Bash Riprock

I was a little surprised Spegal turned away from the Army offer. He would be a perfect fit at FB in the Army offense. But, I get not everyone wants the academy as their college experience and wants to serve the 5 years active duty following graduation.

I sure enjoyed watching in on TV. Incredible. A big salute to the Army Black Knights in their hard fought win against the Air Force Academy in OT. Army will retain the Commander-in-Chief's trophy regardless of the outcome of the Army/Navy game in December. (Army's 4th in the last 5 years)

Saw a telling stat this weekend......I did not confirm this..... The 3 Power 5 schools that have not defeated a Power 5 opponent this season...... Vanderbilt Kansas Indiana

Lol! You sound like the Wizard of Oz when he was busted for being a fraud…”nevermind the man behind the curtain!” Just funnin’ man….no need to get defensive….good luck 🍀 this friday!!

🤔🙄😝☘️

Baker Mayfield walked on twice….he hit the lottery.

Hey folks....this was never meant to be an argument over each other's opinions. Just sharing a personal observation...doesn't make anyone wrong or right. I am not certainly claiming I know more than anyone else on this topic. I respect Grover's insight because he knows the kid...knows his abilities, his work ethic, character, etc. Probably better than anyone recruiting him. I think recruiting by colleges at any level is not an exact science. Guessing the majority of the time, the good programs get it right. But we all know they are not anywhere close to 100%. I just think IU and Purdue missed with Steele. I respect if many of you feel differently. At the end of the day, he may be exactly where he should be in his life journey.

I did see that...very cool to see a lineman catch a TD. Love when that happens!! I thought they mentioned that Danny Pinter played some TE while at Ball State....did I hear correctly??

Rogers is getting pounded by the media including some ex-players. Why did he lie about getting the vaccine? Thoughts?

My comment had nothing to do with disrespect....never used that word or made a reference. My claim is that may have missed a pretty big fish in their own back yard. A very well known fish. The MAC isn't the Big 10....but I have sure watched their teams over the years play pretty darn respectable against the Big 10. I know both IU and Purdue have written checks to MAC teams, only to take a loss at home against them. Not always an easy out for the Big 10, and have a number of players from their teams playing on Sundays. Colts even have a couple of MAC players and a number of former mid-major alumns.....

Don't they take a chance on every recruit....guessing every P5 team is full of players on their rosters that don't become the contributors they hoped..... But I hear what you are saying about the T portal. Although if a school skips the player once, why would they be inclined to give them another chance?

I am not saying Ball State isn't the best fit....this may be a life blessing and I do believe God helps us on the right path if we are willing to listen with our ears and our hearts. But I would have liked to have seen Carson have the choice and I hope IU and Purdue opens their eyes a little more at our in-state talent. But I don't disagree...Ball State may end up being the absolutely perfect fit.

Amen PHJIrish....well said.

I hear what you are saying and agree to a certain extent. But there are a number of very large schools in this state that don't come close to this type of success. Watching the Carmel kids play, they are tough and well coached. They execute. And this starts at a very young age in their feeder system. They are clearly doing something right. And that's why its tough to pick against them. Much more than numbers. They will show up friday expecting to win....that I can guarantee.....

Excellent assessment.....

I am not sure how to make a comparison.....most likely, a true frosh running back wouldn't be getting many snaps if any in the Big 10....from that end, it may be a blessing for him to be playing at a MAC school. There may be a few, but not many.... I do agree with Grover....given Purdue's history of using big backs...I would have thought he would have been a perfect fit for their offense. Especially how he can also block and catch the ball out of the backfield.

Perhaps the “gang” should resist getting triggered, name calling and overall defensive. The response raises suspicion….takes more than one to close a thread….

Nice article after game last night https://www.ballstatedailynews.com/article/2021/11/sports-ball-state-cardinals-football-akron-zips-maction-recap

You are probably right Irish....except that running back group is a little smaller now......but I understand what you are saying.

I think this was deeper than I certainly intended. I just think both IU and Purdue missed on Carson Steele. I believe only Purdue extended him a PWO, so at least he had to be on their radar screen a little. Both rosters have a number of Indiana kids of their rosters, and Carson's high school Center Grove has had a number of players offered and play over the years at a number of FBS and FCS universities. This was not intended as a gripe for a certain high school or Indiana high school football in general. This is about 2 major in-state universities, that have difficulty at times at keeping the state's best high school players in-state, have a chance to nail down Mr. Football, and missed the mark. At the end of the day, this may be a major blessing for Carson. He's actually playing and contributing at Ball State. The young man played and scored against Penn State in Happy Valley this season. Perhaps this type of opportunity would have not come so soon for him at IU or Purdue. But make no mistake, he would have been an excellent contributor over time at these schools. He works way too hard, is too determined and talented not to succeed. https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2021/09/sports-ball-state-football-cardinals-carson-steele-center-grove-trojans-feature Ball State head coach Mike Neu said there are more positives than negatives when the ball is in the freshman running back’s hands and told him that if he practices how he plays, he will get more touches. He also said he loves the physical traits he brings to the table, which help him grind out extra yards. “He’s got great size,” Neu said. “He’s got good speed — he has all those things. When we were able to get him to commit to the Cardinals and we were able to get him here on campus, his work ethic is what stood out. His strength stood out. He put it out there on the practice field each and every day. He’s going to get the ball more and more because he’s earned those reps.” Ball State offensive coordinator Kevin Lynch said Steele’s work ethic is what caught his attention. He said he practices like he plays and gives the same intensity in practice that he does in games. “He’s a great kid,” Lynch said. “When he came here, he had it physically, and he was ready to go talent-wise. Sometimes, the challenge for freshmen is getting caught up to the speed of the game. He has been a guy that has really attacked that hard and has caught on really strong.” While Steele is only a freshman, he has scored three touchdowns in four games and is trying to make the most out of his touches. “He is not one of those guys who says a whole lot,” Neu said. “He is a freshman still trying to find his way — he does all of his talking with his work ethic. He is just working hard — he is super early to meetings, sitting in the front of the class and a lot of things have been so positive.”

The Hoosiers and Boilers evidently thought last year's Indiana Mr. Football Carson Steele didn't measure up to earn a scholly. So Ball State pounced....and glad they did. The Cardinals true frosh running back had his 2nd 100+ yd performance last night of the season against Akron. 154 yds rushing, and a 5 yd TD reception. Steele is leading the Cardinals with 582 yds rushing on the season for a 5.2 ypc avg. 64.7 avg/game. He also has 5 receptions for another 65 yds. Just blows me away neither IU or Purdue didn't think the young man merited enough value to provide him a scholarship offer. I mean why they offer Indiana Mr. Football?? Recap from last nights Cardinal game....... https://ballstatesports.com/news/2021/11/2/FB_AkronRecap.aspx

Well stated. Took our son to a ND Army game several years ago....Wow, just wow. This was back in the Brady Quinn days and for an overmatched team, Army hung tough. But to be in the stadium with the cadets, Army mule mascot, the respect of the ND fans for the Army fight, etc. was incredible. The pre-game had a C-130 type plane fly overhead with a bunch of Golden Knights jumping out. All of the Knights landed squarely in the center of the field...the last one with the USA and state of Indiana flags (yes he was a Hoosier) carrying the game ball and handing to the referee. The place was electric. As the game ended, just like Army/Navy, the victor sang second. Army sang to their fans first with ND players behind them, Then ND players ran to the opposite side of the field, with Army players behind them. ND sang to their student body, with Army there with them. Then, they all mingled hugging each other. It was beautiful. Been to many, many college games.....none better than that one. Enjoy Bob....

Michigan State won't stay there.....I have my doubts about Oregon as well. PAC 12 not very tough though, so they might.... What does the committee do if Georgia beats Bama in the SEC championship and Bama has 2 losses?

Some sources..... https://bleacherreport.com/articles/117345-recruiting-for-beginners-part-i-how-are-players-ranked https://athleticdirectoru.com/articles/do-football-recruiting-ratings-matter/ https://www.cougcenter.com/wsu-football-recruiting/2013/2/5/3956800/rivals-scout-espn-247-star-rating-system-national-signing-day

player...must be the word of the day.....earned it along with the Cap'n. I am in good company.