The goal of his BCD - Blue Collar Defenses - is to be varied and active enough pre-snap that Ball State is never “a sitting duck” for perfect-play seeking opposing coordinators. They’ll roll behind five returning starting offensive linemen, including NFL prospect Curtis Blackwell at right guard.ĭefensively, 31-year-old Tyler Stockton debuted as a play-caller last season, and Neu and Goetz rave about his long-term future. Star receivers Justin Hall (an FBS-leading 257 career catches) and Yo’Heinz Tyler (16.1 yards per catch) also return for second-year offensive coordinator Kevin Lynch. Plitt’s championship season got him invited to the Manning Passing Academy this summer. It’s “a West Coast offense on steroids,” including an RPO game similar to the one Joe Burrow and Joe Brady made outlandishly famous at LSU in 2019. Ball State’s offense is a gumbo of the New Orleans Saints offense Neu learned as Drew Brees’ quarterbacks coach in New Orleans mixed with his life experience. Neu, who calls the plays, brings a unique perspective from playing in Canada and the Arena League, and nearly a decade coaching in the Arena League. Ball State averaged 34.3 points per game last year, with Plitt throwing 17 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. #Ball state ilocker macOver time, it transformed from nail to hammer within the league, winning six straight MAC games, including upsetting No. In 2017, Ball State endured a stretch of three straight conference games without a touchdown - a 142-15 gauntlet against Western Michigan, Akron and Central Michigan. The Cardinals went 1-15 in MAC play during Neu’s first two years, which is part of the reason defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton has a saying on the white board in his office borrowed from former Virginia coach Al Groh: “Don’t want to feel like on Saturdays? Then recruit your tail off.” “Just because you got there a year ago doesn't mean it's going to happen again. Six different programs have won the MAC over the past six seasons – Bowling Green (2015), Western Michigan (2016), Toledo (2017), Northern Illinois (2018), Miami (2019) and Ball State (2020) – making the MAC an ode to annual unpredictability.įamous coaching alums like Urban Meyer (Bowling Green) and Matt Campbell (Toledo) never won league titles as head coaches, and no team has repeated since Northern Illinois in 20. The MAC’s talent differential is minuscule between penthouse and basement, and favorites reliably get caught from behind. There certainly won’t be anyone around the MAC conceding the title to Ball State. “That’s another huge reason everyone came back,” Plitt said. He’s from the area, starred at quarterback at Ball State and brings a neighborly Midwest manner that resonates with the players. When Ball State has predawn offseason workouts, Neu greets every player at the door of the facility to fist bump them as they walk in. “And it's unpopular to choose this avenue of, ‘Let's give them some time here to grow the program.’ I'm very proud and appreciative of the fact that they stayed patient and let us see that process through.” “It is a results-oriented business and everybody wants the quick fix,” Neu said. In a climate in college athletics where athletic directors often see firing coaches as a path to career advancement, Goetz showed rare patience. “We were positioned to have a chance to make the jump.” “It was unquestionable that he had the locker room,” Goetz said. Her research transcended statistical tells. Goetz saw the data points of improvement after Neu went 2-8, 4-10 and 5-7 from 2017 to 2019. That bond can be tied, in part, to a lesson in administrative patience. “Everyone wanted to be around each other, it’s a testament to the bond we have.” “Everyone was like, ‘If you’re staying, I’m going to stay,” said Plitt, who has already received his MBA. You have to have one of the best seasons you’ve ever had.” “In order to do that, we have to win the MAC and go to a bowl game. “Our goal is to go to a New Year’s Six bowl,” star quarterback Drew Plitt told Yahoo Sports. The Cardinals won the school’s first MAC title since 1996, completing a gradual ascent to the top of the league under coach Mike Neu that saw patient and gradual growth that’s rare in the sport - four losing seasons that culminated last year with a program flip to 7-1. 19 San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl.īall State is a portrait of the glut of veteran riches that will abound in college football in 2021. The school whose most famous alumnus is David Letterman is no longer a punch line, as it achieved the school’s first end-of-season ranking (No. And on paper, with 18 starters returning and 16 so-called Super Seniors, there’s arguably no program in the country more prepared to repeat as league champions. Ball State won its first MAC title in nearly a quarter century last season.
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