On the ground and through the air, the Ball State football team's offense struggled against Iowa.
Leading 13-10 with less than three minutes to go, Ball State running back Jahwan Edwards took two handoffs, the first to the right and the second to the left, going for a combined negative one yard.
On third down, quarterback Ozzie Mann’s pass flew far to receiver Jordan Williams’ right, who was creating separation and had room for a first down if the pass was on target.
The drive stalled, and Iowa went on to score the game winning touchdown. Mann finished the game with 15completions on 30 attempts for 129 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and one fumble.
Mann looked overwhelmed during portions of the game, not scanning through all his reads and firing passes short of his receivers.
“There were some throws we made and some we didn’t make,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “The biggest thing was that we were off schedule. It isn’t easy to be a quarterback on third and long all the time.”
Early in the game, Edwards had success running as the Iowa defense dropped back and respected the threat to pass. Four of his first five runs went for at least six yards, and the Iowa defense adjusted to start playing eight men close to the line of scrimmage, daring Mann to beat them.
The lack of respect for Ball State’s passing game was difficult for Edwards and fellow running back Horactio Banks, bringing Ball State’s offense to a grinding halt.
“They had a lot of guys on the line of scrimmage and in the box,” Edwards said. “Guys just have to get hats on hats.”
Facing third and nine early in the fourth quarter, Mann’s pass squirmed through Williams’ hands and bounced into receiver Chris Shillings' arms.
Mann set his feet and threw with confidence on the pass. Many of his previous attempts looked rushed, jittery and fell short of the intended target.
Early in the third quarter, Ball State faced third and eight in the redzone, leading 10-3. Threatening to take a 14-point lead, Mann took the snap and quickly started scrambling left, despite a lack of pressure. He fired the ball well short of Williams in the end zone.
The Cardinals were forced to kick a field goal, leaving crucial points on the field that potentially impacted the result of the game.
He completed three passes in the fourth quarter, and just one after the 10-minute mark, although Ball State took a run-first approach in an attempt to wind down the clock.
Lembo said Mann did what he was asked to do, which is get the ball to playmakers and not turn the ball over.
“I thought he did a very good job of managing the game,” Lembo said. “It was very loud and we had to adapt to that.”
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