With the seconds racing off the clock in the final minute Saturday at Eastern Michigan, senior wide receiver Briggs Orsbon cradled sophomore quarterback Keith Wenning's pass at the Eagles' 27-yard line. It was a 13-yard gain, good enough for a first down that would allow coach Pete Lembo to send junior kicker Steven Schott in for a game-winning field goal.
Though Orsbon – and perhaps no one in Rynearson Stadium – realized it at the time, it was his 199th career reception. Before Saturday, only Dante Ridgeway, who holds the record with 238, and Dante Love had that many catches in a Ball State uniform. And now Orsbon is tied for second.
Orsbon said he didn't know he had tied Love, a former teammate, until his family told him after the game.
"I knew I was kind of coming up on it, but I didn't know within the game that I tied it," Orsbon said. "I was kind of more focused on getting the victory in a tight match."
On Tuesday at Northern Illinois, Orsbon will have the opportunity to pull ahead of Love for career receptions and move into fifth place on Ball State's career receiving yards list. Orsbon is 44 yards behind Brian Oliver, who played at Ball State in the early 1990s.
Orsbon is averaging 49.8 receiving yards per game, making passing Oliver a realistic possibility against Northern Illinois. If Orsbon's average holds in the final two games of the season, Orsbon would end his career in second place with 209 catches and fifth place 2,165 receiving yards, pending any possible postseason games for the Cardinals.
"That was kind of my goal coming into the season, was to catch [Love] in career receptions," Orsbon said. "Just be marked in Ball State's history as one of the best receivers to come through here."
Orsbon's production has increased in recent weeks. After catching just 16 passes in the first five games of the year, he caught 36 passes in the last five games. Lembo said Orsbon has become more comfortable in the offense, allowing him to play a greater role.
"The last three or four weeks, he's playing at a high level and allowing us to put more responsibility on him, not just on offense but in the [kick return] game as well," Lembo said. "It's great to see a guy who has been around a long time, had some highs and lows in his career, a lot of different coaches ... make the most of his senior year."
Orsbon said once Love's career was ended by a broken neck he suffered at Indiana early in the 2008 season and he had success replacing Love, he has wanted to leave his mark at Ball State. But as his career approaches its end, he just hopes he can help the Cardinals achieve their team goals.
"That was one of my goals and I'm right there," Orsbon said. "Now I can just focus on getting a couple more victories and getting us to the [Mid-American Conference] Championship Game."
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