Nate Davis walked from the football training complex in jeans and a T-shirt, flipping a football in the air, and stepped onto the Scheumann Stadium turf.
His tight end, Darius Hill, followed a couple steps behind, dressed in practice clothes. Davis and the rest of Ball State University's players did not have practice Monday, but Hill had work to do.
Fifteen minutes after discussing the perplexing string of dropped passes that have plagued Hill during the past couple games, the senior tight end strapped on his receiving gloves and urged his quarterback to throw him the ball. Davis complied, and Hill's workout began.
"I feel like I've been focusing on my blocking a lot, and it's been taking away from me doing the things that I normally do well," Hill said. "I kind of put those things to the side a little bit, and it's coming back to bite me in the butt a little bit. ... So catching more balls from Nate on off days and during practice and after practice will get me back in the groove."
Hill dropped three passes Saturday against the University of Akron, including a ball that hit his hands in the end zone. The senior dropped two the week before, one of which came on a third down and would have continued Ball State's drive.
Hill is accustomed to making big plays for Ball State's offense. He was selected to the John Mackey Award Watch List - given to college football's top tight end - before this season after being a semifinalist last season.
Even though Hill has continued to be a playmaker for the Cardinals' offense, coach Brady Hoke said the tight end needs to focus on the fundamentals first.
"I just think he needs to focus all the way through the catch," Hoke said. "Sometimes guys want to start running with the ball before they've really secured it. When you've got a guy who can make big plays and has made big plays, sometimes they get a little anxious."
Other than the dropped passes, Hill's had a season most tight ends would envy. He's among the nation's top 15 tight ends in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
But his 11 catches, 168 yards and three touchdowns are little condolence for Hill when he considers the dropped catches.
"I look at it as opportunities that I've missed, and I could've made it better," he said.
Hill said he's working on catching the ball with his hands instead of letting it get into his body, where the ball will bounce off his shoulder pads. Davis said he hasn't lost confidence in Hill's ability to make big plays, and he'll continue to throw to him.
"He's very important because of the way we use him," Davis said. "It's important because it takes some slack off of Dante [Love]."
Given big plays Hill has made over the course of his career, Hoke said, he has little doubt the tight end will improve with catching the ball. In the meantime, Hoke will continue to reiterate the faith and confidence he has in the senior receiver.
"We don't have perfect days," Hoke said. "I probably have more imperfect days than perfect days. So it's something he's got to work himself out of."
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