Ball State University Athletics
'Next Man Up' Builds Football's Defensive Depth
November 20, 2014 | Football
Throughout Pete Lembo's tenure one of the major mantras has been 'next man up.' If one man goes down, the next has to be willing and able to fill those shoes.
In 2014, the 'next man up' mentality has seen major action with the Cardinals' defense suffering 14 injured players at one point or another. Those 14 injuries have cost the team nearly 50 games played by the likes of captains Nick Miles, Ben Ingle and Brian Jones along with other major contributors like Dae'Shaun Hurley, Martez Hester, Keenan Noel, Aaron Taylor and more.
While the mounting injuries certainly are their own story, the more impressive manuscript is the one about those next men up. The Cardinals have seen the blossoming of freshman safety Dedrick Cromartie and sophomore linebacker Sean Wiggins. They've seen Tracy Key with double figure tackles against Army and Avery Bailey with his first career interception at UMass.
The true story isn't about the injuries, it's about how so many other Cards have siezed the opportunity those injuries provided. It's about how much better Ball State can potentially be because of it all in the long run.
