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Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services
Cardinals Looking Different on Defense in More Ways than One
September 06, 2018 | Football
New scheme, new faces looking to transform Ball State on defense
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State football fans at Scheumann Stadium last week saw a Cardinals defense that looked much different from a year ago.
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First was the switch from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4. And second was the variety of new faces on the field throughout the night.
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Sure, the Cardinals starting 11 featured only one newcomer. But over the course of the game, a total of 16 players saw their first defensive snaps in a Ball State uniform.
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Not all 16 of those players are likely to see the field this week at Notre Dame, but a number of freshmen and transfers will surely impact that side of the ball throughout the year.
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Maybe the area that jumps out the most is outside linebacker. And that's the only position where the unit featured a new face in the starting lineup in junior Ray Wilborn.
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A transfer from Garden City Community College, Wilborn has drawn praise from the BSU coaches since slipping through the recruiting cracks and finding his way to Muncie in January. He has the size and speed of a skilled receiver and has the versatility to rush the passer or drop into coverage.
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The Cardinals picked up on Wilborn based on a simple email. The coaches came away impressed after watching his tape, did their homework on the under-the-radar talent and found themselves wondering how this guy hadn't been offered a scholarship. Head coach Mike Neu said the Cardinals are lucky to have him.
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"Ray didn't have a lot going on at the time, which was kind of head-scratching because when you watch his tape from junior college, you're like, 'holy cow, this guy's a good football player,'" Neu said. "I'm not really sure how he got overlooked in the whole recruiting process … Getting him in here, he has checked off every single box character-wise, work ethic-wise, talent-wise. I know he can make a big impact for us."
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Alongside Wilborn and true sophomore Christian Albright on the two-deep at outside linebacker are redshirt freshmen Jordan Williams and Jimmy Daw. Williams has a familiar name for Ball State fans (the same as the former standout receiver) but a different number and position. The Cardinals were high on him out of high school as another athletic pass rusher who now fits nicely at linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.
Â
"Jimmy and Jordan are two guys who redshirted that have been phenomenal in the weight room and now it's time to put the pads on and do it on Saturdays in the fall," defensive coordinator David Elson said. "All indications are those guys will be good. They'll make their freshman mistakes, but that's part of it."
Â
The place where the Cardinals will see the most true freshmen make an impact is at the cornerback position. Only one -- Amechi (AJ) Uzodinma -- begins the season in the two-deep, but two others -- Tyler "Red Potts" and DT Stephens -- drew praise throughout preseason camp and saw action in the opener.Â
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Uzodinma, who played both ways as a high schooler in Orlando and caught 14 touchdowns last year, now gets a chance to totally lock in on the corner position. Stephens snagged seven interceptions as a high school senior, and Potts racked up three tackles in less than a half of play in his collegiate debut against Central Connecticut.
Â
"AJ has good length and ball skills and overall athleticism; he's naturally got some really good instincts," Elson said. "Red's kind of the one who just finds himself around the ball, making plays and making tackles. DT is similar to AJ in that he has really good ball skills. I think all three of those guys are going to play and help us."
Â
Up front, it's a pair of junior college transfers who will see plenty of action. Shannon Hall and Tuni Ropati both earned heavy snaps in the opener, with Hall playing on the end and Ropati spelling Chris Crumb at nose tackle.
Â
"Although they aren't starting, they're going to play a significant amount of reps," Elson said. "We've been really pleased with both of them. They play hard and have picked things up and done a really good job. That doesn't happen all the time."
Â
The news faces add to an already young Ball State defense. The Cardinals feature only one senior starter in the front seven – defensive end Fred Schroeder – to go along with corners Josh Miller and Marc Walton. The freshman trio will figure heavily in the mix behind those two and gain valuable experience this year.
Â
So the bulk of the Ball State defense is poised to be together for a good while. And they'll look to keep stacking up performances like they did in the opener when they came within seconds of a shutout.
Â
"Even though we've switched to 3-4, there's still a lot of terminology that's the same," Elson said. "You're starting to hear them speak our language and repeat things coaches are saying. Now these freshman guys are going to hear that over and over, and it's just going to build. We're definitely excited about that."
Â
Â
First was the switch from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4. And second was the variety of new faces on the field throughout the night.
Â
Sure, the Cardinals starting 11 featured only one newcomer. But over the course of the game, a total of 16 players saw their first defensive snaps in a Ball State uniform.
Â
Not all 16 of those players are likely to see the field this week at Notre Dame, but a number of freshmen and transfers will surely impact that side of the ball throughout the year.
Â
Maybe the area that jumps out the most is outside linebacker. And that's the only position where the unit featured a new face in the starting lineup in junior Ray Wilborn.
Â
A transfer from Garden City Community College, Wilborn has drawn praise from the BSU coaches since slipping through the recruiting cracks and finding his way to Muncie in January. He has the size and speed of a skilled receiver and has the versatility to rush the passer or drop into coverage.
Â
The Cardinals picked up on Wilborn based on a simple email. The coaches came away impressed after watching his tape, did their homework on the under-the-radar talent and found themselves wondering how this guy hadn't been offered a scholarship. Head coach Mike Neu said the Cardinals are lucky to have him.
Â
"Ray didn't have a lot going on at the time, which was kind of head-scratching because when you watch his tape from junior college, you're like, 'holy cow, this guy's a good football player,'" Neu said. "I'm not really sure how he got overlooked in the whole recruiting process … Getting him in here, he has checked off every single box character-wise, work ethic-wise, talent-wise. I know he can make a big impact for us."
Â
Alongside Wilborn and true sophomore Christian Albright on the two-deep at outside linebacker are redshirt freshmen Jordan Williams and Jimmy Daw. Williams has a familiar name for Ball State fans (the same as the former standout receiver) but a different number and position. The Cardinals were high on him out of high school as another athletic pass rusher who now fits nicely at linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.
Â
"Jimmy and Jordan are two guys who redshirted that have been phenomenal in the weight room and now it's time to put the pads on and do it on Saturdays in the fall," defensive coordinator David Elson said. "All indications are those guys will be good. They'll make their freshman mistakes, but that's part of it."
Â
The place where the Cardinals will see the most true freshmen make an impact is at the cornerback position. Only one -- Amechi (AJ) Uzodinma -- begins the season in the two-deep, but two others -- Tyler "Red Potts" and DT Stephens -- drew praise throughout preseason camp and saw action in the opener.Â
Â
Uzodinma, who played both ways as a high schooler in Orlando and caught 14 touchdowns last year, now gets a chance to totally lock in on the corner position. Stephens snagged seven interceptions as a high school senior, and Potts racked up three tackles in less than a half of play in his collegiate debut against Central Connecticut.
Â
"AJ has good length and ball skills and overall athleticism; he's naturally got some really good instincts," Elson said. "Red's kind of the one who just finds himself around the ball, making plays and making tackles. DT is similar to AJ in that he has really good ball skills. I think all three of those guys are going to play and help us."
Â
Up front, it's a pair of junior college transfers who will see plenty of action. Shannon Hall and Tuni Ropati both earned heavy snaps in the opener, with Hall playing on the end and Ropati spelling Chris Crumb at nose tackle.
Â
"Although they aren't starting, they're going to play a significant amount of reps," Elson said. "We've been really pleased with both of them. They play hard and have picked things up and done a really good job. That doesn't happen all the time."
Â
The news faces add to an already young Ball State defense. The Cardinals feature only one senior starter in the front seven – defensive end Fred Schroeder – to go along with corners Josh Miller and Marc Walton. The freshman trio will figure heavily in the mix behind those two and gain valuable experience this year.
Â
So the bulk of the Ball State defense is poised to be together for a good while. And they'll look to keep stacking up performances like they did in the opener when they came within seconds of a shutout.
Â
"Even though we've switched to 3-4, there's still a lot of terminology that's the same," Elson said. "You're starting to hear them speak our language and repeat things coaches are saying. Now these freshman guys are going to hear that over and over, and it's just going to build. We're definitely excited about that."
Â
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