The Bulls will be facing a more traditional defense this time around in Ball State and their 4-3 set up. Ball State does not have a lot of size on the defense line and there are some weak points in their secondary (undersized in a few spots) but they are very experienced and will look to shut down the USF offense.
The Ball State defense starts with the defense line in their 4-3 scheme.
Defensive Line
Starting at the right defensive end spot is senior Ryan Hartke (6-4 228-pounds). He played in 6 games in 2010, totaling just two tackles. He is a bit undersized so our tackles will be able to handle him. His back ups are senior Steven Spence (6-2 225-pounds) and senior Lorren Womack (6-0 214-pounds) who played in 4 games last season, totaling just 2 tackles. At defensive tackle is sophomore Nathan Ollie (6-1 290-pounds). He played in 9 games in 2010, making 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and 1 sack. He is not a big time pass rusher, so the guards and Hine at center should do a solid job to keep Daniels on his feet. His reserve is sophomore Joel Cox (6-1 275-pounds) who played in 4 games in 2010, making 2 tackles. Senior Adam Morris is the starting nose tackle for Ball State (6-0 279-pounds). He played in all 12 games last season, making 23 total tackles including 2.5 tackles for a loss and a half a sack. His reserve is junior Donovan Jarrett (6-2 309-pounds). He played in 11 games last season amassing 4 total tackles. Starting at left defensive end is senior Andrew Puthoff (6-3 249-pounds) (another undersized defensive end). He played in 12 games last season amassing 34 tackles, including 3 tackles for a loss and one sack on the season. His back up is freshman Nick Miles (6-2 255-pounds) so Ball state is very thin at this spot.
The defensive line is not that impressive. Ball State has the size up the middle with two players around 300-pounds, but the ends are very undersized so the USF offensive line should be able to handle them and open running lanes and give Daniels the time to get throws down field and scramble if he needs to.
Linebackers
Starting at weakside linebacker is Tony Martin (6-1 219-pounds). In 2010, he played in 11 games, making 76 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass breaks up, and 1 pass break up. He plays well in the middle of the field and does a solid job patrolling on underneath passes. Freshman Julian Boyd (6-2 194-pounds) is his back up. Junior Travis Freeman is the starting middle linebacker (6-0 233-pounds). In 2010, he made 10 tackles including a half tackle for a loss and one sack. Junior Justin Cruz is his back up (5-11 216-pounds). He played in 11 games in 2010, making 47 tackles, including 2 tackles for a loss and broke up 2 passes. Sophomore Aaron Morris (6-0 195-pounds) made 9 tackles including 1.5 for a loss and 1 sack in the win over Indiana. In 2010, he played in 12 games and made 23 tackles. Senior Zach Jordan (5-10 198-pounds) is his back up.
Overall they are a solid unit, not the biggest and do not have the most explosive speed to keep up in the passing situations. They can do well in stopping the run, but our running backs like Scott should be able to get something done against them.
Secondary
Ball State does not have a very senior laden group of corners. Sophomore Jeffrey Garrett (5-9 170-pounds) is one of the starting corners. He made 7 solo tackles in the win over Indiana, showing his ability to come up and make a play. Junior Armand Dehaney (5-8 165-pounds) is his back up. He played in 12 games last season, making just 14 tackles as a reserve. Junior Justin Pinkston is the other starting corner (6-2 177-pounds). He played in 12 games in 2010 making 61 tackles including 1.5 for loss, intercepted 4 passes and broke up 7 passes so he will be active in the secondary.
Starting at free safety is senior Joshua Howard (6-1 197-pounds) who made 7 tackles in the opening win. He played in 12 games last season, making 17 tackles and intercepting 1 pass. His back up is senior Kyle Hoke (5-11 193-pounds). He played in 5 games in 2010, making 22 tackles (key reserve). Behind him is freshman Christopher Calloway (5-11 187-pounds).
Starting at strong safety is senior Sean Baker (6-1 204-pounds). He made 8 tackles including a half tackle for a loss and defended one pass in the opening win. His back up is freshman Brian Jones (5-10 178-pounds) so not much experience in the secondary.
Overall, the Ball State defense has experience, but not a lot of game breaking players that will be making the highlight reel. The defense line is a weak point so the USF running game should be able to get on track in this one. The secondary has experience, but does not have the experience of dealing with the overall team speed the Bulls possess. USF should be able to find ways to get enough points in this game.
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