Ahead of Tennessee’s season-opening matchup with Ball State, The Daily Beacon talked with Ball State Daily News’ Sports Editor Daniel Kehn who broke down the Cardinals and things to keep an eye on Thursday night.
Question: What’s the state of Ball State’s football program entering the seventh year under head coach Mike Neu?
Answer: “It was a lot of building up, and in that 2020 season the team got a lot right. They won the MAC Championship, they went to a bowl game, finished No. 23 in the polls. It was what most would see as a successful progression, but in 2021 they took a step back. They still made a bowl game, but it was kind of an underwhelming season.
“Looking at this season, especially with a new starting quarterback, a couple things shifted around, still got a lot of young guys but still a nice mix of veterans in the trenches, it’s kind of a rebuilding or retooling year. I still think the team is going to compete, I think it’s still going to be that Ball State we know in the MAC, but they are trying to put that disappointing season behind them.”
Q: If Ball State is in a rebuilding year, what’s a reasonable goal for this season? Are they capable of making it back to a bowl game?
A: “I don’t think six games is out of the question. A lot will be decided with Western Michigan, their first home game on Sept. 10. I know if you ask any Ball State player, the minimum goal is the MAC Western division title. That’s always their goal going into every season. And the MAC is kind of like that in that — it’s up for grabs every season.
“And for this program, that is at least the bare minimum. This is now two years running that they have made a bowl game. They will look to make it three straight in 2022.”
Q: What does the quarterback position look like for Ball State? It looks like redshirt junior John Paddock has the most experience — is he the frontrunner to start?
A: “Paddock is the most experienced on the roster. He has been getting a lot of those starting snaps. We know that Mike Neu and offensive coordinator Kevin Lynch have faith. They like John Paddock in that system. He’s a redshirt junior this year. He played in two appearances last year, and they were more cameo appearances than anything else, but he’s still looked relatively comfortable and we’ll see him this year kind of build on that role. I do think he will be the starting quarterback though.”
Q: Wide receiver Jayshon Jackson was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. How does he fit into the offensive scheme? Are there any other playmakers to watch on offense?
A: “The offense is still looking good this season for Ball State. They obviously lost Justin Hall, but Jayshon Jackson and Justin Hall were right up there as kind of a one-two punch last season. And then they had this freshman running back Carson Steele come in and he was just a lights out player for Ball State, and he’s going to be getting a lot of carries this year.
“Jayshon Jackson is going to be a great number one option, but another player that got mentioned a couple times last year was Yo’Heinz Tyler. He can be a really solid number two, or if they want to do kind of a one-two punch or some other stuff out of the backfield with their receivers, he will be a great option for that. In addition they have two big tight ends in Brady Hunt and Tanner Koziol. They’re both 6-foot-6, they’re pretty big guys and they will provide something different for Ball State. That offensive line had a couple of injury issues last year, but they still are returning a lot of the veteran players who are going to help John Paddock in the pocket make some good throws.”
Q: Linebacker Brandon Martin is the veteran leader on this defense. What can you expect from him this season?
A: “There was a lot of speculation that last year was going to be Martin’s final year, but he got an extra year of eligibility because he had a lower knee injury. He’s kind of the elder statesman on that team right now, especially on that defensive line. He’s going to lead a lot of that. He did have a couple injury bugs last year that kind of shortened his season a little bit. This will be his last year in college and he’s really going to make the most of it, but that is kind of that big stand out on that defensive side of the ball.”
Q: What position group can pose the biggest threat to Tennessee?
A: “I think the run game for Ball State is going to be really important, not just against Tennessee but just this season. Like I said, Carson Steele out of the backfield, he came into Ball State, and he made moves very quickly. In addition to Carson Steele in the backfield they have Will Jones, redshirt senior running back who has a lot of veteran experience. So when it gets time they might call on him to carry the ball a little bit.
“First game of the year, I think the wide receivers are also just going to get some shots. They’re going to see what they can do with that aerial attack, knowing that they can lean on that running back spot if things don’t go to plan.”
Byron Young (6), Aaron Beasley (24), Kurott Garland (99), at the Tennessee vs South Alabama game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday Nov. 20, 2021.
