INDIANAPOLIS — Ball State offensive tackle Robert Brewster has a little extra motivation for this week's NFL scouting combine.

Brewster wants to impress an NFL team so he can better provide for his 4-month-old son, Jalen. His responsibility is greater than most fathers because Jalen's mother died three days after the child's Oct. 2 birth.

Brewster takes nothing for granted after that experience, and is thankful that Jalen is healthy.

"That's my pride and joy, and that's what I'm doing all this football for, so he can have a great life when he grows up," Brewster said.

Brewster's play suffered at first when Jalen's mother died, but football helped him by providing an outlet for his frustration and pain.

"I was able to take my anger out on the field and pancake a lot of people and be able to do things that you wouldn't be able to do without football," he said.

Brewster said coach Brady Hoke, who since has moved on to San Diego State, kept him moving toward his goals.

"Thanks to coach Hoke for being there for me," Brewster said. "Going into his office every day and talking to him got me back focused, knowing that if I don't improve or get better, I won't have a chance like I do now."

Brewster was an all-Mid American Conference player for the second straight year. The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder started every game of his college career, and claims to never have come out of a game on offense.

Despite the off-the-field challenges he has faced, Brewster remains positive. He said he brings fun to the offensive line.

"Just by motivating, keep the character going, keeping it lively up front, playing hard and always playing physical," he said.

Ball State rolled to a 12-0 start this past season, during which the Cardinals were ranked as high as 12th. The Cardinals lost to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game, then to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl.

Brewster helped quarterback Nate Davis throw for 26 touchdowns with only eight interceptions this season with a quarterback rating that was 13th in the nation. The previous season, Davis passed for school records of 3,667 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Davis, who also is participating in the combine, is the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes (74), yards passing (9,233), attempts (1,124) and completions (678).

Though Brewster competed in a non-BCS conference, he feels ready for the NFL.

"I think Ball State prepared me very well, coming from a head coach who used to be at Michigan, and our offensive coordinator, Stan Parrish, used to be in the NFL. So we always ran an NFL offense. The weight coach got me in great shape, and kept me very physical."

Brewster got his chance to challenge the big timers when he played in the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game on Jan. 31.

"It was a great experience, getting to go up against players I never get to see," he said. "Being able to go up against some Big Ten, SEC players — it was really special to me."

Brewster said he needs to improve his blocking on backside runs and backside cutoffs, but he feels good about his track record and work ethic. He said he didn't give up many sacks last season.

"I think it was maybe one or two. It's not many," he said.

Asked if he remembered who got the sacks against him, he laughed and said, "I don't, but if I do, I hope I see him again."