3 observations from Ball State football's "Spring Game"

MUNCIE, Ind. — Tailgating in the Scheumann Stadium parking lot and enjoying a sunny 60-degreee day, Ball State football fans got a glimpse of what is to come this fall.

The Cardinals on Saturday held their annual "Spring Game," an open gathering consisting of some scrimmaging and drills that concludes the team's 15 spring practices.

There were many new faces among the first and second units, all vying for playing time in the coming season, as well as top returnees. Head coach Mike Neu was pleased with his team's competitiveness while still maintaining a "spirited" energy that kept the event fun.

While nothing is set in stone at this stage of the offseason and BSU's roster will inject several new recruits and other players in the summer, there were still several interesting developments on display.

Here are three observations from the afternoon:

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QB battle is heating up

With 2022 starting quarterback John Paddock now at the University of Illinois, Ball State has an ongoing QB battle to determine the 2023 starter.

Getting a firsthand look at redshirt sophomore Kiael Kelly and Layne Hatcher, a graduate transfer from Texas State, was the main interest for many who attended the event. The two have opposing playstyles, with Kelly being a duel-threat as a runner and thrower and Hatcher a more traditional pocket passer who brings a bevy of experience, so the eventual naming of the starter will have a significant impact on not only the success of the Cardinals' offense, but potentially the approach to play calling as well.

"I think they've been really good for each other. And it's been back and forth," Neu said. "It's been a very friendly battle all spring that'll just continue as we go here into the summer and once we get into training camp ...They're only pushing each other to become better."

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Hatcher started with the first unit in the 7-on-7 drill, which simulated a two-minute drive with BSU down 26-21. Succeeding in this type of circumstance has been a major practice point of emphasis as Neu said the team's biggest downfalls last season were turnovers, a margin BSU was minus-5 in during MACtion, and late-game execution, which cost the Cardinals when they failed to produce down the stretch in their final three losses.

The transfer, who's already thrown for over 10,000 yards in his college career, looked comfortable amid the simulated pressure. He converted a 4th-and-short on the first drive and moved the ball with several underneath passes, but his unit failed to score as Hatcher's fourth-down pass to the endzone was broken up.

Kelly's drive with the second unit seemingly moved at a faster pace and he took some more risks with his throws. He sailed a 3rd-and-10 pass out of bounds near the left-side pylon, only to rebound with a strong 4th-down strike to redshirt sophomore Austin Hill for a 20-yard touchdown.

Kelly later started with the first unit during the 11-on-11 scrimmage and continued to moved the ball. His best play came on a 35-yard strike to redshirt sophomore running back Vaughn Pemberton for a touchdown on a wheel route up the right sideline.

Kelly had previously showed some athleticism out of the pocket, yet on that play he stepped up amid the defensive pressure to deliver the perfect pass.

"He's continuing to get better and better as a thrower. He's be becoming more accurate," Neu said of Kelly. "I thought he did some really good things today throwing the football, which is a big confidence boost for him because you get in front of friends and family and some people in the stands for the first time and I thought he really handled himself well."

In Hatcher's 11-on-11 drive, he again found receivers on checkdowns and shorter routes. He displayed some speed on a 1st-down scramble, too, and his drive ended in a successful 42-yard field goal by sophomore Carson Holmer.

The two then split the next 11-on-11 drive, with Kelly's highlight coming on a 20-yard read-option run and Hatcher increasing his aggressiveness to convert a 25-yard pass. Still, the drive ended in a missed field goal.

It was evident the strengths that they each could potentially bring to the starting role. Neu indicated that there are still months to go until a decision will made, so in the meantime, Kelly and Hatcher are giving each other some pointers.

"I think people get a lot of misconceptions about competition and that two guys are going against each other. We're just trying to help the team, and in whatever way that is, we're gonna do our best to do that," Hatcher said. "Anything I can do to help him I'll do, and anything he can do to help me he'll do, and there's definitely give and take. Everybody can learn something from anybody."

True freshman Kadin Semonza also saw some reps in the 11-on-11, and he appeared to be the No. 3 QB. Neu, Hatcher and Kelly all agreed that the youngster has been impressive.

For this fall's starting gig, though, consistency and leadership might make the difference.

"(The coaches) just want us to take control," Kelly said. "Their famous and is, 'You're not gonna win the job today,' basically. So you've got to come in every day and really just stack days and whatever happens, happens."

No Steele, no problem

Star running back Carson Steele's departure to UCLA this offseason left a major hole in Ball State's offense.

But if you're going to try and replace the Mid-American Conference's leading rusher (1,556 yards, 14 TDs), maybe the best option is the second-place finisher in redshirt junior Marquez Cooper (1,331 yards, 13 TDs) from Kent State.

Cooper said he came to BSU because he thinks he fits in well with the formations and play calls, likes the coaches and feels like he "could do a lot more" in this offense. He is a confident and experienced runner who has seemingly fully embraced his new home, and he even took a few punt returns during the drill before switching with redshirt sophomore receiver Qian Magwood.

"I'm very versatile toward this offense, bringing speed and just hands, making people miss, making explosive plays," Cooper said. "You're gonna see me lined up a lot of different places this season and it's gonna be a good for us."

He and Pemberton rotated with the first unit all day, so it appears that duo will lead the backfield. They both flashed playmaking ability, with Pemberton especially standing out as a receiver on both his wheel-route TD from Kelly and in his route running during 1-on-1 short-yardage drills against linebackers.

Neu also mentioned freshman TJ Horton, redshirt sophomore Rico Barfield and redshirt junior Charlie Spegal, a transfer from Indiana who was Mr. Football in Indiana the year before Steele, as three other guys who have flashed during this spring.

Although Cooper and Pemberton looked poised for most of the workload, Neu is confident that all of them are capable of producing this fall.

"All spring I've felt very strongly that we've got six running backs in that room that can play for us and play at a high level," Neu said. "(Cooper and Pemberton), those guys been awesome, and obviously, we're going to have to do a great job of having some two-running-back sets where we have them on the field together."

Receivers and defensive backs are a work in progress

Besides the QB battle, perhaps Ball State's biggest undetermined position areas are at wide receiver and defensive back.

BSU graduated its top-2 receivers and all four of its starting DBs, so there are plenty of uncertainties and opportunities. Neu also said that several injuries to both groups this spring made it more challenging to get clarity on the situations, so it's unclear as of now who are the top starting candidates.

"That'll be something that, obviously, as we move forward here and we address the transfer portal, is there somebody in the transfer portal that would be a good fit for us that can come in and create competition at defensive back?" Neu said. "That was one of those competition battles you're paying close attention to, just like wideout when you lose Yo'Heinz (Tyler) and Jayshon (Jackson) that played a lot of ball for us."

Sophomore cornerback Jordan Coleman made some plays during the live reps, and junior Jordan Riley is the most experienced returning member of the secondary. Receivers Magwood and junior Malcolm Gillie received praise from Kelly and Hatcher about their performances this spring.

Offensively, the strong tight end duo of First Team All-MAC redshirt sophomore Brady Hunt and sophomore Tanner Koziol, in addition to the deep backfield, can help negate some of the potential inexperience of the receivers.

The defense will have to lean on veterans like Riley and linebackers Clayton Coll, Cole Pierce and Sidney Houston Jr. Coll is optimistic that the the team's culture will help the pieces eventually come together.

"I think we've come along great. We're gonna miss those guys (who graduated). Those guys were phenomenal football players," Coll said. "There's a lot of young guys. Jordan Riley is going to play a lot of football here. He played all season last season, but he really had a chance, with the Bryce Cosby's, the Antonio Phillips', those older guys, he had a chance to kind of play underneath (them), and then now AJ and Nick and Quan left, and now he's kind of emerging.

"The guys that left this program left us in a really good place. So (the new) guys came along really fast. They gelled really well with us. They understand what our mentality is. They understand the playbook. So it went really great. I was really happy and really impressed with everything this spring."

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: 3 observations from Ball State football's "Spring Game"