The game of inches breaks both ways as San Jose State takes inaugural Cure Bowl

The inaugural Cure Bowl came down to a game of inches for both teams as things broke in San Jose State’s favor to defeat Georgia State.

The game virtually came down to one play.

Georgia State was trailing and facing 4th and 1 with about eight minutes left at about midfield. The great conundrum for a coach on whether to punt it and set up field position, trusting the defense to get a stop or to go for it and keep the pressure on to take the lead.

In this spot in the field with that much time there really was not wrong decision for Georgia State coach Trent Miles. Whether or not he made the right call would come down to execution.

He made the right call, trusting All-Sun Belt quarterback Nick Arbuckle to throw a pass to this best receiver on a go route with the defense sucked in to try to stop a run game that was not working all night anyway. The senior just put too much touch on it.

The ball sailed past Penny Hart into the end zone, just beyond his reach, and San Jose State took over on downs.

This is a game of inches, as the Al Pacino speech in Any Given Sunday says, and you have to take them when they come.

On the ensuing drive, quarterback Kenny Potter and Tyler Ervin went to the ground and tore up Georgia State’s defense. Ervin burst through the line for an 18-yard gain down to the one-yard line. And finally Potter threw it to Josh Oliver for a one-yard touchdown grab.

San Jose State was taking all the inches when they came — Ervin on an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter and Potter on a 42-yard touchdown run to retake the lead in the fourth quarter — in a 27-16 win over Georgia State in the inaugural AutoNation Cure Bowl at the Orlando Citrus Bowl.

“It wasn’t the ideal way we wanted to win the game, especially with the how good the defense played,” Kenny Potter said. “We felt that we should have been putting points on the board the whole game. You kind of dream of those situations as a kid. You kind of imagine being down with a certain amount of time left. It started off with the running game with Tyler [Ervin] and the O-line.”

The Spartans struggled throughout the game to finish the deal. It looked like they were going to dominate time of possession and not put up the points to win the game.

San Jose State twice had to settle for 19-yard field goals with the ball inside the five-yard line. Even with the long touchdown return from Ervin where he broke a tackle and sprinted up the field past would-be tacklers for an emotional play, the Spartans were hanging onto the lead.

It felt like they were up more with the way they were controlling possession and slowing down Georgia State’s vaunted pass offense.

Arbuckle threw for only 208 yards, just the third time this season he had thrown for less than 300 yards in a game, and completed 14 of 29 passes, the first time all season he had completed less than 50 percent of his passes.

The senior quarterback was extremely emotional facing his final game and knowing the opportunity that was missed in the end.

“I’ll probably be reliving that for the rest of my life,” Arbuckle said. “It’s just one of those things you remember because I had total control of. It’s a game of inches literally. It’s crazy you’re throwing the ball to somebody running at full speed 50 yards down the field and you are an inch off and that happens.”

In that notion of getting every inch, San Jose State brought out a little-used defensive scheme to slow the passing attack down.

The Spartans used only three defensive lineman and rushed from different angles having defensive lineman drop back on occasion with linebackers blitzing, forcing the Panthers to adjust on the fly. Georgia State said it was not a defense they had seen before or prepared much for.

Georgia State was able to make some adjustments though.

Arbuckle put a perfect touch pass to Donovan Harden in the second quarter from 38 yards out to bring Georgia State back within three points. After the defense got a safety on a bad snap that went over All-American punter Michael Carrizosa’s head in the end zone, Georgia State took the lead on a 19-yard flanker screen to Todd Boyd. Boyd broke a tackle at the line and had clear sailing into the end zone for the score.

It seemed momentum had turned in that moment for Georgia State. Arbuckle said the Panthers never got down even as they adjusted on the floor and struggled to get things moving. They kept at it and began to execute to turn the tide.

San Jose State was struggling to move the ball consistently against Georgia State’s strong defense. If truly felt momentum had turned with those quick points in the third quarter for San Jose State to take the lead.

The dam finally burst though after that lead. San Jose State rallied together and took the lead back on the back of its strongest player.

“It was a team effort completely with the defense playing so well,” Potter said. “At the end, it was just an offense we kind of stuck together and kept fighting. We kind of willed ourself to the win.”

Ervin opened the drive with a 20-yard rush to put San Jose State back in Georgia State territory. Potter then scrambled, juking by a defender and rushing into the end zone for the go-ahead score.

In the end, Ervin set two school records in his 132-yard, 30-carry performance — the single season rushing record at San Jose State and the single season all-purpose yards record. Ervin accounted for 69 rushing yards on 15 carries and 89 passing yards on 10-for-19 passing.

It was not at all a clean offensive game for San Jose State. The team got the rushing yards but did not get over the top ever. The defense had to keep Georgia State in check.

The Panthers vaunted passing attack had to be kept in check.

Coach Ron Caragher said the change in defensive strategy was a sign of respect for how Arbuckle can pick apart a defense. San Jose State’s strong pass defense needed a different way to get pressure so that Arbuckle did not have the time to sit back and pick the defense apart.

They stepped up and kept the Georgia State receivers in front of them, tackling quickly to stop any big gains. Georgia State converted on only 1 of 10 3rd down conversions.

Those inches continued to be missing throughout the game.

Georgia State coach Trent Miles admitted the strategic shift changed their plans and forced them to adjust. Considering that, the team’s ability to still put up yards and hang in the game was a testament to how good this team played at the end.

The players stepped up and put on a good show for the Orlando bowl crowd — 18,536 announced attendance.

San Jose State got beat really twice.

It came down to the inches. And the last thing Georgia State could do was live with regret. The Panthers had a chance. . . it just slipped through their fingers.

“We put the ball in the hands of the best player in the conference and the best player on our offense and our team,” Miles said. “We had a guy that was one of the best receivers in the nation running wide open for a touchdown. It just didn’t work. If the ball was about six inches shorter, it’s a touchdown and we’re back in the lead and everybody says what a great play call was made. He overthrew him. That’s football.”