Cardinal Roundtable: Ball State-Toledo (Four Days Late)

(Yes, yes, I know, I haven't posted anything for a week. I have my reasons, but I will try to get back on the horse in an attempt to bring the best possible news. Anyway, I missed last week's version of the Cardinal Roundtable, but here's how I would've answered them if I had done it on Thursday. The other two participants are Over The Pylon and Ball U Nation. Enjoy.)

1. One of the biggest questions going into the Kent State game was how Ball State would be able to replace Dante Love. How well do you think Ball State was able to replace him?

You can't replace your top playmaker on a dime and expect everything to stay the same. Maybe at an Alabama, but not at Ball State. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried about our last three games and how missing Dante could hurt us down the road.

But it almost seems as if Nate could make Myles Trempe and Briggs Orsbon superstars in his own right. Trempe is slowly starting to make a heck of an impression on me.

2. One of the weak spots in this year has been the run defense. How much do you think this will hurt Ball State as the season progresses?

I'll cheat here since we saw what the defense did in the Toledo game, but man this defense's improvement has been freakin' ridiculous. I've never seen a Ball State defense play as well as it did against Toledo. Never in my lifetime. They made the Rockets look ridiculous. But as we keep saying, the truest test will come against Central.

3. Brady Hoke is starting to get mentioned for other jobs. Assuming he leaves, who would you like to see replace him?

Well, obviously Stan Parrish would be the ideal fit. The question is, does he want it? If he were to leave with Brady wherever he goes next (and it's probably a safe bet Brady leaves when Nate does), I really have no idea who'd replace him. Maybe Lee Corso?

4. If you could save one Toledo player and make him a Cardinal, who would it be and why?

When we did this question earlier about which MAC player we'd want, I chose Toledo's ball-hawking safety Barry Church, and I still stand by that one.

5. One of the biggest playmakers for Ball State was supposed to be Darius Hill, but he has been all but invisible in all but the Northeastern game. What do you think is the problem, and is it correctable?

It's kind of weird in that he has ALWAYS had a case of the butterfingers, yet no one ever talked about it until this year. I think it's more noticeable because Ball State is, in fact, 6-0.

For all the hype he gets, he sure drops a lot of footballs and I've got to think that scouts notice it. But I wouldn't trade him for too many tight ends in college football. His size and ability to get open underneath are pretty solid.

Over The Pylon
Ball U Nation