Late in the fourth quarter, Ball State's defense was attempting to get Georgia State off the field, then the proverbial backbreaker happened. Nick Arbuckle, the Panthers' quarterback, hit Donovan Harden for a 68-yard gain, bringing the Panthers down to the 1-yard line. Arbuckle snuck it in for a touchdown soon after, which led to the Cardinals' 31-19 loss.
Here's the anatomy of Arbuckle's connection to Harden that gave the Panthers their biggest win in program history.
1. Georgia State is lined up in its base shotgun formation, with three wideouts on the field. Harden is lined up alone on the left side, while the two other receivers are on the right. Arbuckle has his running back on his left side. Ball State's defense is prepared for the Panthers' pass-happy offense with a formation they ran most of the game, the 4-2-5 set (four defensive lineman, two linebackers and five defensive backs).
2. As the ball is snapped, Arbuckle immediately looks Harden's way and pump-fakes, causing Cardinal cornerback Darius Conaway to bite on the fake. As Conaway runs toward the middle of the field, Harden runs right up the sideline, wide open.
3. Conaway tries to regain himself, but it's too late. Arbuckle hits Harden at the 45-yard line as the footrace to the end zone begins.
4. The only Cardinal who has a chance to stop Harden from waltzing in for a touchdown at this point is safety Martez Hester. He runs down Harden right as he's diving for the pylon.
When Ball State got the ball back down 12 points with fewer than three minutes left, Riley Neal later overthrew Chris Shillings for a Georgia State interception. The Panthers ran out the clock, which marked the program's second win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team in its short history.
Read More
Yorktown downs Delta 47-46 in thriller
By David Moore / 6 hours agoYorktown takes down Delta in rivalry thriller 47-46
The Muncie Area Career Center is working to better educate community members
By Trinity Rea / 18 hours agoThrough Adult Education and Career and Technical Education (CTE) based learning, the Muncie Area Career Center is looking to help educate members of Delaware, Randolph and Blackford country.
Ball State women’s basketball runs out of gas against Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis
By Elijah Poe / Yesterday“As hard as we played, we literally were running on fumes,” Ball State women's basketball head coach Brady Sallee said about the 69-62 loss to Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
