Saturday, September 18
Laramie, Wyo.
4:00 PM ET
Ball State University
at
Wyoming
Cardinals Head West Looking to Regain Their ‘Edge’
September 17, 2021 | Football
Ball State to play at Wyoming in Week Three matchup
MUNCIE, Ind. – After falling for the first time in 10 months last week, the focus for Ball State leading up to its road contest at Wyoming this Saturday afternoon was more internal than external.
"We've got to get our edge back," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "We've got to go back to our roots. We've got to go back to some of the things that helped us climb a mountain around here. That starts with the smallest and finest of details."
Those small details were a big reason why Ball State went on an 8-game winning streak that culminated with a Mid-American Conference Championship and the first bowl win in program history last season.
"We've got to play better," Neu added. "We've got to be more physical and more disciplined. We've got to execute at a higher level. We've got to demand more of ourselves. There's no secrets. There's nothing we're going to be able to magically do from a scheme standpoint. It's about us playing a better brand of football."
Ball State will look to find success against a Wyoming team that was picked to finish second in its division and received first-place votes to win the Mountain West Conference. The Cowboys are 2-0 on the season and are also 22-7 at home since 2016, having won 10 of their last 11 at War Memorial Stadium.
"It's a good football team that is very well rounded," Neu said. "They play complete football. They're good defensively, they're good offensively and they're good on special teams. Coach (Craig) Bohl has done a tremendous job with that Wyoming program. It's going to be a great challenge for us going on the road."
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on 104,1 WLBC, online at BallStateSports.com and on the Varsity Network app with the Ball State Radio Network trio of Joel Godett, Rich Spisak and Jack McMullen breaking down the action. The game will also be available on Stadium with Ari Wolfe and Mike Lamb on the call.
Inside the Series: Wyoming
Ball State and Wyoming are set to square off for the first time in series history Saturday. The Cardinals have only played four games against teams in the currently-constructed Mountain West Conference, all of which have been in bowl games. Ball State played Fresno State in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl (L, 27-6), Utah State in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 42-33), Nevada in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 18-15) and San Jose State in the 2020 Arizona Bowl (W, 34-13). The win over the Spartans marked the first Cardinals bowl victory all-time.
Coach Neu on Wyoming…
"They're a very balanced team offensively. In Week 1, they had a close contest at home they won 19-16. They had kind of an offensive shootout in Week 2, but they were certainly in control for a big chunk of the game. Their offensive coordinator, who's in his first year, came from Iowa. When you turn the tape on, you can see a little bit of a twist of Iowa in their offense and how they run the ball. They want to establish the line of scrimmage. They're a good, complete team. Their quarterback is playing at a high level. Their offensive line has done a good job of establishing the line of scrimmage and playing physical, which is what they want to do. When they have had the opportunity to throw the ball, they've generated some explosive plays. They're a team that averages almost 400 yards per game offensively, and it's a pretty good balance between run and pass. We've got to be ready for that.
"Defensively, they're very opportunistic. They've created turnovers through two weeks. They get more hands on balls than most teams I've seen, in terms of tipped balls and deflections. They're going to make you earn it. What you see from them defensively is very consistent. When you study the looks on tape, it's not something that is super exotic. They just play good, hard-nosed, tough, disciplined football. They tackle well and they fly to the ball. They've got great length at the corner position. It's going to be a good challenge here. We're playing against a good team that is well rounded in all phases."
On This Date
The Cardinals are 4-5 on Sept. 18 in program history, earning wins at Hanover in 1954 (40-6), vs. Indiana (Pa.) in 1965 (26-14), at Miami in 1976 (23-6) and at Ohio in 1993 (24-16).
Strong Start by Steele
Freshman RB Carson Steele has emerged as a strong candidate to receive touches out of the backfield so far in his first collegiate season. Steele has a touchdown in both games against Western Illinois and Penn State. He is one of only two true freshmen in the country to rush for a touchdown in both games to begin the season, joining Jarquez Hunter of Auburn.
The Greenwood, Ind. native is one of seven players overall in the Mid-American Conference to rush for at least one touchdown in both games to begin the 2021 campaign, joining DeQuan Finn (TOL), La'darius Jefferson (WMU), Bryant Koback (TOL), Lew Nichols (CMU), Collin Schlee (KENT) and Harrison Waylee (NIU).
Attacking the Ball
Ball State has three of the top 15 tacklers in the Mid-American Conference in ILB Jaylin Thomas, S Bryce Cosby and S Brett Anderson II. Thomas is tied for 10th in the league with 16 tackles, while Cosby is right behind in a tie for 12th with 15 tackles. Anderson has 13 stops and is tied for 19th.
"We've got to get our edge back," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "We've got to go back to our roots. We've got to go back to some of the things that helped us climb a mountain around here. That starts with the smallest and finest of details."
Those small details were a big reason why Ball State went on an 8-game winning streak that culminated with a Mid-American Conference Championship and the first bowl win in program history last season.
"We've got to play better," Neu added. "We've got to be more physical and more disciplined. We've got to execute at a higher level. We've got to demand more of ourselves. There's no secrets. There's nothing we're going to be able to magically do from a scheme standpoint. It's about us playing a better brand of football."
Ball State will look to find success against a Wyoming team that was picked to finish second in its division and received first-place votes to win the Mountain West Conference. The Cowboys are 2-0 on the season and are also 22-7 at home since 2016, having won 10 of their last 11 at War Memorial Stadium.
"It's a good football team that is very well rounded," Neu said. "They play complete football. They're good defensively, they're good offensively and they're good on special teams. Coach (Craig) Bohl has done a tremendous job with that Wyoming program. It's going to be a great challenge for us going on the road."
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on 104,1 WLBC, online at BallStateSports.com and on the Varsity Network app with the Ball State Radio Network trio of Joel Godett, Rich Spisak and Jack McMullen breaking down the action. The game will also be available on Stadium with Ari Wolfe and Mike Lamb on the call.
Inside the Series: Wyoming
Ball State and Wyoming are set to square off for the first time in series history Saturday. The Cardinals have only played four games against teams in the currently-constructed Mountain West Conference, all of which have been in bowl games. Ball State played Fresno State in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl (L, 27-6), Utah State in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 42-33), Nevada in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 18-15) and San Jose State in the 2020 Arizona Bowl (W, 34-13). The win over the Spartans marked the first Cardinals bowl victory all-time.
Coach Neu on Wyoming…
"They're a very balanced team offensively. In Week 1, they had a close contest at home they won 19-16. They had kind of an offensive shootout in Week 2, but they were certainly in control for a big chunk of the game. Their offensive coordinator, who's in his first year, came from Iowa. When you turn the tape on, you can see a little bit of a twist of Iowa in their offense and how they run the ball. They want to establish the line of scrimmage. They're a good, complete team. Their quarterback is playing at a high level. Their offensive line has done a good job of establishing the line of scrimmage and playing physical, which is what they want to do. When they have had the opportunity to throw the ball, they've generated some explosive plays. They're a team that averages almost 400 yards per game offensively, and it's a pretty good balance between run and pass. We've got to be ready for that.
"Defensively, they're very opportunistic. They've created turnovers through two weeks. They get more hands on balls than most teams I've seen, in terms of tipped balls and deflections. They're going to make you earn it. What you see from them defensively is very consistent. When you study the looks on tape, it's not something that is super exotic. They just play good, hard-nosed, tough, disciplined football. They tackle well and they fly to the ball. They've got great length at the corner position. It's going to be a good challenge here. We're playing against a good team that is well rounded in all phases."
On This Date
The Cardinals are 4-5 on Sept. 18 in program history, earning wins at Hanover in 1954 (40-6), vs. Indiana (Pa.) in 1965 (26-14), at Miami in 1976 (23-6) and at Ohio in 1993 (24-16).
Strong Start by Steele
Freshman RB Carson Steele has emerged as a strong candidate to receive touches out of the backfield so far in his first collegiate season. Steele has a touchdown in both games against Western Illinois and Penn State. He is one of only two true freshmen in the country to rush for a touchdown in both games to begin the season, joining Jarquez Hunter of Auburn.
The Greenwood, Ind. native is one of seven players overall in the Mid-American Conference to rush for at least one touchdown in both games to begin the 2021 campaign, joining DeQuan Finn (TOL), La'darius Jefferson (WMU), Bryant Koback (TOL), Lew Nichols (CMU), Collin Schlee (KENT) and Harrison Waylee (NIU).
Attacking the Ball
Ball State has three of the top 15 tacklers in the Mid-American Conference in ILB Jaylin Thomas, S Bryce Cosby and S Brett Anderson II. Thomas is tied for 10th in the league with 16 tackles, while Cosby is right behind in a tie for 12th with 15 tackles. Anderson has 13 stops and is tied for 19th.
Players Mentioned
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