Crampton Bowl -- Montgomery, Al
ESPN
It took a solid performance in their final regular season game for the Ball State Cardinals to secure bowl eligibility. They'll likely need a similar effort Saturday if they are going to beat Georgia State in the Tax Act Camellia Bowl.
The Panthers are riding a three-game win streak and finished with six victories over their last seven outings. The only loss was a 21-17 setback at Louisiana. That Ragin' Cajuns team finished 13-1 with a Sunbelt Conference title and R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl win.
Althought GSU surrendered 27.7 ppg overall, the Panthers allowed 21 or fewer points in six of their last seven outings. The defense was better against the run (57th nationally), and can expect a strong challenge from BSU's productive run game.
Of course, on a given day, the Cardinals are capable of hurting teams with their passing game. But it's been a somewhat inconsistent weapon in 2021 after shininHereg in BSU's championship season of 2021.
Loaded with returning talent and led by quarterback Drew Plitt, Ball State was a preseason pick to win the Mid-American Conference West Division and overall MAC title, as well. However, other programs raised their own game and Northern Illinois (who went winless in 2020) eventually won the 2021 MAC title.
Here is more on the two teams . . .
GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS (7-5, 6-2 Sunbelt)
• The Panthers last outing was a 37-10 triumph over Troy. GSU dominated, allowing just one field goal and scoing 37 points before a late Troy touchdown.
• The Panthers defense forced four turnovers. One was a 72-yard fumble return by Jamil Muhammed
• Georgia State passed 22 times and rushed on 46 snaps.
• Junior QB Darren Grainger completed 11 of 22 pass attempts for 140 yards with 2 TDs. Sam Pinkney (3 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD) was the only Panther receiver with more than two catches. Sophomore Jamari Thrash leads the team on the season, recording 31 catches for 447 yards and three scores. Tight end Aubry Payne has a team-high five touchdown receptions.
• Jamyest Williams carried 15 times for 108 yards and one score to led the Georgia State ground game (247 yards total). Tucker Gregg logged 17 carries for 83 yards, while Darren Grainger chipped in 47 yards on nine carries.
• Gregg (176 carries, 899 yards) and Williams (120 carries, 810 yards) each have nine TDs to their credit. Grainger, meanwhile, has been a very active ball carrier from the QB spot, logging 123 runs for a total of 524 yards and two scores.
• Kicker Noel Ruiz has been good on 39 of 41 PATs and 10 of 12 field goals with a long of 50 yards. His only misses were from between 40 and 49 yards.
• Georgia State ranked second among Sunbelt teams in rushing with an average of 224.0 ypg overall. They moved up to first in conference-only action, averaging 236.8 ypg and 5.1 ypc with 19 TDs.
• The Panthers were ranked ninth (Sunbelt) in passing (158.0 ypg). Grainger was fourth in passing efficiency. He was seventh in total offense (198.6 ypg).
• Georgia State ranked fourth (Sunbelt) in scoring defense (23.4 ppg), third against the run (127.6 ypg), and ninth aginst the pass (274.4 ypg). As a unit, the Panthers are fifth in pass defense efficiency.
• The following Panthers earned All-Conference honors:
FIRST TEAM
OL – Shamarious Gilmore, Georgia State (RS Sr.)
DB – Antavious Lane, Georgia State (RS So.)
SECOND TEAM
OL – Malik Sumter, Georgia State (RS Sr.)
TE – Roger Carter, Georgia State (Sr.)
THIRD TEAM
RB – Tucker Gregg, Georgia State (Sr.)
OL – Pat Bartlett, Georgia State (RS Sr.)
DL – Dontae Wilson, Georgia State (Sr.)
LB – Blake Carroll, Georgia State (Sr.)
DB – Quavian White, Georgia State (Sr.)
BALL STATE CARDINALS (6-6, 4-4 MAC)
• Ball State registered one three-game win streak and one three-game losing streak during the first seven weeks of action in 2021. The win skein started with an upset win over Army.
• Needing a sixth win for bowl eligibility, BSU posted a 20-3 victory in its final regular season contest. The Cardinals won despite totaling just 230 yards of offense and 13 first downs. Buffalo registered 336 yards of offense and 22 first downs.
• A big key to Ball State's win over UB was creating four Buffalo turnovers. All four were interceptions. (JT Wahee, Malcolm Lee, Jaylin Thomas, Bryce Cosby). Thomas led all Cardinals with 14 tackles, while Clayton Coll contributed 10 stops.
• There were only two touchdowns in the game -- both by Ball State in the opening quarter. The first score followed a Buffalo interception toss. Plitt's 1-yard TD run capped an 11-play 42-yard drive.
Buffalo's next drive resulted in a quick punt, but that boot was blocked. Ball State took over at the Bulls six and scored again on Plitt's short pass to Jayshon Jackson.
• After averaging 34.3 ppg in 2020, Ball State is down to 24.4 ppg this season. The Cards dropped from 269.3 passing yards per game in 2020 to 200.5 passing ypg this year. Senior QB Drew Plitt ranks eighth among MAC passers in pass efficiency.
• Ball State is set to make its 11th bowl appearance all-time and the second consecutive season. The Cardinals have gone to back-to-back bowl games just three times in program history: 2007-08, 2012-13 and 2020-21.
• The Cardinals won their first bowl game in program history last year when they defeated No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl, 34-13. Ball State jumped on San Jose State early, scoring twice in the first five minutes of the game and tallied four touchdowns in the opening 14 minutes, to highlight the win.
• Serving as the only college football game played this year on Christmas Day, the TaxAct Camellia Bowl has been decided by a total of 32 points in its first seven installments. All seven games have been decided in the fourth quarter, with three games decided on the final play.
• Fifth-year S Bryce Cosby is the only player in the country to log multiple games of at least 10 tackles, 1.0 sack and one forced fumble on the year, and he did it in back-to-back games at Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
• Ball State placed five on the 2021 All-Mid-American Conference teams. The Cardinals had three representatives on the first team in Bryce Cosby (defensive back), Justin Hall (kickoff return specialist) and Nathan Snyder (punter). In addition, Ball State had three honorees on the second team in Curtis Blackwell
(offensive lineman), Jaylin Thomas (linebacker) and Hall (wide receiver).
• After beginning the year minus-5 in turnover margin through first four games, Ball State has been plus-14 since then with only three turnovers across the last eight games. In the first four games, the Cardinals were outscored 31-0 in points off turnovers. In the past six games, Ball State has scored 55 points off turnovers while allowing only 14.
• Ball State is averaging 200.5 ypg passing (10th MAC) and 135.4 ypg rushing (ninth MAC).
• Freshman Carson Steele tops BSU rushers with 177 carries for 829 yards (4.7 ypc) with six TDs.
• WR Justin Hall has also registered 37 carries, averaging 6.9 ypc with six rushing TDs. He also has 61 catches for 613 yards and five receiving TDs. Junior Jayshon Jackson tops Cardinal receivers with 57 catches for 683 yards and four scores. Yo'Heinz Tyler hs been credited with 44 catches for 435 yards and six scores.