Matt Florjancic

During the 2005 football season, the Ball State Cardinals and current strong safety Alex Knipp were heading in opposite directions. Ball State struggled to a 4-7 record, it’s ninth consecutive losing season.
Meanwhile, at Amherst High School, Knipp was “Mr. Everything” for the Comets. He could run, catch, tackle and score touchdowns. If given the keys, he may have even attempted to drive the bus back to Amherst following road games.
On offense, he was a running back who gained 2,008 yards on 246 carries (an average of 8.7 per attempt) and scored 27 touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 86 yards and three scores. His rushing yardage and scoring totals led all of Division I.
As a senior defensive back, he registered 58 tackles, one for lost yardage, and had three interceptions, nearly half of his career total of eight.
For his career, Knipp ran, caught and returned his way to 5,531 all-purpose yards and 63 touchdowns. His success on the field led to an appearance in Ohio’s annual North-South All-Star Game. Though he posted some of the best numbers in the state, Knipp did not attract a lot of attention from college scouts.
In fact, only Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Ball State tendered offers to him and they were for defense and returns. The Cardinals showed the most interest and Knipp chose them over the Golden Flashes and Eagles.
“My recruiter, Stan Parrish, came into Amherst and he made it clear from the beginning that Ball State really liked me,” he said. “I went to their camp going into my senior year and I had a pretty good showing.
“Coach [Brady] Hoke offered me a scholarship at the camp. Going into my senior year, they were always on my mind. I came on a visit here and this seemed like the right fit for me.”
Knipp made an immediate impact in Ball State’s defensive backfield. Focusing on the strong safety position allowed Knipp to see playing time in all 12 games, earning the start in four of them. As a true freshman, he totaled 33 tackles, including 15 solo stops, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Knipp also blocked a punt against the Indiana Hoosiers.
“Most of Alex’s high school career, he was primarily an offensive player,” said Mark Smith, Ball State’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. “They used him here and there on defense so you could see enough things that you knew he could be a defensive player.
“Alex is a young man that has really started to grasp the position, not just from a physical standpoint, but from a knowledge standpoint. That’s a whole new thing for him. A lot of times, it takes that much time for a guy to adjust. We’re very pleased with what he’s done back there for us and we look for him to keep getting better.”
At the end of his first season in Muncie, Knipp earned a letter and helped the Cardinals to a 5-7 record.
“In high school, I didn’t really have much technique,” Knipp said of his skills in the defensive backfield. “Coach Hoke is my position coach here and he really harps on fundamentals, technique and getting after it every practice. When I look back at high school, I was real lazy compared to what I am now. Being here, I’ve been able to focus on just playing safety and not have to worry about offense.”
Prior to this season, Knipp was slated as the backup at strong safety. Four games into the year, Knipp became the starter. His 75 tackles rank third on the team. He also has two tackles for losses, a pair of pass breakups and four interceptions. His takeaway on the final drive of the game against Western Michigan sealed a victory, while his 57-yard return versus Central Michigan was Ball State’s longest of the season.
Knipp’s performance in the secondary has helped Ball State make it to Saturday’s International Bowl at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. It also earned him third-team All-MAC honors.
In their first postseason appearance since the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl, the Cardinals drew the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. It is the second-ever meeting between the schools. The first meeting was held in New Jersey during the 1989 season and ended in a 31-31 tie.
Under Coach Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights have become one of the most prolific offenses in college football. Their offense is led by All-American running back Ray Rice. In 12 games, Rice has 1,732 yards on 345 carries. He also has 20 rushing touchdowns. While Rice is a strong player, Rutgers can also pass the ball well, having two receivers eclipse 1,000 yards for the season.
Stopping Rice and Rutgers will be up to a Ball State defense that has given up 197 yards-per-game on the ground to its opponents.
“This is going to be a great challenge for our defense,” Smith said. “First and foremost, you’ve always got to defend the run because I think a lot of their pass game is set up off the play-action when they’re able to run the football.
“I read a statistic where almost 70 percent of their touchdown drives this year have been six plays or less,” added Smith. “In order to defend the run, you’re going to have to somehow get an eighth man down in that box and that most times in our case is our strong safety. They’ll be times where it will be pretty much predetermined that [Alex is] going to drop down in and play low or play curl flat or play wherever the drop might be in pass.”
Knipp knows how hard everyone has worked to get Ball State to a bowl game. He not only feels up to the challenge of facing one of the Big East Conference’s best programs, but is aware of Ball State’s 0-4-1 record in the postseason.
“The first thing you have to start with is Ray Rice,” Knipp said. “Defensively, we have to get guys to the ball and we have to fly around. It’ll make it hard for him to run if you get guys to the ball. We’ve got to make sure we tackle him, wrap him up and bring him down.
“You’re not going to be able to shut him down completely because he’s a good back,” added Knipp. “In the secondary, we just have to keep our eyes open, just focused on our keys. I think if we do that, we’ll have a good game.”
Contact Matt Florjancic at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

THE KNIPP FILE

SCHOOL: Ball State
BOWL GAME: International Bowl in Toronto
WHEN: Saturday, noon
TV: ESPN2
YEAR: Sophomore
HEIGHT: 6-0 
WEIGHT: 193 pounds
POSITION: Strong Safety
KEY STATISTICS: Is third on the team this season with 75 total tackles. Has 25 solo takedowns in addition to 50 assists. Knipp has also broken up two passes and intercepted four.
FAST FACT: Playing strong safety is a Knipp family trait. Before Alex was intercepting passes from MAC quarterbacks, his older brother Jake was playing for Baldwin-Wallace. 

 

 

 

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