In the fourth quarter between Ball State Football (1-3, 0-1 MAC) and Georgia Southern (3-1, 0-0 SBC) Sept. 24, the lead changed three times in the fourth quarter in what was mostly a one-score game.
After going down 13-3 in the middle of the second quarter, Ball State came back to tie the game and stayed within one score until the final two minutes. The lead changed three times in the fourth quarter, with the contest coming down to a select few moments.
"Obviously it comes down to the fourth quarter," redshirt junior quarterback John Paddock said. "Again, 23-20 going into the fourth, we have got to close that out... It's the little things, the details."
Paddock threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns on 70% completion while only throwing one interception – that interception effectively ending the game.
"John's a competitor, he competed all night long," head coach Mike Neu said. "He made some good decisions with the football, got the ball in the hands of our playmakers. He's a competitor. I believe in John Paddock, he's going to have some great football ahead of him."
Paddock's favorite receiver on the night was senior wide receiver Jayshon Jackson who had 122 yards and one touchdown receiving.
Sophomore running back Carson Steele looked to be less impactful in Ball State's rushing attack than he has been so far this season, but still managed 119 yards with an average of 5.2 yards a carry.
On defense, Neu highlighted defensive mistakes and penalties as points of the game that need to be fixed heading into the rest of the season in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
"We had a penalty, an unacceptable penalty on the sideline after a big run by Carson Steele [in the fourth quarter]," Neu said. "That's got to be taken out of the game. It starts with me, I am the head football coach here, so I'm going to have to adjust some things... We're beating ourselves right now."
What was a close game and a productive night for the Cardinals came down to a few moments, ending in the Cardinal's third loss of the season as Georgia Southern ran out 34-23 winners.
"We had it in our hands, had a chance to go out there in the fourth quarter and win it and [we] didn't," junior inside linebacker Clayton Coll said.
Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium for their next matchup, taking on Northern Illinois (1-3, 0-0 MAC) Oct. 1 at 1 p.m.
Contact Daniel Kehn with comments at daniel.kehn@bsu.edu or on Twitter @daniel_kehn.
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