The Brady Bunch - The career of Brady Hoke

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Brady Hoke, a four-year football letterman at Ball State University from 1977-80 and a team captain for the Cardinals as a senior, was named the school?s head football coach Dec. 18, 2002.

“Brady Hoke is an outstanding fit for Ball State University and for our football program,” Ball State athletics director Bubba Cunningham says. “He has all the qualities we were looking for in a head coach. Coach Hoke is known as a tremendous football coach, a tireless recruiter and a quality person. He has been a member of a terrific staff at the University of Michigan plus spent a number of years in the Mid-American Conference. As an alum and former football player at this university, Coach Hoke understands what Ball State stands for and has a great love for the football program and the school. We are looking forward to his tenure as our head football coach.”

Hoke spent the last eight seasons on the staff at Michigan under the guidance of Wolverine’s head coach Lloyd Carr. Hoke spent the 2002 season as the associate head coach and defensive line coach. He helped the Wolverines to a 9-3 overall record last season and a berth in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl vs. Florida. Michigan was ranked ninth in the final ESPN/USA Today Poll and Associated Press Poll. “Brady has done a tremendous job at Michigan,” Carr says. “He is a great recruiter. One of the things I try to do is hire people that have the potential to become head coaches. He is goal-oriented and has a great motivation to be the best that he can be.”

Hoke joined the Michigan coaching staff in 1995 as the defensive ends coach and remained in that position through the 1996 campaign. He began coaching the defensive line prior to the start of Michigan?s 1997 national championship season. Prior to joining the Wolverines, Hoke coached six seasons at Oregon State (1989-94) where he coached the defensive line (1989, 1991-94) plus coached the inside linebackers (1990). From 1984-88, Hoke spent five seasons coaching in the MAC -- at Toledo in 1987-88 and at Western Michigan from 1984-86. Hoke began his coaching career at Yorktown High School, located just outside of Muncie, where he was defensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 1982. In 1983, Hoke was the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State.

As a student-athlete at Ball State, Hoke helped the Cardinals to a 1978 MAC Championship. He ranked third on the team in tackles as a sophomore with 99 and was second on the squad with 95 tackles as a junior. As one of four captains of the 1980 team, Hoke led the Cardinals and ranked sixth in the MAC with 150 tackles. He managed seven tackles for loss, including two sacks, en route to earning All-MAC Second-Team honors as a senior.

“I am honored and very excited to have been offered the opportunity to coach at Ball State,” Hoke says. “It is great to return to the school that enabled me to get an education and play football. I am looking forward to representing a great university with integrity and pride.”

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The Star Press
Interview with Doug Zaleski

Zaleski: Welcome back Coach, it has been a long time since we’ve talked.
Hoke: It has hasn’t it. I’m glad to be back, I can’t wait to meet the players and start playing some ball.

Zaleski: How long do you think it will take to make this team a MAC contender?
Hoke: You know, I really haven’t got a chance to evaluate our talent yet. I plan on playing some solid defense and hopefully we can win some games and keep improving every week.

Zaleski: Have you seen the schedule this year? The Cardinals are going to have to put up some points.
Hoke: Yes we will have to score to keep up with some of these teams, we got Missouri at home, then we go to Pittsburgh, then we go to Boston College, then to Kent State, then come home for Miami and Toledo, then go to Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, then come home for Bowling Green. Our schedule is just brutal this season, we play all the top teams in the MAC and one of the better teams in the Big 12 and possibly one of the best teams in the Big East.

Zaleski: Any predictions?
Hoke: No. I guess I could say we probably will not go undefeated?

Zaleski: What kind of offense can we expect this year?
Hoke: Hopefully a good one, but as far as philosophy I don’t really know yet. I’ve got to see what kind of players we have. Plus not telling you gives us an advantage. At least Indiana State won’t know what we are going to do, but honestly I don’t really know yet. I’ve got ideas of what type of offense I’d like to run but we may not be capable until a few years down the road.

Zaleski: Recruiting wise you are said to be one of the better recruiters out there, what kind of approach will you have at Ball State and how will that differ from what you had at Michigan?
Hoke: Well at Michigan you automatically had an advantage, here it will be harder until we achieve the kind of success we need. It is easy to go out and find all the best players, at Ball State we’ll need to do more scouting because we obviously won’t be able to compete with OSU, Michigan and Notre Dame for the Blue Chip prospects around here. The key is getting those two to four star prospects that fit your scheme.

Zaleski: Hey coach, I know you know have a meeting with the players. I just wanted to wish you luck this year and in the future.
Hoke: Thanks Doug, the Cardinal fans will not be disappointed.

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Ball State 2003
Lindy's Preview

2002: 6-6 overall; 4-4 MAC (4th West)
Coach: Brady Hoke - At Ball State and Overall: 1st year
Returning Starters: 13; 4 offense, 7 defense, punter, kicker
Players to Watch: Lorenzo Scott (LB), Justin Beriault (S), Justin Riley (LB), Jesse Avant (CB), Ryan Hahaj (WR), Dante Ridgeway (WR)
Primary Strengths:
Whoever plays quarterback, will have plenty of talented receivers at his disposal. The defensive line returns a pair of experienced players in Travis Barclay and Jeff Ramsey.
Potential Problems:
Replacing Marcus Merriweather's 1,168 yards at tailback will be no easy task for the Cardinals. Nor will playing Missouri, Pittsburgh, and Boston College in their first five games.
Overview:
Hoke spent the spring getting to know his players and implementing a new system. How Ball State adjusts will go a long way in determining whether or not the Cardinals can move up in the league standings.

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2003 Cardinals Roster

Quarterbacks
Andy Roesch, SR (RS), 75 Ovr, Balanced
Talmadge Hill, SR (RS), 73 Ovr, Scrambling
Eric Brooks, SO (RS), 59 Ovr, Scrambling

Roesch and Hill will probably split time at QB this fall.

Running Backs
Scott Blair, JR (RS), 70 Ovr, Power
Charles Wynn, SO (RS), 70 Ovr, Power
Jermaine Johnson, FR (RS), 68 Ovr, Balanced

All 3 backs will likely get equal playing time, the coaching staff speaks very highly of Jermaine Johnson though.

Fullbacks
Brad Siess, FR (RS), 72 Ovr, Blocking
Jason Sieman, FR (RS), 62 Ovr, Blocking

Siess will get most of the action this year.

Wide Receivers
Nick Johnson, SO, 71 Ovr, Balanced
Ryan Hahaj, SO (RS), 64 Ovr, Possession
Derek Broussard, FR (RS), 62 Ovr, Balanced
Dante Ridgeway, SO, 61 Ovr, Balanced
Clint Planck, SR (RS), 61 Ovr, Possession
Jason Barnes, SO (RS), 58 Ovr, Balanced

Not great, not bad. Johnson is obviously going to be the go to guy.

Tight Ends
Mark Franklin, JR, 61 Ovr, Blocking
Bryan Smith, SO (RS), 60 Ovr, Balanced
Noah Mangus, SR (RS), 52 Ovr, Blocking

Tackles
Travis Barclay, SR (RS), 73 Ovr, Balanced
Ty Knisley, JR (RS), 68 Ovr, Balanced
Kris Berry, JR (RS), 65 Ovr, Balanced
Joel Hoffman, SR (RS), 63 Ovr, Balanced

Guards
Jeff Ramsey, JR (RS), 68 Ovr, Balanced
Mike Brown, FR (RS), 63 Ovr, Balanced
Adam Rothstein, SO (RS), 63 Ovr, Balanced
Mike Janteen, SR (RS), 59 Ovr, Balanced

Centers
Nick Tabacca, JR (RS), 69 Ovr, Balanced
Pat Neils, SO (RS), 61 Ovr, Balanced

These guys may determine who starts at QB, advantage Hill because whoever it is will be running for his life.

Defensive Ends
Paul Strabavy, SR (RS), 67 Ovr, Pass Rusher
Riley Larimore, FR (RS), 65 Ovr, Pass Rusher
Blair Kramer, SO (RS), 59 Ovr, Pass Rusher
Brad Hess, JR (RS), 57 Ovr, Pass Rusher

Extremely undersized. Larimore may be an NFL prospect.

Defensive Tackles
Greg Pagnard, SR (RS), 70 Ovr, Run Stopper
Conrad Slaughter, JR, 65 Ovr, Balanced
Nick Graymire, SO (RS), 62 Ovr, Balanced
Jerome Tillman, JR (RS), 60 Ovr, Balanced
Justin Schweighard, SO, 55 Ovr, Balanced

Introducing our goalline defense.

Outside Linebackers
Lorenzo Scott, SR, 82 Ovr, Coverage
Justin Riley, SR (RS), 77 Ovr, Balanced
Anthony Corpuz, FR (RS), 55 Ovr, Coverage
Vincent Davis, FR (RS), 52 Ovr, Coverage

Our strength, lets just pray no one gets hurt.

Middle Linebackers
Donta Smith, SO (RS), 62 Ovr, Coverage
Shannon Donaldson, JR (RS), 55 Ovr, Balanced
Andy Stark, SO (RS), 53 Ovr, Balanced

Need DL to keep OL off these guys, not likely.

Cornerbacks
Jesse Avant, SR (RS), 81 Ovr, Coverage
Quentin Manley, SR, 71 Ovr, Balanced
Tommy Schembra, JR (RS), 61 Ovr, Balanced
Cory Crumpton, SR (RS), 60 Ovr, Balanced
Erik Keys, FR (RS), 52 Ovr, Hard Hitter

If DL can get pressure we should be ok.

Free Safeties
Doug Owusu, SR (RS), 63 Ovr, Hard Hitter
David Gater, SO (RS), 57 Ovr, Hard Hitter

Hard Hitter's? Not really, just slow.

Strong Safeties
Justin Beriault, JR (RS), 78 Ovr, Hard Hitter

Busy, busy man.

Kicker
Mike Langford, SR, 81 Ovr, Balanced

Punter
Reggie Hodges, SR, 83 Ovr, Balanced

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2003 Schedule

Week 2 - Indiana State
Week 3 - Missouri
Week 4 - at #12 Pittsburgh
Week 5 - Central Michigan
Week 6 - at Boston College
Week 7 - at Kent State
Week 9 - Miami (OH)
Week 10 - Toledo
Week 11 - at Northern Illinois
Week 12 - at Western Michigan
Week 13 - at Eastern Michigan
Week 14 - Bowling Green

Strength of Schedule: 2 Stars

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Sports Illustrated - Week 1, 2003

Cover
Maurice Clarett, Ohio State
One to Watch
Clarett and the Buckeyes have their sights set on the 2003 National Title.

Preaseason Top 10
Coaches Poll
1. Ohio State (32)
2. Oklahoma (21)
3. Miami (5)
4. Texas (1)
5. Kansas State
6. Auburn
7. Virginia Tech
8. Georgia
9. USC
10. Michigan

Media Poll
1. Oklahoma (43)
2. Ohio State (27)
3. Texas (1)
4. Miami
5. Auburn
6. Kansas State
7. Virginia Tech
8. USC
9. Michigan
10. Georgia

MAC Predictions
East
1. Miami (OH)
2. Marshall
3. UCF
4. Ohio
5. Akron
6. Kent State
7. Buffalo

West
1. Northern Illinois
2. Bowling Green
3. Toledo
4. Western Michigan
5. Ball State
6. Central Michigan
7. Eastern Michigan

Heisman Watch
1. Maurice Clarett, Ohio State
2. Cody Pickett, Washington
3. Phillip Rivers, NC State
4. Roy Williams, Texas
5. Eli Roberson, Kansas State

MAC Schedule
None

Top 25 Schedule
California at #5 Kansas State *

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Sports Illustrated - Week 2, 2003

Cover
Darren Sproles, Kansas State
Erasing All Doubts
Fans in Manhattan are happy with Kansas State's 2003 debut.

Top 25 Results
#5 Kansas State 52, California 10

Top 10
Coaches Poll
1. Ohio State (30)
2. Oklahoma (21)
3. Miami (3)
4. Texas (4)
5. Kansas State (1) (1-0)
6. Auburn
7. Virginia Tech
8. Georgia
9. USC
10. Michigan

Media Poll
1. Oklahoma (48)
2. Ohio State (22)
3. Texas (1)
4. Miami
5. Auburn
6. Kansas State (1-0)
7. Virginia Tech
8. USC
9. Michigan
10. Georgia

Heisman Watch
1. Maurice Clarett, Ohio State
2. Cody Pickett, Washington
3. Phillip Rivers, NC State
4. Roy Williams, Texas
5. Eli Roberson, Kansas State
12-17, 238 yards, 8 carries, 60 yards, 2 total TDs

MAC Schedule
Marshall vs Hofstra
Central Michigan at #10 Michigan
Western Michigan at Michigan State
Northern Illinois vs #15 Maryland
Bowling Green vs Western Kentucky
Eastern Michigan vs East Tennessee State
Akron vs Kent State
Buffalo at Rutgers
Ohio vs SW Missouri State
Toledo at UNLV
UCF at #7 Virginia Tech
Miami at Iowa

Top 10 Schedule
#1 Ohio State vs #14 Washington
#2 Oklahoma vs North Texas
#3 Miami at Lousiana Tech
#4 Texas vs New Mexico State
#5 Kansas State (1-0) vs Troy State
#6 Auburn vs #9 USC
#7 Virginia Tech vs UCF
#8 Georgia at Clemson
#10 Michigan vs Central Michigan

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Indiana State at Ball State

Indiana State Key Players
HB#35 - 75 OVR
WR#83 - 68 OVR
TE#96 - 68 OVR

Brady Hoke's first game as a head coach was one he will never forget. The Cardinals scored on their first drive on a 34 yard field goal to take the lead 3-0 with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter. Then Indiana State ran went 3 and out for the second consecutive possession. The Cardinals wasted no time marching down the field but a holding penalty on 3rd down cost them and Mike Langford missed the 33 yard field goal wide right.

The Sycamores marched down the field on a 10 play 80 yard drive, all rushing, to take the 7-3 early in the second quarter. The Cardinals answered with their own touchdown on a run by Scott Blair. Then Roesh scored on a QB sneak to close out the first half giving BSU a 17-7 lead at the half. ISU had just 81 yards in the first half, 80 coming on one drive.

Indiana State scored the only points of the 3rd quarter on a 29 yard field goal, as they failed to score from the 1 yard line. Talmadge Hill then came in at quarterback for the Cardinals, he lead the team to a scoring drive that ended on a 14 yard pass to Derek Broussard.

Then things started to fall apart after the Cardinals gained the 24-10 lead with 9:00 to play. The Sycamores scored on a TD pass to WR#83. Then the Cardinals failed to gain a first down without Blair who was injured with a dislocated wrist early in the 3rd quarter. Indiana State marched down the field and tied it up at 24 with 13 seconds to play on a 25 yard pass to WR#83.

Then things got crazy! Charles Wynn opened the first OT with a 19 yard run, then finished the drive with a 6 yard TD run. The Sycamores had no trouble finding paydirt though as HB#35 ran for one of his three touchdowns. Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the second OT as well.

Roesh threw an interception to start the 3rd OT which seemingly shut the door on the Cardinals chance for a win. Well a holding penalty on 3rd down moved ISU back to the 34 yard line, the Sycamores then completed a 10 yard pass but the field goal attempt was missed wide left.

ISU proceed to score on 3 plays in the 4th OT, but HB#35 dropped the pass for the two point conversion. Then Wynn took over and ran the ball 25 yards on 6 carries to tie the game at 44. Coach Hoke decided to bring in Hill to run the two point conversion. Hill ran a bootleg to the right and found Bryan Smith open in the endzone, which Smith looked to be out of bounds but the officials called him inbounds and the celebration began as the Cardinals nearly were upset by their D1-AA rival.

FINAL SCORE: BSU 46, ISU 44 (4 OT)

Team Stats

Indiana State

• Total Offense: 388
• Carries: 42
• Rushing Yards: 155
• Passing: 16/41
• Passing Yards: 233
• First Downs: 22

Ball State

• Total Offense: 441
• Carries: 58
• Rushing Yards: 225
• Passing: 13/26
• Passing Yards: 216
• First Downs: 21

Cardinals' Stats
Passing
Hill, 4/5, 64 yards, 2 TDs
Roesh, 9/21, 152 yards, 1 Int

Rushing
Wynn, 26 car, 120 yards, 2 TDs
Blair, 16 car, 95 yards, 1 TD
Hill, 5 car, 18 yards
J. Johnson, 5 car, 14 yards

Receiving
Hahaj, 4 rec, 77 yards, 1 TD
N. Johnson, 3 rec, 52 yards
Broussard, 2 rec, 38 yards, 1 TD
Barnes, 2 rec, 38 yards

Defensive
Riley, 7 tackles
Smith, 7 tackles
Scott, 7 tackles
Larimore, 2 sacks

Attendance
11,874