Ball State Football Postgame News Conference Quotes, October 5: Game 5 vs Central Michigan
Coach Neu
Opening statement: “When you have the lead 35-31 going into the fourth quarter, and you challenge your football team like this, you're in this position now. We’ve got to be able to finish the deal. Your best football is required, especially in a situation like that for the final 15 minutes of the game. Turnovers, holding calls, self-inflicted wounds — that's on us.”
Q: “Are [the self-inflicted wounds] even more frustrating given the fact that we're now five games in?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “ No question. Everybody in these seats can see when everybody does their part there and we execute, it's a really good thing. It's a good product. It looks good, but you can't have self-inflicted wounds. There's no other way to slice it.”
Q: “Is there anything that needs to change on the defense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “That’s frustrating, giving up some of the explosive plays that were given up — some of the big plays in the passing game. We’re not close enough in coverage, whether it's man or zone, whatever it may be, and that can't happen. We're gonna have to look at our personnel.”
Q: “Did you feel like there were moments, or even extended moments, in this game where this team did have confidence?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Obviously, there's moments in the game. We talked a lot about making sure that the sideline brings great juice, great energy, because you feed off that. And I thought there were different moments throughout the course of the game. There were some good things going on, but you’ve got to be able to sustain that. You’ve got to be able to finish that.”
Q: “Would it be fair to say that this team's biggest issue this year has been its lack of consistency?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, no question. Obviously, it is what it is [with the non-conference games], but that hurt. We went on the road there to Miami — that hurt, that set us back from a confidence standpoint, for sure. But, you’ve got to regroup; you’ve got to recover.”
Q: “What was it like to see Ty Robinson out there and make his MAC debut, and then get that big touchdown?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “I’m just happy for Ty. He's been through a lot, having two injuries where he missed 10 games last year. It was good to see him back on the practice field this week, and for him to be able to get a game under his belt like that, I know it was a lot of hard work to get to that point. I'm excited for him, just from a confidence standpoint.”
Jordan Coleman
Q: “[Coach Neu] feels like [confidence] has been the biggest reason why you guys have struggled a bit through the season. Do you feel the same way?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I feel the same way. I feel like confidence is a big way for our defense to continue making plays. You know, the inconsistency really comes with it. So, consistency and confidence are the main reasons why our defense is where it is right now.”
Q: “[Do big plays] help spark the defense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Of course. When we see our offense making plays that sparks us as a defense, and vice versa. When we make plays it sparks the offense. We’ve got to keep playing complimentary football.”
Q: “What have you been saying to other guys in the defensive group?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Just discipline. We're a young group, but at the same time, that's no excuse. No more. At this point, we're almost halfway through the season, and we’ve got to start maturing.”
Q: “How do you as a player go about, kind of rebuilding your confidence after a game like this?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “You’ve got to start from the basics. Watch film for the next game. Swim, go to the pool, and life. Everything's got to take everything 100%, so just continue constantly. Do the same thing over again.”
Braedon Sloan
Q: “What do you feel like this offense has shown in terms of its diversity?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “We have multiple different weapons on our offense. I was looking at the statsheet before I came in here, and you’ve got a bunch of guys with a bunch of targets, a bunch of catches and a lot of production coming from everywhere — and that's really good to have.”
Q: “That was your first passing attempt in college ever. Did you throw any passes in high school or middle school or anything?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “In little league, I played quarterback for a year. I wasn’t really throwing a lot in little league, but in high school, I had one game on quarterback. Our quarterback got hurt on the first play of the game, and I had to come in and play quarterback. I was mainly running the ball, but I threw it a couple of times. But in college, that was my first ever attempt.”
Q: “When that play was called, what was going through your mind?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I wasn’t really nervous. Just don't throw an interception, you know. If I get the look that we've talked about, and I can throw the ball decent — like playing catch in the backyard.”
Q: “What was going through your head when you first caught the ball, and then how do you feel after you make a [72-yard reception] like that?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I first caught the ball, and I saw the first dude. I was thinking, just make him miss and try to get to the outside. I just got to that point, read my blocks and kept running. And then after I got past the last due, it was like, ‘Don't get caught.’ I got caught, but you know that happens.”
Coach Neu
Opening statement: “When you have the lead 35-31 going into the fourth quarter, and you challenge your football team like this, you're in this position now. We’ve got to be able to finish the deal. Your best football is required, especially in a situation like that for the final 15 minutes of the game. Turnovers, holding calls, self-inflicted wounds — that's on us.”
Q: “Are [the self-inflicted wounds] even more frustrating given the fact that we're now five games in?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “ No question. Everybody in these seats can see when everybody does their part there and we execute, it's a really good thing. It's a good product. It looks good, but you can't have self-inflicted wounds. There's no other way to slice it.”
Q: “Is there anything that needs to change on the defense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “That’s frustrating, giving up some of the explosive plays that were given up — some of the big plays in the passing game. We’re not close enough in coverage, whether it's man or zone, whatever it may be, and that can't happen. We're gonna have to look at our personnel.”
Q: “Did you feel like there were moments, or even extended moments, in this game where this team did have confidence?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Obviously, there's moments in the game. We talked a lot about making sure that the sideline brings great juice, great energy, because you feed off that. And I thought there were different moments throughout the course of the game. There were some good things going on, but you’ve got to be able to sustain that. You’ve got to be able to finish that.”
Q: “Would it be fair to say that this team's biggest issue this year has been its lack of consistency?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, no question. Obviously, it is what it is [with the non-conference games], but that hurt. We went on the road there to Miami — that hurt, that set us back from a confidence standpoint, for sure. But, you’ve got to regroup; you’ve got to recover.”
Q: “What was it like to see Ty Robinson out there and make his MAC debut, and then get that big touchdown?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “I’m just happy for Ty. He's been through a lot, having two injuries where he missed 10 games last year. It was good to see him back on the practice field this week, and for him to be able to get a game under his belt like that, I know it was a lot of hard work to get to that point. I'm excited for him, just from a confidence standpoint.”
Jordan Coleman
Q: “[Coach Neu] feels like [confidence] has been the biggest reason why you guys have struggled a bit through the season. Do you feel the same way?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I feel the same way. I feel like confidence is a big way for our defense to continue making plays. You know, the inconsistency really comes with it. So, consistency and confidence are the main reasons why our defense is where it is right now.”
Q: “[Do big plays] help spark the defense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Of course. When we see our offense making plays that sparks us as a defense, and vice versa. When we make plays it sparks the offense. We’ve got to keep playing complimentary football.”
Q: “What have you been saying to other guys in the defensive group?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Just discipline. We're a young group, but at the same time, that's no excuse. No more. At this point, we're almost halfway through the season, and we’ve got to start maturing.”
Q: “How do you as a player go about, kind of rebuilding your confidence after a game like this?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “You’ve got to start from the basics. Watch film for the next game. Swim, go to the pool, and life. Everything's got to take everything 100%, so just continue constantly. Do the same thing over again.”
Braedon Sloan
Q: “What do you feel like this offense has shown in terms of its diversity?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “We have multiple different weapons on our offense. I was looking at the statsheet before I came in here, and you’ve got a bunch of guys with a bunch of targets, a bunch of catches and a lot of production coming from everywhere — and that's really good to have.”
Q: “That was your first passing attempt in college ever. Did you throw any passes in high school or middle school or anything?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “In little league, I played quarterback for a year. I wasn’t really throwing a lot in little league, but in high school, I had one game on quarterback. Our quarterback got hurt on the first play of the game, and I had to come in and play quarterback. I was mainly running the ball, but I threw it a couple of times. But in college, that was my first ever attempt.”
Q: “When that play was called, what was going through your mind?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I wasn’t really nervous. Just don't throw an interception, you know. If I get the look that we've talked about, and I can throw the ball decent — like playing catch in the backyard.”
Q: “What was going through your head when you first caught the ball, and then how do you feel after you make a [72-yard reception] like that?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I first caught the ball, and I saw the first dude. I was thinking, just make him miss and try to get to the outside. I just got to that point, read my blocks and kept running. And then after I got past the last due, it was like, ‘Don't get caught.’ I got caught, but you know that happens.”