Ball State University Athletics
#CardinalCamp16 Update: The First Two-A-Day
August 10, 2016 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. – Tuesday marked the first of four preseason dates with two practices on the schedule for the Ball State football team. The Cardinals suited up in full pads in a physical two-hour morning practice and then went to shells only in the afternoon session.
Below are some news and notes from day six of football camp:
DEFENSE MAKING SOME NOISE: Tuesday morning featured lots of time for team drills and for the most part, the defense outplayed the offense. There were nine third down situations and the defense stopped the offense on eight on those plays. One player to keep an eye on is senior safety Corey Hall. He was utilized as a corner back in 2015, but suffered an injury in the opener against VMI and did not play the rest of the season. Hall has moved to safety this year and made a number of positive plays.
CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY RUNNING BACKS?: Ball State returns its top three running backs from last year's team – junior Darian Green, sophomore James Gilbert and senior Teddy Williamson. However, lots of early camp snaps have gone to newcomer Malik Dunner to see what he can do. Dunner has made several nifty inside runs and on one occasion early in a team session Tuesday, snuck past the defense and caught an 85-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Riley Neal.
TEAM COMPETITION: One of the staples of football practice under coach Mike Neu is a team competition segment. Thus far in preseason camp, offensive players have taken on their defensive counterparts in a wide array of competitions such as pushing golf carts and linemen kicking field goals. Tuesday morning's team competition was a one-on-one goal line situation. The outcome hinged on the third and final pairing to compete – freshman tight end Nolan Givan versus sophomore linebacker Damon Singleton. Singleton turned away Givan, allowing the defense to claim victory.
POSLEY ON HENDRICKS AWARD WATCH LIST: Senior defensive lineman Joshua Posley was one of 28 players from around the country selected to the initial Ted Hendricks Award Watch List. The Hendricks Award, named in honor of college football's first three-time first-team All-American, is bestowed upon the nation's top defensive end. A midseason watch list will be announced in late November. The 2016 winner will be announced on Dec. 7.
NO PRACTICE ON WEDNESDAY: After six straight days of practice, the Cardinals will not take the field on Wednesday. Other plans include a team photo, visiting businesses and schools around Muncie and Yorktown as a part of Paint the Town Red, and hitting the lanes for some friendly bowling.
QUOTING COACH NEU: “One of the positives six days into camp is the attention to detail and energy level the team has displayed at times. On the other hand, we need to make sure we have the same amount of juice at the end of practice that we show at the beginning. The way the game is played anymore, we have to be in excellent physical condition to compete at a high level at the end of games.”
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @BSUCoachNeu.
Season tickets as well as single game tickets are now on sale. Fans can visit BallStateSports.com (click here), call 888-BSU-TICKET or visit the Stoops Buick/GMC Ticket Center inside Worthen Arena to purchase tickets.
