On a chilly, windy night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Arkansas State pulled out a 23-20 stunner over Ball State to win the 2014 GoDaddy Bowl.
2014 GoDaddy Bowl results: Arkansas State rallies late to stun Ball State, 23-20
Ball State seemed to have the game won. Then, in the blink of an eye, Arkansas State scored a touchdown in the final minute to pick up their eighth win of the season.
Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Spor
It appeared Ball State had the game won with 90 seconds to go. They marched down the field and capped off a 16-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Jahwan Edwards to take a 20-16 lead. Fredi Knighten then led a furious five-play touchdown drive the other way after a short kickoff, connecting with Allen Muse near the corner of the end zone with just 32 seconds remaining to take a 23-20 lead.
Ball State had one final chance to tie the game, but Scott Secor’s 38-yard field goal was blocked as the clock struck zero.
In the early going, Ball State scored first on a 9-yard touchdown strike from Keith Wenning to Willie Snead midway through the first quarter. After the two teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter, ASU running back Sirgregory Thornton bullied his way into the end zone just before halftime to tie the score at 10-10.
The third quarter belonged to the Red Wolves as Brian Davis hit two more field goals to push Arkansas State’s lead to 16-10. Ball State answered with a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 16-13 early in the fourth, but after forcing a punt on the ensuing drive, Wenning was intercepted for just the seventh time all season by Qushaun Lee. Fredi Knighten would return the favor about two minutes later, though, throwing an interception in the end zone to give the ball right back to the Cardinals to set up madness in the final five minutes.
Box Score Hero:
Keith Wenning: 21/39, 187 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jahwan Edwards: 28 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD
Fredi Knighten: 15/20, 115 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
J.D. McKissic: 10 receptions, 82 yards
Rankings Ramifications: Neither team came in ranked, and while it was a nice win to wrap up the season with, Arkansas State won’t finish the year in the top 25.
But Did They Cover? Ball State came in as a 6.5- or 7-point favorite on Sunday night, so they failed to cover the spread. The two teams came nowhere near the over/under line of 63.5 points.
For More On This Game: For more on Ball State football, visit MAC community Hustle Belt. Recaps of every bowl game can be found here in case you missed any of the action.
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