The Missouri State Bears nearly pulled off something quite ridiculous against the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday thanks to some sort of miscommunication on the Ball State sideline.
With 2:31 left in the fourth quarter and Ball State up by 14, the Cardinals were called for offside on a 4th and 10 with Missouri State in possession at the Ball State 17. The Cardinals were apparently under the impression that there was a timeout on the field after the penalty, but that was not the case.
Missouri State, however, was aware that the clock was not stopped. They quickly lined up for an offensive play against the one hapless Ball State defender who was seemingly aware of what was going on. The rest of the defense was huddled up near the sideline — but crucially behind the line of scrimmage.
The result was one of the funniest plays you are likely to see.
The play was ultimately negated by another Ball State offside, which was purely the result of the Cardinals huddling on the field. In other words, had they been on the sideline or otherwise off the field, the play would have been totally legal.