Defense Shines in Football Spring Game presented by Northwest Bank

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Improvement on the defensive side of the ball was a major factor in the Ball State football team's breakthrough season in 2020.

Things are looking good in that area again early in 2021.

The defense had the upper hand in Saturday's Spring Game presented by Northwest Bank, as Ball State put a bow on spring practice.

The Cardinals ran through three 12-minute periods and one overtime period on the Scheumann Stadium turf. In that time, there was just one offensive touchdown, a 34-yard strike from John Paddock to Hassan Littles in the overtime segment.

Before that, the only touchdown came on a pick-six from Jerwuan Thomas who returned his interception 56 yards for a defensive score.

The defense racked up 10 tackles for loss, including two for linebacker Cole Pearce who led the way with seven total tackles on the day.

"What we did a year ago and the confidence that generated for our guys on that side of the ball … they've worked extremely hard to be recognized now as having a championship defense," head coach Mike Neu said. "I'm not surprised because our defense has been very solid from start to finish this spring."

Defense won the day at today's Spring Game. Was that a surprise to @BSUCoachNeu? No. pic.twitter.com/GI9Qh50FG1 — Ball State Football (@BallStateFB) May 1, 2021
But don't worry too much about that offense which is set to return 10 starters from a group that averaged 34 points per game in the recent MAC championship season (BSU also returns 10 starters on defense).

There are plenty of known commodities on this Ball State roster. Saturday provided an opportunity to see what some of the program's less experienced players could do.

Paddock and Eddie Schott took the majority of snaps at quarterback (Drew Plitt found Justin Hall three times on the game's first drive). Donny Marcus, who broke out in the Arizona Bowl win, carried 10 times, while Kyrin Perry and Markavun Brownlee saw their share of action in the backfield.

The Ball State quarterbacks spread the ball to nine different receivers. Jordan Williams, converted from linebacker to tight end this spring, caught a game-high four passes for 29 yards, while fellow tight end Isaiah Dunnuck had three grabs. Receiver Dean Tate also caught three balls.

The defense saw contributions from a wide variety of players, including both of the Cardinals' early enrollee cornerbacks. Jordan Riley-Scott had five tackles, including one for loss, while Thailand Baldwin had a pair of stops and a pass breakup.

Keionté Newson also finished with five tackles and a fumble recovery, while Derin McCulley, Tony Schott, Davion Tyson and Malcolm Lee had four tackles each.

Saturday's Spring Game wrapped up Ball State's spring practice period. The Cardinals are building toward their title defense this fall, starting with a Thursday, Sept. 2 home game against Western Illinois.

Defense Shines in Football Spring Game presented by Northwest Bank

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Players Mentioned

Thailand Baldwin

Markavun Brownlee

Isaiah Dunnuck

Justin Hall

Malcolm Lee

Hassan Littles

Donny Marcus

Derin McCulley

Keionte Newson

John Paddock

Cole Pearce

Kyrin Perry

Drew Plitt

Jordan Riley

Eddie Schott

Tony Schott

Dean Tate

Jerwuan Thomas

Jordan Williams