Ball State University Athletics
Football Team Spring Practice #2 Report
March 31, 2011 | Football
Ball State first-year head coach Pete Lembo led the Cardinals football team through its second Spring Practice Wednesday afternoon.
He sat down with the Ball State athletics media relations staff after the practice to give a recap on the day's activities.
Today marked your second practice, did you continue to make progress as a team?
It feels like we took another baby step forward today. Everyone is getting used to the flow of practice - including important support staff like the student managers. Some fans may not fully appreciate all the planning and detail that goes into a college football practice session. It's almost like a theatrical production. A number of players stood out today including defensive end Matt Mosely, receiver Toriel Gibson and freshman receiver Willie Snead. We are taking a look at Lorren Womack at defensive end. He is one of the strongest players on the team and we are thin at that position. I am very impressed with punter Scott Kovanda. He has been very consistent through two days of practice. He could be a key piece of the puzzle for us.
How have the players who switched positions adapted to the change?
Pretty well so far. Guys become instantly more athletic when they move closer to the football. Aaron Morris and Zac Jordan are both fitting in well at outside linebacker after moving from safety. Aaron is a very smooth athlete and is a quick learner. He needs to get stronger this summer. Zac is very bright and strong and has good leadership skills. In addition to linebacker, I hope he can become a standout special teams player for us. Zac is one of those guys who "gets it". He will make a heck of an employee for some company next year. The guys we moved to defensive line are all getting a ton of work because of our limited numbers.
How has your staff adapted to your style of coaching?
The core of our staff - including our two coordinators - has been together for some time. We definitely know each other's quirks. Believe it or not, I have a few. I like to delegate and let my coaches do their jobs. It is my responsibility to make sure we are organized, unified and on the same page. That takes some time, but it is well worth it. The more cohesive the coaching staff, the better the players will respond. Keith Gaither has really become a tremendous receivers coach in just three years. I continue to be amazed with his development. He has a presence on the field you can't help but notice. John Strollo has been coaching the offensive line since I was watching Happy Days. It seems like we have guest coaches in here on a daily basis to pick his brain. The two coaches we retained - Darryl Dixon and Joey Lynch - have fit in very well with the group. Justin Lustig, Terry Lantz and Chad Wilt have also been a great fit. I have known these three coaches for many years even though we never worked on the same staff together.
What does the team do tomorrow with no on-field practice scheduled?
Coach Feeley will put them back to work in the weight room. We will weight train on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the spring. We have to keep pushing to get stronger, despite the fact we are practicing four times per week. The NCAA requires we have one off day per week during this period. Sunday will be the off day for us. I can already tell many of our players are hungry to learn. I am sure they will take advantage of the extra time we are allotted during the spring to become better students of the game.
