Photo By Dayne Francis | The Signal
Early on the Panthers showed signs of the team on the rise from a season ago but quickly reminded us that this is a young team with growing pains.
Coach M-INT-er’s defense set off fireworks right from the start as Panthers CB Jerome Smith snagged for 2 interceptions (and almost had a hat trick before the third was reversed) on Ball State QB Riley Neal on consecutive defensive possessions.
Coach Miles praised Smith’s performance but added that the Panthers need to capitalize on those advantages.
“The problem is you get that momentum and you get those plays and you don’t get enough from it,” Coach Miles said.
The defense may have set off a few fireworks early, but the offense could barely muster as much as a spark for most of the game due to the blitz packages the Cardinal defense threw at the Panthers and six penalties that killed a lot of momentum the offense could manage in the game. It was the offensive lines inability to sustain protection and open up any running lanes that may have hurt the most.
The running game that Coach Miles wanted more production from this season particularly struggled in the season opener. Statistically, the Panthers moved in the wrong direction with minus two yards on the ground for the entire first half. If you remove the 59 yards Aaron Winchester earned when the quarterback entered the game in the fourth quarter, the team finished the game with a total of 26 yards on the ground and averaged less than three yards per carry.
Conner Manning, a graduate transfer from Utah, ended his first game as the starting QB for the Panthers completing 15-of-21 and 123 yards passing the first half. The reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Penny Hart led all receivers with 76 yards and one touchdown.
“We turned the ball over in the first quarter and we could not sustain any drives. We did not do anything on offense to help move the ball and protect our defense,” Coach Miles said after the game.
While the defense started out with a bang, they were eventually worn down by the Cardinals. Ball State appeared to have no issues moving the ball once they recovered from sophomore Riley Neal opening the game with two interceptions. Neal, who seems to be benefiting from having the former quarterback coach to active NFL passing leader Drew Brees, ended the game 15-of-29 and 130 total yards in the air with KeVonn Mabon as his leading receiver with 69 yards.
It was the Cardinals running back James Gilbert who had scorched the turf of the Georgia Dome with a rushing attack that led the Cardinals ground game with 161 yards. The Cardinals eventually wore down the Panther defense, controlled the clock and eventually amassed a total of 325 yards on the ground. Gilbert and Neal both busted out runs of over 40 yards.
The Cardinals left Atlanta with a 31-21 win over the Panthers to open the season.
“We’ve got to be a lot better. We’ve got to play harder. We’ve got to execute better and execute better on offense,” Coach Miles said after the game.
There were other players who he pointed out had some good moments in the game such as Robert Smith and Keith Rucker, but Miles said it wasn’t enough to change the end result.
“The end result is we lost the football game,” Coach Miles said. “We’ve got to be better for it and move on.”
The Panthers will move on as they will head to Colorado Springs to face Air Force in Falcon Stadium next Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
