Ball State Football Weekly News Conference Quotes, October 7: Game 6
Coach Neu
Opening Statement: “We’re full speed ahead here getting ourselves prepared for Kent State. Obviously, reflecting back still on Saturday, nothing's changed. Obviously, we cannot turn the ball over. We lost a turnover battle three to one. We had some mistakes, and that showed up when you watch the tape. With coverage, we gave up some uncontested throws that were too easy, and we’ve got to get that fixed. And so, obviously, we're going to go into Kent State. They're coming off of a bye week, and after losing their first conference game to Eastern Michigan, they've been through some injury challenges. But you know, on our end of it, we're focused on making sure we fix some of the challenges we have.”
Q: “What is your process like when you don't want to view [Kent State] as lesser than, and you still want to prepare for them at the same level?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “In this conference, I think year after year, week after week, anybody can be anybody. Obviously, we saw that in college football this past weekend. So, it's really a nameless, faceless opponent. I know that sounds silly, but it really is, because you’ve got to make sure that you're putting your football team in a position to do what they do best.”
Q: “The comment [from Saturday] about ‘looking at personnel’ … can you kind of just clarify that?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Perhaps even adjusting guys that are playing one position; we might be thin somewhere else. Do you move them over? Can they handle that move? And so, we talked about all that stuff yesterday a little bit, but really this morning. I had a meeting with the defensive staff, meeting with the offensive staff — just seeing where we're at personnel wise.”
Q: “On Saturday, in particular, what was your conversation like with the defensive staff?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I had to sleep on it. I needed to go home and watch it. But really, at the end of the day, we had mistakes in coverage. Obviously, Wednesday of last week, Ty Baldwin gets hurt with an ankle and wasn't able to go. He played just a couple of plays in the game on Saturday, so then you're forcing some guys into action. Blair Schonhorst hasn't played a ton of snaps, so now there's a trickle down effect.”
Q: “Is this team right now in a position to where you're comfortable with their ability to adjust?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, obviously, there's things that happen in game. The great thing now is really you can coach a guy up on the sideline because you can take that iPad, and you can show them exactly what you're seeing, or you can express to them exactly what took place and why you want to make a change, or why you want to make an adjustment. So, I think that has made it better in terms of in-game adjustments on the sideline.”
Q: “You talked about looking at Kent State’s Film. What have you pinpointed that they have talent-wise?” — Elijah Poe, Ball State Daily News
A: “They've been through their end. They lost two quarterbacks in the same game against Penn State. Tommy Ulatowski came back, had a career game against Eastern Michigan for 350 yards or right around there. Chrishon McCray had a huge day that game — very explosive player. So, they’ve got some playmakers. And it's one of those things that — no different than any other team — injuries are part of it.”
Q: “[Kent State has] turned it over kind of more than really anybody has. Is that viewed as an opportunity for the defense to go and get some confidence back?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “Yeah, no question. Obviously, any game that you can get some turnovers and get some takeaways, you're getting extra possessions. And in their case, some of the scores of their games got the way they got because they gave their opponents some extra possessions. But absolutely, when you have an opportunity to get a takeaway, man, we’ve got to capitalize.”
Keionte Newson
Q: “[Kent State is] coming off a bye week. They're probably hungrier than ever to get a win because they’re winless, and they're playing at home. Do you view that as more of a challenge than they might look like on paper?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I mean, at the end of the day, the MAC is a competitive conference, and all the teams are really close and neck-and-neck — considering everything that happens in the transfer portal and the ebbs and flows in the season and all that. So, they're hungry to come get a win, but at the end of the day, if we do what we need to do, we'll come out with a win.”
Q: “You guys are in the same position; you guys are hungry for a win. What does that feel like as a player?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “It's something else to play for. We have all these factors and extra motivation for us individually as players, but as a team, being in the situation that we are in, everybody's hungry. Everybody wants to get better, and everybody wants to win these games.”
Q: “From your perspective, what went wrong [against Western Michigan]?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I mean, we just made mistakes in crucial times — missed tackles in the backfield, misalignments, and then unfortunate things. We threw the interception, and we weren’t able to get a stop right there. That hurt us bad.”
Q: “Do you feel like this team needs a win to get that confidence back?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, I feel like that'll help shake everything up because, at the end of the day, people are confident in their own way, and you bring that out of people in different ways. But, when you get wins and you get rewarded for the work that you put in, that brings its own level of confidence with it.”
Ty Robinson
Q: “What was that feeling … when you catch it and realize that your first catch back is a touchdown?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Just the whole week throughout practice, just scouting their defense, watching film, and game planning, as soon as he called the play, I already knew the ball was coming to me. Having a touchdown at Scheumann Stadium — it was my first one — was a different feeling. So, it felt really good, and I’m excited to have some more.”
Q: “What was it like this year [coming back from injury]?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “ I think being injured last year, which is unfortunate, I think it did help me this time around. Obviously, I knew I had to get into rehab. And, I just knew that my team still needed me, whether I was playing or I wasn't.”
Q: “What do you feel like you add to this already thriving offense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I just think that our offense is really deep, and I think that really anybody on our team can play and go out there and make plays. So, whether I'm playing wide receiver, lineman or center, or whatever, I'm just going out there to help my team in any way possible.”
Q: “ How much confidence do you feel like the offense needs? And how far would a win go for this offense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I think that a win would really benefit the whole team. Wins feel good. It makes us feel like all the work that we put in during the offseason and everything is for a good reason. I think it would boost our confidence a lot. These losses, especially these two MAC losses, have been really close. They’ve both been three point losses, so we all know right there.”
Coach Neu
Opening Statement: “We’re full speed ahead here getting ourselves prepared for Kent State. Obviously, reflecting back still on Saturday, nothing's changed. Obviously, we cannot turn the ball over. We lost a turnover battle three to one. We had some mistakes, and that showed up when you watch the tape. With coverage, we gave up some uncontested throws that were too easy, and we’ve got to get that fixed. And so, obviously, we're going to go into Kent State. They're coming off of a bye week, and after losing their first conference game to Eastern Michigan, they've been through some injury challenges. But you know, on our end of it, we're focused on making sure we fix some of the challenges we have.”
Q: “What is your process like when you don't want to view [Kent State] as lesser than, and you still want to prepare for them at the same level?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “In this conference, I think year after year, week after week, anybody can be anybody. Obviously, we saw that in college football this past weekend. So, it's really a nameless, faceless opponent. I know that sounds silly, but it really is, because you’ve got to make sure that you're putting your football team in a position to do what they do best.”
Q: “The comment [from Saturday] about ‘looking at personnel’ … can you kind of just clarify that?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Perhaps even adjusting guys that are playing one position; we might be thin somewhere else. Do you move them over? Can they handle that move? And so, we talked about all that stuff yesterday a little bit, but really this morning. I had a meeting with the defensive staff, meeting with the offensive staff — just seeing where we're at personnel wise.”
Q: “On Saturday, in particular, what was your conversation like with the defensive staff?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I had to sleep on it. I needed to go home and watch it. But really, at the end of the day, we had mistakes in coverage. Obviously, Wednesday of last week, Ty Baldwin gets hurt with an ankle and wasn't able to go. He played just a couple of plays in the game on Saturday, so then you're forcing some guys into action. Blair Schonhorst hasn't played a ton of snaps, so now there's a trickle down effect.”
Q: “Is this team right now in a position to where you're comfortable with their ability to adjust?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, obviously, there's things that happen in game. The great thing now is really you can coach a guy up on the sideline because you can take that iPad, and you can show them exactly what you're seeing, or you can express to them exactly what took place and why you want to make a change, or why you want to make an adjustment. So, I think that has made it better in terms of in-game adjustments on the sideline.”
Q: “You talked about looking at Kent State’s Film. What have you pinpointed that they have talent-wise?” — Elijah Poe, Ball State Daily News
A: “They've been through their end. They lost two quarterbacks in the same game against Penn State. Tommy Ulatowski came back, had a career game against Eastern Michigan for 350 yards or right around there. Chrishon McCray had a huge day that game — very explosive player. So, they’ve got some playmakers. And it's one of those things that — no different than any other team — injuries are part of it.”
Q: “[Kent State has] turned it over kind of more than really anybody has. Is that viewed as an opportunity for the defense to go and get some confidence back?” — Cade Hampton, Star Press
A: “Yeah, no question. Obviously, any game that you can get some turnovers and get some takeaways, you're getting extra possessions. And in their case, some of the scores of their games got the way they got because they gave their opponents some extra possessions. But absolutely, when you have an opportunity to get a takeaway, man, we’ve got to capitalize.”
Keionte Newson
Q: “[Kent State is] coming off a bye week. They're probably hungrier than ever to get a win because they’re winless, and they're playing at home. Do you view that as more of a challenge than they might look like on paper?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I mean, at the end of the day, the MAC is a competitive conference, and all the teams are really close and neck-and-neck — considering everything that happens in the transfer portal and the ebbs and flows in the season and all that. So, they're hungry to come get a win, but at the end of the day, if we do what we need to do, we'll come out with a win.”
Q: “You guys are in the same position; you guys are hungry for a win. What does that feel like as a player?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “It's something else to play for. We have all these factors and extra motivation for us individually as players, but as a team, being in the situation that we are in, everybody's hungry. Everybody wants to get better, and everybody wants to win these games.”
Q: “From your perspective, what went wrong [against Western Michigan]?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I mean, we just made mistakes in crucial times — missed tackles in the backfield, misalignments, and then unfortunate things. We threw the interception, and we weren’t able to get a stop right there. That hurt us bad.”
Q: “Do you feel like this team needs a win to get that confidence back?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Yeah, I feel like that'll help shake everything up because, at the end of the day, people are confident in their own way, and you bring that out of people in different ways. But, when you get wins and you get rewarded for the work that you put in, that brings its own level of confidence with it.”
Ty Robinson
Q: “What was that feeling … when you catch it and realize that your first catch back is a touchdown?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Just the whole week throughout practice, just scouting their defense, watching film, and game planning, as soon as he called the play, I already knew the ball was coming to me. Having a touchdown at Scheumann Stadium — it was my first one — was a different feeling. So, it felt really good, and I’m excited to have some more.”
Q: “What was it like this year [coming back from injury]?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “ I think being injured last year, which is unfortunate, I think it did help me this time around. Obviously, I knew I had to get into rehab. And, I just knew that my team still needed me, whether I was playing or I wasn't.”
Q: “What do you feel like you add to this already thriving offense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I just think that our offense is really deep, and I think that really anybody on our team can play and go out there and make plays. So, whether I'm playing wide receiver, lineman or center, or whatever, I'm just going out there to help my team in any way possible.”
Q: “ How much confidence do you feel like the offense needs? And how far would a win go for this offense?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “I think that a win would really benefit the whole team. Wins feel good. It makes us feel like all the work that we put in during the offseason and everything is for a good reason. I think it would boost our confidence a lot. These losses, especially these two MAC losses, have been really close. They’ve both been three point losses, so we all know right there.”