Ball State University Athletics
Football Team Spring Practice #4 Report
April 02, 2011 | Football
Ball State's football team completed its first week of Spring Practice Saturday morning with practice No. 4. Head Coach Pete Lembo reflects on week one.
Today was the first day in full pads. What did you want to get accomplished?
After a somewhat sluggish start, the tempo of practice really picked up. We ended up having a pretty good day. The offense was a lot more comfortable with the no huddle procedure compared to Friday. Early in the session, we had a competitive drill we nicknamed "Cardinal Combat". It's basically a one-on-one blocking drill with linemen, skill players and a running back. It's a fun drill that sets the tone on the first day in full pads. We also had two pass skeletons and two team periods. The first team period focused on third down situations. Football is a game of various situations. Our guys need to understand the situation we are emphasizing and how to achieve success. The last team period featured a short "move the ball" scrimmage. Some guys that stood out today included safety Sean Baker, receiver Briggs Orsbon, receiver Jamill Smith, nose guard Adam Morris and safety Brian Jones. Offensive guard Rayondon Kennedy and receiver Connor Ryan also showed improvement.
A lot of work has been done on special teams play this spring, how is that progressing?
Similar to our offense and defense, we are trying to teach concepts as much as we teach schemes in the kicking game. We have spent more time on our punt unit than any other at this point in the spring. Initially, we began with punt protection concepts and then we evolved to punt coverage concepts. I continue to be impressed with punter Scott Kovanda. He may be the most consistent performer on the team right now. He is extremely focused, knows his job and performs under pressure. We have been emphasizing fundamentals on punt pressure and kickoff coverage the last two days. A single play on these two units has several different phases. You have to teach the phases before you can put it all together. We finished today's practice with a pressure kickoff situation. Scott Secor kicked one with a 3.95 hang time to the two yard line. If he can do that consistently, we'll have a chance to cover well.
How about an overall assessment of your first week of Spring Practice at Ball State?
I am pleased with the physical effort and "want to" of this group of student-athletes. Football is definitely important to the vast majority of them. We are encouraging our players to become students of the game and challenging them to understand "why" we do what we do. Football is a mental game as much as it is a physical game. It has a feel to it. We don't want a bunch of robots out there. We need to become a team of guys who not only correct mistakes, but go beyond that to coach themselves on the minor details of the game. It's a culture. It's a lifestyle. We will get there. As the head coach, I have to balance being patient with being firm and consistent in our daily approach.
Give us an idea of what the Sunday and Monday schedules will look like with no on-field practices?
Tomorrow is our "off day" as mandated by the NCAA. It is healthy for our guys to step away from football for a day and regroup a little bit. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to get a head start on their week from an academic standpoint. While we do not practice on Monday, our guys will weight train in the afternoon with Coach Feeley. They will also have an opportunity to watch video from today's practice if their schedules permit.
