…

 

BSU vs. Miami:
National Stat Rankings & Statistics
NCAA Stat BSU Miami
Scoring Offense 17th (38.7)
 125th (9.4)
Rushing Offense 81st (154.3) 116th (98.3)
Passing Offense 13th (323.1) 120th (122.5)
Total Offense 21st (477.4) 125th (220.8)
Scoring Defense 58th (25.8) 102nd (33.9)
Rushing Defense 99th (199.1) 113th (230.9)
Passing Defense 76th (233.5) 96th (244.2)
Total Defense 97th (433.5) 111th (475.1)
Sacks 73rd (20.0) 112th (13.0)
Sacks Allowed 26th (14.0) 124th (45.0)
Turnover Margin 11th (+10) 63rd (+/- 0)
3rd Down Conv. % 40th (44.4%) 125th (23.0%)
Opp. 3rd Down Conv. % 73rd (40.2%) 120th (48.7%)
Red Zone Conv. % 18th (89.1%) 125th (61.1%)
Opp. Red Zone Conv. % 27th (76.5%) 29th (77.1%)
Punting 63rd (41.0) 7th (45.5)
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game 7th (32.6) 15th (36.4)

So, that’s a beat down. Dead last (125th) in several categories, and only trumping the Cardinals in average yards per punt. And Lord knows Miami has had enough practice with their anemic offense this season. Games aren’t played on paper, but this is the most lopsided statistical advantage BSU has enjoyed all season long. It’s the season finale, Senior Day, and a blackout for the fans who show up. On paper, this shouldn’t be close and let’s all hope that transitions to on the field.

Filed under: BallStateFootball, ByTheNumbers, MAC | 8 Comments »

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