Windy conditions and a better-than-expected opposing defense hampered prolific Ball State senior quarterback Keith Wenning in Sunday night's GoDaddy Bowl.
Arkansas State (8-5) prevailed 23-20 on a touchdown pass with 32 seconds left, dashing Ball State's hopes for the first bowl victory in school history.
Wenning, who came in having thrown for 3,933 yards and 34 touchdown passes, was 23 of 44 for 215 yards, one TD and one interception, just his seventh of the season. His completion percentage of 52.3 percent was his second-lowest of the season; he came in having completed at least two-thirds of his passes in five consecutive games.
Wenning's 4,148 passing yards this season is third-most in Mid-American Conference history -- behind only Miami's Ben Roethlisberger (4,486 in 2003) and Marshall's Byron Leftwich (4,268 in 2002).
A 25-mph wind seemed to bother Wenning, and Arkansas State -- which had been giving up 234.4 passing yards per game -- was able to pressure Wenning as well. He was sacked twice and had defenders in his face numerous other times.
Wenning (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), who will play in the East-West Shrine Game, finishes his career with 11,402 yards (fourth in MAC history), 1,642 attempts (third), 1,035 completions (third) and 92 touchdown passes (fourth).
Ball State junior wide receiver Willie Snead (5-foot-11, 193) had nine receptions for 87 yards and one score. He finishes the season with 106 catches (tied for seventh nationally) for 1,516 receiving yards (third) and 15 touchdown receptions (tied for third).
The loss by Ball State (10-3) means the MAC went 0-5 in bowls this season. Arkansas State's win, which came under interim coach John Thompson, means the Sun Belt was 2-0. Arkansas State coach Bryan Harsin left for Boise State in December.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
