Coming into the game, Panther quarterback Nick Arbuckle averaged 310 passing yards per game. At halftime, he had 248 yards while picking up 134 more in the second half for a total of 412 passing yards on the day.
The Cardinals' defense stopped the Panthers run to 33 rushing yards, but the pass defense continued to give up significant yardage.
Head coach Pete Lembo knew the secondary had been struggling in recent games.
“I would say that we are not playing with enough confidence and consistency in the secondary,” Lembo said. “We gotta play better at corner and all throughout the defense.”
The Panthers were founded back in 2010 and managed a program record today, having the largest lead at halftime (14 points), while scoring 31 in the game. This was three shy of the most points they've ever scored.
Despite the negatives in the game, there were some positive takeaways.
An early fumble recovery continued the Cardinals' streak of forcing at least one turnover in every game of the season so far.
The Cardinals also won the penalty contest again, committing just six penalties to the Panthers' seven, though they shared the same amount of yards.
The most significant aspect of the game was their continued success in the second half of games.
In the first half, the Panthers picked up 287 yards of offense on the way to 24 points in the first half.
In the second half, the Panthers gained 117 yards and seven points. More than half of the yards came on a single 68-yard play where the defender tripped, putting the Panthers 1 yard away from the end zone, where they would eventually power it in.
“We didn't play well in the second quarter on either side of the ball,” Lembo said. “We came out in the second half and gave plenty of chances to come back and win.”
The Cardinals have been outscored 69-27 in the second quarter through their last three games.
The loss puts the Cardinals at 2-5 on the season. Their next opponent will be Central Michigan to open up their Mid-American Conference schedule.
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