On a brisk spring morning at 6 a.m., most of campus is quiet as the sun remains asleep and the first block of classes does not start for another couple of hours. Yet, for the Butler football team, work has just begun.
As soon as the siren sounds to announce the start of practice, the energy becomes contagious throughout the Sellick Bowl.
“Wake up, baby!” redshirt senior quarterback Reagan Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs. “Great energy today, let’s go!”
With the stadium lights shining down on the Sellick Bowl, there is no alternative but to bring energy. It has become the expectation across the board under second-year head coach Kevin Lynch.
Coming off a 6-6 season that saw the Bulldogs lose four of their final six outings, there are certainly improvements to be made. However, that crawl to the finish line is not exclusive to Lynch. Over the past four seasons, the Dawgs have ended each campaign with lackluster outputs of 1-3, 4-3, 3-3 and 0-2, respectively.
Going into year two, Lynch is all about energy and enthusiasm.
“Effort is what makes good teams good,” Lynch said to his team in a meeting. “We will be the most excited team to play. We will find guys that are so excited to put the f—ing helmet on, strap up their shoulder pads and put their cleats on to go compete every day.”
To find someone excited to play, Lynch does not need to look further than his QB1. Andrew has been the primary starter each of the last two seasons, accumulating 39 total touchdowns in 22 games.
Going into his final year of eligibility, Andrew brings the level of energy needed every single morning that quickly becomes contagious among his teammates.
“I love this team; I love this university,” Andrew said. “The coaches we play for have a purpose for us, so it’s really easy for me to come in the morning with great energy, trying to get a little bit better every day … This opportunity is once in a lifetime, so it’s not worth wasting a day.”
Despite waking up well before the sun rises and fighting through stress and burnout, the expectation for each player under the lights is as clear as day: a Pioneer Football League (PFL) championship.
That goal, in turn, motivates the team to strive for greater heights.
“There’s a lot of motivated guys on the team,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Charles Mackley said. “Every year so far, we’re a couple [of] plays away from being undefeated in conference. Last year, we lost last-second to Morehead [State], lost in the fourth quarter vs. San Diego, there was [also] our game vs. Drake and our game vs. Presbyterian. Those games were close and could have turned the tide of the season had they gone the other way … That motivation of being so close actually pushes us further to get past that barrier; you want to push past it.”
Intending to get over a lofty hump that has long gotten the best of the Bulldogs, the foundation is already being built in preparation for the fall.
With just 15 practices allotted for the spring season per NCAA regulations, there is no time to waste. Each practice is planned out to the minute, and every scheduled block is intentional.
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are designated for on-field practices, typically in the morning, while Monday, Wednesday and Friday are reserved for weight training and team meetings.
An average meeting focuses on film from the previous practice, critiquing every detail to make needed adjustments for the future while also installing the plays that will be repped for the first time the following morning.
“As a leader, how well prepared can I have them for the next day so that they know what’s coming [and] that they know what looks we’re getting so they can play [at] full speed?” Luke Shively, run game coordinator and offensive line coach, said. “My job is to prepare and to motivate, and if I can do those things efficiently, I’m giving them a chance so that they can turn their mind off and go play football.”
In the spring, however, there are many bumps in the road to navigate before players can focus on football. Whether it be class schedules, injuries or even roster limitations, the show must go on to build a championship contender.
“It’s organized chaos,” Lynch said. “There’s no depth chart. There’s nothing like that. At this time, individual growth [is key] and everybody’s getting a ton of reps. You want to make sure that you try to put yourself in position [to improve on] things that you didn’t do particularly well last year, and [keep building on] things that you did well last year. Keep building on those for us this year. So, when we do teach it [again] in fall camp, there’s some video of, ‘Hey, this is what we call this, or this is how we’re going to handle this.’ [That way] it’s not brand new.”
While individual growth is a major part of the spring season across the team, building positive habits and reinforcing culture is just as important for the ultimate goal of winning on Saturdays.
Strength and conditioning coach Dan Wenger is the mastermind behind the workout regimen for the team. Three times a week, the former Notre Dame offensive lineman leads two groups split between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. sessions, putting each player through a meticulously crafted workout to improve on a wide variety of movements that will translate onto the field.
“We’re trying to prepare them for the demands that they would see during practice and games,” Wenger said. “I tell our guys [that] their numbers don’t necessarily matter that much to me, it’s about their outputs and improvement for on-field performance … We want to make the training piece more difficult than the actual playing piece, exposing them to stressors before they even see them. Everything [we do] is to put them in a successful position to win.”
As straining and tiresome as the lifts may become, the energy is pertinent through it all, with Andrew continually leading the way to get his teammates energized for the lift ahead.
“It’s a testament to the guys that came here before me because that’s been the standard expectation since I’ve been here as a freshman,” Andrew said. “No days off. We can’t come into a practice just to check a box, [we] got to come in and really be focused.”
It is not just the veterans on the team viewing spring ball like this. The sense of pride for the grind and the results it will generate can be felt all across the roster, which starts back at the top with Lynch.
Throughout practice, the head man — albeit spending most of his time with his offense — is running around and coaching each player regardless of class or position.
“Trying to hold them to the standard [is the key to winning the PFL],” Lynch said. “Whether it’s energy or effort on the football field or with Coach Wenger in the weight room, staying loyal to your goals and staying consistent is very hard to do … When it comes to football and the short window they have to play athletics, focusing on the here and now, it’s very hard, but it’s what we strive to do.”
Wenger preaches the same in the weight room, which is significant for the team’s pursuit of glory.
Having a like-minded head football coach and head strength coach often translates to on-field success. Having worked together for each of the last five years since Wenger joined the Ball State staff as an assistant strength coach in 2021, the two coaches have grown to form a strong working relationship.
“We are wired the same way,” Wenger said. “We have the same approach to what we do; it’s just different worlds. [From] what I’ve seen in the college football [world], there’s football, and there’s strength and conditioning, but it really needs to be a meshing of the two. I think when the staff sees the alignment we have, that goes so far and trickles down to everybody.”
It does not matter that the games do not start counting until the end of August. The Bulldogs know within themselves the type of team they are building, all in chase of something bigger than themselves: to break a cold streak that has been going on for 13 years.
“Being idle, oftentimes you get lazy and are okay with staying the same,” Mackley said. “The importance of doing the [work] right now is key. There are so many guys on this team that are taking every little bit of extra work and opportunity to get better.”