Ball State Football Falls to Georgia State, 31-19

Saturday, October 17

Muncie, Ind.

3:00 PM

Ball State University

2-5

Georgia State

2-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Georgia State

Ball State

October 18, 2015 | Football

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

By Doug Zaleski | Ballstatesports.com

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State football coach Pete Lembo wasn't impressed with what he saw from his team Saturday in its final non-conference game of the season.

Seventy-five percent efficiency wasn't good enough. Forty-five minutes of decent performance wasn't good enough. A resilient recovery on defense in the second half wasn't good enough.

The small percentages of botched plays, missed opportunities and lack of focus added up to a major issue for the Cardinals as they lost 31-19 to upstart FBS program Georgia State Saturday afternoon in Scheumann Stadium.

“I hope some of our guys will look at it and not accept it, just like I don't accept the overall performance,” Lembo said. “If you just walk out of here and say, 'I didn't play very well today,' or 'I dropped three passes, well, what am I going to do to fix that?'

“At the end of the day, I have to find a way to get it done and get through to them to do it. But if we have the right guys, which I believe we do, they're going to find a way to work on those things, too.”

Ball State (2-5) couldn't solve that problem against the Panthers (2-4) as mental mistakes and physical breakdowns added up to trouble as it lost a fourth straight game.

The second quarter proved to be a killer for the Cardinals. After starting the game with a three-and-out and four-and out on their first two possessions, the Panthers scored three touchdowns and a field goal on their final four possessions of the first half to open a 24-10 halftime lead.

Though Ball State showed some spark on offense and defense in the second half, it never recovered from its lapse in the first half.

“It's a very disappointing loss,” Lembo said. “We didn't play well in the second quarter on either side of the ball. … We shot ourselves in the foot execution-wise on offense with basic throwing and catching.”

And on defense, the Cardinals allowed Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle to throw for 246 yards in the first half. The senior finished with 412 yards, two shy of his school single-game record.

Lembo was frustrated by his team's inability to capitalize on a step forward here and there during the game. Every good opportunity seemed to be followed by a misstep.

“It's my responsibility, and we just don't seem to be able to play 60 minutes of football right now,” he said. “We're struggling to stay focused and execute well enough for 60 minutes. I have to find some more creative ways to get through to them.”

The Panthers, who played their inaugural game in 2010 and had only one previous win against an FBS opponent (34-32 over New Mexico State last year), gave the Cardinals a chance to get back in the game and possibly win during the second half.

But Ball State couldn't take advantage of the opportunities.

Trailing 24-13 late in the third quarter, Cardinals quarterback Riley Neal threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Chris Shillings on fourth and two. But the play was called back by offensive pass interference.

“I saw the blown coverage and I saw Chris standing alone; no one was within 15 or 20 yards of him,” Neal said. “I saw Chris running down the field, and in my periphery, I saw a flag. It was a tough break.”

The Cardinals punted after the penalty.

They moved within 24-19 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Neal to Jordan Williams with 10:34 left in the game. Ball State was about to get the ball back later, still trailing by five, but a roughing the punter penalty allowed the Panthers to keep the ball and run the clock down to 3:59 before punting from their 48.

After a three-and-out by the Cardinals' offense, Georgia State clinched the win when a 68-yard pass from Arbuckle to Donovan Harden set up a first down at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Arbuckle scored on a sneak to put his team ahead 31-19 with just 2:13 left.

“Our kids played resilient,” said Panthers coach Trent Miles, who coached Indiana State from 2008-12.

Ball State's offense, which delivered 503 yards and 41 points a week earlier against Northern Illinois, managed only 372 yards and 19 points against Georgia State. The Cardinals suffered several breakdowns against a Panthers defense coached by Jesse Minter, a graduate of Yorktown High School and son of former Ball State defensive coordinator Rick Minter.

“We weren't clicking on all cylinders,” said Neal, who completed 28 of 48 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. “We had miscues here and there. We struggled a little with all of us being on the same page.”

Jordan Williams and KeVonn Mabon each had seven receptions. Mabon left with 8:04 to play with an injury.

Darian Green led the Cardinals in rushing with 70 yards on 17 carries. Sean Wiggins and Michael Ayers each had eight tackles, and Wiggins had a sack.

The Cardinals will play the third of four home games in October next Saturday when they play host to Central Michigan at 3 p.m.