BSU Special Edition 12-31-20

N D DAILY NEWS

SPECIAL EDITION

12.31.2020

THE FUTURE IS NOW JACOB MUSSELMAN; ELLIOTT DEROSE, DN

DNSpecialEdition

12.31.20

N D DAILY NEWS

The Ball State Daily News (USPS-144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, publishes Thursdays during the academic year, except during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.

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CONGRATS TO OUR

2020 MAC

CHAMPIONS!

VOL. 100 ISSUE: 17 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com EDITORIAL BOARD Zach Piatt, Editor-in-chief Taylor Smith, Managing Editor Grace McCormick, News Editor Nicole Thomas, Lifestyles Editor Ian Hansen, Sports Editor Jacob Musselman, Photo Editor Sophie Nulph, Opinion Editor Josh Bennett, Video Editor June Cooper, Social Media Editor John Lynch, Copy Director

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12.31.20

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Cheering from the couch Ring in the new year rooting for the Cardinals from home.

While Cardinal fans can’t be in the stands to watch Ball State Football compete in the Arizona Bowl against the San Jose State Spartans, fans can still support the team from the comfort of their home on New Year’s Eve. Consider these suggestions to throw a safe, socially distanced party to cheer on the Cardinals in their first bowl game since 2014.

Host a watch party

Root for the Cardinals virtually by gathering your friends and family on a Zoom call to watch the game together.

If you’ve signed up for Zoom with your Ball State username and password, you can host a Zoom call for

the entirety of the game without Zoom’s 40-minute meeting time limit. You can stream the game beginning at 2 p.m. EST using the CBS All Access app on your mobile devices or watch the game on your TV’s CBS channel.

Celebrate with themed foods

Wear your Ball State gear

Even from home, you can deck yourself out in Cardinal red and white while watching the game virtually. Pull out your Ball State sweaters, T-shirts, hats, socks and more from your closet to support the team. If you’d like more Ball State gear after the game, place an order at the Ball State Bookstore for a Bowl Bound T-shirt to commemorate the event.

KAMRYN TOMLINSON, DN

Hang decorations

Because the Arizona Bowl falls on New Year’s Eve, you can celebrate both events with your typical New Year’s Eve decorations. Stop by your local party supplies store to stock up on red and white balloons, streamers, paper garlands, tissue paper pompoms, table centerpieces and more. With decorations like these, you can bring the hype to your home when you’re unable to be part of a cheering crowd.

While you can’t snack on your favorite concession foods during the game, you can still enjoy munching on some red-and-white-colored snacks during the game. Grab a bowl of Greek yogurt to dip red fruits into, such as strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, apples or grapes, for a refreshing snack in between plays. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, try a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos paired with yogurt-covered pretzels for a sweet and spicy snack. For a heartier meal, add your favorite toppings to roasted red potatoes, such as cheese, sour cream and crumbled bacon, for another redand-white-themed plate to eat while watching the Cardinals from home.

-Staff Reports

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12.31.20

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ONE LAST GAME Ball State looks to make more history and win the program’s first-ever bowl game.

Senior linebacker Christian Albright walks onto the team charter airplane on the way to the Arizona Bowl Dec. 29, 2020, at the Indianapolis International Airport. The distance from Muncie to Tucson, Arizona, is a 1,746-mile drive or a 1,523-mile flight — the longest trip of Ball State’s 2020 season. JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN Ian Hansen Sports Editor Making history is nothing new for Ball State Football in 2020.

It all started this past offseason — back when a season was still up in the air — when senior safety Bryce Cosby had a fiery speech that ended with the mantra the Cardinals have had all season: Detroit or bust.

Ball State not only made it to Detroit, but it also won its first Mid-American Conference Championship in 24 years, defeating Buffalo 38-28.

The Cardinals now have an opportunity to make more history and potentially win their first bowl game in school history, as they will play San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl Dec. 31. Head coach Mike Neu said the adrenaline from that win has turned into focus for one last game.

“I can tell the focus has already shifted,” Neu said. “It is full speed ahead here for the opportunity to play a team like San Jose State. Both teams have similar stories. With both

teams winning a championship, it is going to be a great battle.”

Both teams won just two games in 2017 and had to battle through adversity to get to the point they are at now. This season, both teams won their respective conference titles and lost a combined one game.

That one game was when the Cardinals played 2019 MAC Champion Miami (Ohio) and lost 38-31 in the final minutes.

It was the first game of the season, and redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt said he knew his team was capable of much more than what it displayed.

“I think it was a deciding factor in us saying, ‘No more.

We are better than this,’” Plitt said. “As we went through every week, we got better.

That kind of proved to us who we are and that we are better than everybody.”

The Cardinals haven’t lost a game since and will now be tasked with defeating a second consecutive nationally ranked opponent in No. 19 San Jose State.

The Spartans are led by quarterback Nick Starkel, who

has thrown for 1,906 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, defensive lineman Cade Hall has led by example this season with 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

“They are a great defensive

It is full speed ahead here for the opportunity to play a team like San Jose State. Both teams have similar stories. With both teams winning a championship, it is going to be a great battle.”

- MIKE NEU, Ball State Football head coach team and a great offensive team,” Plitt said. “Like [Neu] said, they haven’t seen us yet.

We are a different breed as well. It comes down to going out, and playing our ball and

executing at a high level.”

Redshirt junior linebacker Brandon Martin — who leads the MAC with 85 tackles — said he is excited for the challenge of playing a talented offense and said he believes in what his coaching staff has planned to contain it.

“Nick Starkel is a really good quarterback. He has a lot of good weapons on the outside,” Martin said. “It is like every week. Every week, we have had a challenge.

We are looking forward to another one. We are putting a lot of trust into the defensive staff to put together a good game plan.”

Martin said it’s as simple as treating this game as another regular season game and not letting the pressure get to him.

“The biggest thing I have learned this season is just understanding how to close the close games,” Martin said.

“I also learned how to adapt and take those championship games and treat them as regular games.”

Contact Ian Hansen with comments at imhansen@bsu. edu or on Twitter @ianh_2.

AGAINST ALL ODDS Ball State was picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division and only received one vote to win the division in the 2020 preseason coaches poll. Over the next six games, the Cardinals went on to prove their worth, defeating every team in their path en route to a MAC Championship and a bowl game invitation.

Aug. 8 - MAC postpones fall season Sept. 25 - MAC announces six-game, conference-only season Nov. 4 @ Miami (Ohio) - L 38-31 Nov. 11 vs. Eastern Michigan - W 38-31 Nov. 18 vs. Northern Illinois - W 31-25 Nov. 28 @ Toledo - W 27-24 Dec. 5 @ Central Michigan - W 45-20 Dec. 12 vs. Western Michigan - W 30-27 Dec. 18 vs. No. 23 Buffalo - W 38-28 (MAC Championship)

Dec. 31 vs. No. 19 San Jose State (Arizona Bowl)

Source: Ball State Athletics

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MAC 2020 BALL STATE CARDINALS

ELLIOTT DEROSE; JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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12.31.20

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A year to remember Ball State Football got the news Aug. 8 that the Mid-American Conference would postpone its football season due to COVID-19 concerns.

A month and a half later, the decision was reversed, and the Cardinals made the most of their opportunity. Despite being picked to finish fourth in the MAC West Division in the preseason coaches poll and losing their first game of the season to Miami (Ohio), the Cardinals went on to win six consecutive games to not only win their division, but the MAC Championship as well. The 2020 Ball State Cardinals have a chance to become the first team in program history to win a bowl game Dec. 31 when they take on San Jose State.

PHOTOS BY JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

Ball State defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton speaks to the defense in the second quarter against Eastern Michigan Nov. 11, 2020, at Scheumann Stadium.

This was Stockton’s first year as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator.

Senior wide receiver Justin Hall looks back for a touchdown pass during the first half against Eastern Michigan Nov. 11 at Scheumann Stadium. In the Cardinals’ 38-31 home-opening win against the Eagles, Ball State showed resilience by coming back after losing its first game of the 2020 season.

Redshirt senior linebacker Jaylin Thomas kneels in the end zone to pray after running out for pregame before facing Western Michigan Dec.12 at Scheumann Stadium. After multiple penalties were sorted through on the last play of the game, the Cardinals escaped with a 30-27 win to send them to the MAC Championship.

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Redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt and redshirt senior offensive lineman Anthony Todd celebrate after Plitt ran for a touchdown Dec. 5 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The Cardinals held the Chippewas to 20 points in a 45-20 win.

Top: A flock of Ball State Cardinals carry the Bronze Stalk Trophy back to the sideline as the clock runs out Nov. 18 at Scheumann Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Huskies 31-25 to keep the rivalry trophy in Muncie for a second straight year. Left: Redshirt senior linebacker Jaylin Thomas smiles after beating Buffalo 38-28 in the Mid-American Conference Championship Dec. 18 at Ford Field in Detroit. The win marked the Cardinals’ first conference title since 1996.

Graduate student wide receiver Antwan Davis catches a pass with one hand Dec. 5 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The 45-20 win was the Cardinals’ largest margin of victory this season.

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‘Ball State against the world’ The Cardinals aren’t changing their season-long mentality heading into the Arizona Bowl.

Connor Smith Assistant Sports Editor When senior safety Bryce Cosby takes the field for the Cardinals Dec. 31 in Tucson, Arizona, he’ll have the same mentality he had when he first stepped on the gridiron this season in Oxford, Ohio.

Heading into Ball State’s matchup against San Jose State in this year’s Arizona Bowl, Cosby said he is staying in “championship mode.”

“We just show up to work every day,” Cosby said. “I think that mentality has helped us tough out some wins and play hard for four quarters. That was definitely the mindset going into the [MAC] Championship, and we sort of just carried that mindset everywhere we go.”

Cosby said he’s treated each game this season as a championship game, so he doesn’t feel too starstruck or caught up in the moment when it’s time for him to play on the big stage.

“If we prepare, if we practice, if we lift,” Cosby said, “if we do everything we need to do on a championship level, it doesn’t matter who we line up against or the magnitude of the game.”

Cosby was a freshman in 2017 when Ball State finished 2-10 and failed to defeat any of its MAC opponents. The Cardinals improved to 4-8 in 2018 and 5-7 in 2019, Cosby’s junior season, which he said was a turning point in his development.

Coming into 2020, Cosby said, he knew the Cardinals were a championship-caliber team, which helped him develop his current mentality.

Reminiscing on his freshman season, though, Cosby said the adversities he experienced early in his Cardinal career made winning that much more meaningful to him.

“We didn’t know the sacrifices that needed to be made,” Cosby said. “We didn’t know what winning was at the collegiate level. We can’t blame ourselves for what we didn’t know at the time versus what we know now.”

Following Ball State’s 38-28 win over Buffalo in the MAC Championship game Dec. 18, head coach Mike Neu described his mindset approaching the game as “Ball State against the world.” Senior wide receiver Justin Hall said that idea came from everyone on the team having an underdog-like mentality, which is how they’ve approached every game this season.

“Of course, we’re always going to feel like the underdogs, but that’s what we’ve been proving week in and week out,” Hall said. “We’ve just got to prove it in this bowl game and end the season right.”

Along with Cosby, Hall was a freshman when Ball State finished 2-10 in 2017. Despite earning All-MAC Second Team honors, Hall said he felt disappointed following his first season and would have never imagined the Cardinals would play in a bowl game just three years later.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback John Paddock and redshirt junior quarterback Elliot Charlebois celebrate Ball State’s win Dec. 12 at Scheumann Stadium. Ball State scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to walk away with a 30-27 victory. JADEN WHITEMAN, DN However, the Cardinals have reached that goal and are planning to seize the opportunity in Arizona, which will mark the farthest west Ball State has played since its appearance in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl. Like Cosby, Hall has also viewed each game this season as a championship.

“We’re looking at a win,” Hall said. “We don’t travel to get our asses beat.”

Despite the challenges he faced his freshman season, Hall said he knew he wouldn’t graduate from Ball State without becoming a MAC champion. He has now accomplished just that,

and while he said he took some time to savor the program’s first conference title in 24 years, his focus has shifted to San Jose State.

“We can’t accomplish the big things if we don’t take care of the little things,” Hall said. “We’ve just got to keep talking to everybody about the little things and keep practicing hard.”

Neu, who played quarterback for Ball State from 1989-93 and played in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl, said he knows the Cardinals have a chance to make history with a win over the Spartans for the program’s first-ever bowl victory.

However, he is not letting that get in the way of his game preparation. Neu said he is not viewing this game differently from any other, just like his players.

“I know it is a reward to go to a bowl game and have a bowl experience,” Neu said. “That is awesome, but there is a game to be played. There’s a win and loss at stake, so when you have that, you’ve got to make sure you regain focus. The attention to detail has to be there.”

Contact Connor Smith with comments at cnsmith@bsu.edu or on Twitter @cnsmith_19.

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SHADES OF THE PAST

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Ball State Football alumni reflect on their experiences playing in bowl games and share their thoughts on this year’s team.

Connor Smith Assistant Sports Editor Brent Baldwin, 1996 Ball State graduate and former Cardinal quarterback, knows a thing or two about playing for high stakes.

As a freshman, Baldwin was a backup to thenquarterback and now-head coach Mike Neu, who led the Cardinals to the 1993 Mid-American Conference Championship. Three years later, as a senior, Baldwin led the Cardinals to a conference title as the starter.

Twenty-four years following his senior season, Baldwin will watch the Cardinals face San Jose State in this year’s Arizona Bowl from his Michigan home. Baldwin said he watched every Ball State game this season and is proud of Neu, who he shadowed, for leading the Cardinals to success.

“I’m definitely a true Cardinal,” Baldwin said.

“I’m just so happy for Mike and all the work he’s put in. I know there was some doubt a couple years ago when things didn’t look as well, but I’m really proud of Mike and what the guys have fought through.”

Following the Cardinals’ 38-28 win over Buffalo in this year’s MAC Championship game, Baldwin sent his congratulations to redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt for becoming the first Ball State quarterback to win a MAC Title since his tenure.

Baldwin said he sees parallels between the Cardinals’ success this season and what the team accomplished in 1996. Ball State started 0-3 that year and lost to Miami (Ohio), its first MAC opponent, before going undefeated until the team’s 18-15 loss to Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl. This season, the Cardinals lost their first game to the RedHawks, but they are now riding a six-game win streak heading into the Arizona Bowl.

As a former player, Baldwin said he believes having an experienced senior class helped the Cardinals win the MAC Championship and reach a bowl game. Many of Ball State’s 22 senior players were freshmen when the team finished 2-10 in 2017.

“They had to battle through [COVID-19] this year, and they’ve battled through so much adversity,” Baldwin said. “I think that will help them in terms of, ‘Hey, it’s just another game,’ going one at a time and not making the moment bigger than what it is.”

When Baldwin was a freshman, not only did he watch Neu, but also Tony Nibbs — a fellow 1996 graduate and former running back — lead Ball State’s offense. As a junior, Nibbs played with Neu on the 1993 MAC Championshipwinning team before playing his senior season in 1994.

EVERY BALL STATE BOWL APPEARANCE Dec. 11, 1965: Grantland Rice Bowl vs.

Tennessee State (Tie 14-14)

Dec. 9, 1967: Grantland Rice Bowl vs.

Eastern Kentucky (Loss 27-13) Dec. 9, 1989: California Raisin Bowl vs.

Fresno State (Loss 27-6) Dec. 17, 1993: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah State (Loss 42-33)

Dec. 19, 1996: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Nevada (Loss 18-15)

Jan. 5, 2008: International Bowl vs. Rutgers

Fans pack the stands to see the Ball State Cardinals take on the Illinois State Redbirds Oct. 8, 1977, at Scheumann Stadium.

The stadium was built in 1967. BALL STATE DMR, PHOTO COURTESY

(Loss 52-30)

Nibbs played with both Neu and now-defensive line coordinator Keith McKenzie, who played for the Cardinals from 1991-95. McKenzie spent eight seasons in the NFL after graduating from Ball State and was a member of the 1996-97 Super Bowlwinning Green Bay Packers.

“We had an offense that put points on the board,” Nibbs said. “Being able to have a great defense to help you out and stop the opponents was very important. We had some great athletic players.”

Nibbs said he will be “cheering up and down” if Ball State wins its first-ever bowl game against the Spartans.

“Watching them over the past several years — they’ve always been close [in] so many games,” Nibbs said. “This year, they were finally able to flip the script and get on the winning side, which they definitely deserve.”

Like Baldwin and Nibbs, Steve Bell — 2016 Ball State graduate and former offensive lineman — has followed the Cardinals closely this season.

Bell made his Ball State debut in 2013 as a redshirt freshman. The Cardinals finished 10-2 that season and fell 23-20 to Arkansas State in the 2014 GoDaddy Bowl.

“Going to the bowl game was another amazing experience,” Bell said. “In the school year, you have classes to worry about, tests, finals and

Jan. 6, 2009: GMAC Bowl vs. Tulsa (Loss 45-13)

Dec. 21, 2012: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg vs. UCF (Loss 38-17) Jan. 5, 2014: GoDaddy Bowl vs. Arkansas State (Loss 23-20) Dec. 31, 2020: Offerpad Arizona Bowl vs.

San Jose State ELLIOTT DEROSE, DN Source: Ball State Athletics

Nibbs played in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl when Ball State lost 42-33 to Utah State. Down 21-0 at halftime, Nibbs said, the Cardinals played harder in the second half but couldn’t seal the comeback.

“The challenge for us, honestly, was just trying to keep your nerves calm, staying under control and playing within yourself,” Nibbs said.

homework. During bowl week, you don’t have any of that. You basically just have football to focus on and friends to hang out with.”

Bell played his final game with the Cardinals in 2016, Neu’s first season at the helm. While Ball State finished 4-8 that season, Bell said he saw potential in Neu to eventually lead the Cardinals to a championship.

“Coach Neu was a player’s coach,” Bell said. “He got to know guys on a personal level … He knew there were stepping stones and building blocks.”

That year, current redshirt senior offensive linemen Kaleb Slaven and Anthony Todd were freshmen. Bell said he has remained friends with both of them and watched videos of them flip tires in their front yards this March, early in the pandemic.

Bell said he had a conversation with Todd over the offseason, who said he wasn’t sure if his team would play this fall. Now, Bell will watch his former teammates play for a victory in Ball State’s first bowl appearance since 2014.

“I think everyone just wants a bowl win,” Bell said. “We’ve been there and had the chance but never finished. I think that would mean a lot to these seniors.”

Contact Connor Smith with comments at cnsmith@bsu.edu or on Twitter @cnsmith_19.

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A Neu day How Mike Neu stayed positive through the struggles and found success Ian Hansen Sports Editor

Ball State head coach Mike Neu yells at a referee Nov. 18, 2020, at Scheumann Stadium. Neu is in his sixth year as the Cardinals’ head coach. JADEN WHITEMAN, DN

TUCSON, Ariz. — Mike Neu woke up on his 50th birthday and had a flight to Tucson, Arizona.

This wasn’t a vacation to celebrate turning a half-century old. This was the reward of coaching Ball State Football to its first bowl game since the 2013 season.

This is the payoff for leading the Cardinals to a Mid-American Conference Championship for the first time since 1996 — three years following Neu’s tenure as the team’s quarterback.

Neu, like most of the players who arrived in 2016, had to deal with adversity. After Ball State won the MAC Championship Dec. 18, 2020, he admitted he was scared for his job just three years prior and constantly felt like he was letting those close to him down.

“Being in the position of a head coach, you are expected to win,” Neu said. “Every day you go to work, you expect to win, and, if you don’t, I know I have to do something better.”

In his first season as head coach in 2016, Ball State went 4-8 and 1-7 in the MAC. In 2017, the Cardinals went 2-10 and didn’t win a single conference game. Neu said this is when he started to get concerned for his job security.

Neu said he believes one of his saving graces went beyond the football field. He said how appreciative he was of Ball State Athletic Director Beth Goetz for looking at the bigger picture and offering him a contract extension into 2022 this past offseason. Since then, he said, all he wanted to do was prove he was deserving.

“We continued to make some gains,” Neu said.

“Thankfully, she evaluated the whole program, and I am really appreciative of the opportunity to be here, and I thank her on a regular basis.

I thank her for giving us the opportunity, and I wanted to repay her.”

All of Neu’s adversity paid off as the game clock hit zero in Detroit and he became a MAC champion.

“It’s a really exciting time,” Goetz said.

“I know how much blood, sweat, tears and heart that coach Neu has put into building this program. We are just thrilled for him, the team and all of the fans.”

Redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt echoed Goetz’s excitement for Neu and everything he has accomplished so far this season. Plitt was a member of the 2016 and 2017 Ball State teams

Former quarterback and current head coach Mike Neu introduces himself during the 1991 team video. Prior to coaching at Ball State, Neu led the Cardinals to a MidAmerican Conference Championship win in 1993 and was the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints. BALL STATE DMR, PHOTO COURTESY

and knows everything Neu went through.

“He cares so deeply about everyone on the team, from coaches to players to the sports staff, so he loves this team, and he loves this program and the university,” Plitt said.“I can’t be more excited for him because there have been tough times for him.”

Not only did Goetz see the bigger picture, but redshirt junior linebacker Brandon Martin said the Muncie community and the players did as well. Martin missed all but one game last season due to an injury and said he sees Neu as a father figure who has helped him through personal issues.

“We have had some rough times here, and I am glad that the community and the university has stuck with coach Neu,” Martin said. “I know the players definitely have. There wasn’t a time where we doubted him.”

Martin said he was thrilled when he found out Neu would be back this season to prove Ball State belongs in the ranks with some of the best teams in the MAC. “I couldn’t be happier,” Martin said. “There is not a better head coach in the country or a head coach anybody in this building would rather play for.”

Contact Ian Hansen with comments at imhansen@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ianh_2.

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KAMRYN TOMLINSON; JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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12.31.20

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WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

The first bowl game Ball State played in was the 1965 Grantland Rice Bowl. The last was the 2014 GoDaddy Bowl. Neither resulted in a Cardinals victory. In fact, Ball State has yet to secure a win in any of its nine bowl game appearances in program history. However, the Cardinals will have another shot while wrapping up 2020. After taking down Buffalo in the MidAmerican Conference Championship, Ball State accepted an invitation to play in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl against San Jose State, giving the Cardinals the opportunity to rewrite the history books once more.

Right: A fan holds up a sign in support of then-quarterback Keith Wenning during the start of the GoDaddy Bowl Jan. 5, 2014 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Wenning threw for 11,403 yards during his time at Ball State. COREY OHLENKAMP, DN FILE Far right: Then-senior Jamill Smith taunts a heckling Central Florida fan before a kickoff during the first half of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Dec. 21, 2012, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Smith signed with the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks shortly after his time at Ball State. BOBBY ELLIS, DN FILE

Then-junior running back Jahwan Edwards attempts to shake an Arkansas State defender in the GoDaddy Bowl Jan. 5, 2014 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. After college, Edwards was an undrafted free agent and eventually signed with the San Diego Chargers. JONATHAN MIKSANEK, DN FILE

Multiple Ball State Cardinals stand on the sideline during the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Dec. 12, 2020, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cardinals lost to Central Florida 38-17. BOBBY ELLIS, DN FILE

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Former Ball State wide receiver Willie Snead reaches for a pass during the first half of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Dec. 12, 2012, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Snead went undrafted in 2014 but signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns. BOBBY ELLIS, DN FILE

Then-head coach Pete Lembo looks over plays during a brief break in the GoDaddy Bowl Jan. 5, 2014, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Lembo is currently the assistant head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. COREY OHLENKAMP, DN FILE

Then-senior quarterback Keith Wenning attempts to throw the ball downfield against Arkansas State during the GoDaddy Bowl Jan. 5, 2014, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

The Cardinals lost to Arkansas State 23-20, and the Baltimore Ravens selected Wenning 194th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. JONATHAN MIKSANEK, DN FILE

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