MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State football coach
Matt Ballard is always optimistic this time of year. He has veterans working hard and fresh young talent eager to prove they can play at the Division I level.
But at the end of this year’s preseason camp and with two weeks until the season opener at James Madison, Ballard is downright giddy.
“This group of guys is further along at this point than we’ve been in recent years. We are game ready,” Ballard said. “If we had to play tomorrow, we’d be ready. We could play a game tomorrow and we’re still two weeks out.”
Ballard’s been very pleased with the state of the offense under the direction of second-year quarterback
Zach Lewis. And while he’s had nothing but good things to say about Lewis, Ballard also noted that he’s been very happy with the quarterback situation overall. Veteran
Evan Sawyer, who spent part of camp with the wide receivers to give MSU different options offensively, is slated to be number two on the depth chart. Freshman
Kyle Cook is penciled in as the third stringer, but he’s had heavy competition from a talented freshman class.
Heavy competition has been the game in the backfield as well, but experienced, familiar faces are getting the starting nods. Junior
Desmond Cox looks quick at the fullback position, and
Ronnie McDermott and
Drew Morgan are the starting halfbacks.
Dominique Goodwin,
Ryan Smart and
Cory Jackson may also see time running the ball. Of the freshman,
Isaiah Roundtree turned in impressive performances and may work his way into some games. His ability to make certain cuts and some plays gives Ballard another backfield weapon with a unique skill set.
Pass protection has been an Achilles’ tendon at times for the Eagles, including last season. Injuries all but decimated the MSU front five. This year’s o-line made it through spring injury-free and although there have been a few sprains and strains, the line is in better shape than last season. The return of
Brad Seger brings back a talented lineman whose instincts help him assume a leadership role.
Kalvin Harrington, and
Eric Matteson also bring veteran skills and leadership into the mix.
Elijah Barnett is one freshman who will most likely see playing time and has impressed Ballard in the early going.
“Barnett is beyond his years fundamentally. He’s technically as good as some of our sophomores and juniors.”
When Evan Sawyer joined the receiving corps for a few days to get experience, he added to a very crowded group of student-athletes who will be fighting for playing time. Ballard has his top four, but noted that every one of the receivers has the ability to make plays and several of them will earn playing time.
Jaison Yoshimura,
Donte Sawyer,
Andre Williams and
Kevin Thomas are the projected starters and key reserves. Ball State transfer
Michael Gallik, who entered camp as a running back, moved to wide receiver because of his abilities to catch and move with the ball.
It’s common knowledge that MSU had three big pairs of shoes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, but it appears most of those concerns have been met.
On the defensive line, where the loss of
Derik Steiner and
Andrew Doan were the hot topic,
Jerome Raymond and
Mark Hall have filled the gaps. Ballard called Raymond unstoppable in the spring, and Hall has caught up to Raymond to make a tandem of linemen that will cause trouble for opposing offenses.
Chris Burns and
Kyle Manley help strengthen the MSU D-line.
The loss of Wes McDermott from the list of linebackers has made that area a cause for concern. Veteran
Tony Bachman will start at middle linebacker and veteran
Keaton May is scheduled to be on the weak-side, but Ballard noted that linebacker is an area of concern this season so there could be some changes, including May playing in a swing role.
“We’ve got to play great team defense instead of just good team defense,” Ballard said. “We’ve got to step up and make plays and get stops.”
Oddly enough, the secondary, Ballard’s greatest area of concern entering camp, appears to be one of the places the Eagles’ improvements have made a difference. He notes that cornerbacks
Kameron Scott and
Daryl Smith have stepped up their efforts.
“I love the way we’re playing in the secondary; our speed, our quickness is double,” Ballard said. He added that
Stephen Francis,
Ryan Williams,
Sean Blair and
Cameron Armstrong have been making plays and have improved the secondary tremendously.
Ballard attributes much of the Eagles’ success in camp to the work ethic of all of the players and the eagerness of the veterans in teaching the newcomers. He also credited his coaching staff.
“These guys have done a great job with the challenging schedule we’ve installed,” Ballard said. “Our coaches have done a great job in meetings, we’ve had lots of film work, and that’s allowed us to hit the field running. The upperclassmen have done well coaching the younger guys, and we are game ready.”
Another part of the success Ballard says is due to the commitment to the newcomers.
“This class has been incredible. We had high expectations and they’ve exceeded them,” Ballard said. “It’s a tribute to them and to the upperclassmen. This group is not your typical group coming out of high school. They are physically stronger and more ready to play. I think we’ll have more guys out of this group play prominent roles than we’ve had for a few years.”
Being game ready two weeks out is good, but Ballard has two weeks to get the team what he calls “execution ready.” That will be a key goal to reach by the time MSU kicks off the season at JMU on Sept. 4. But Ballard says the Eagles will be ready, despite the caliber of opponent.
“We’ll respect them, but we won’t be intimidated by them. We understand the challenge and we’ll do what we do best.”
