Ball State wide receiver Dante Love likely has ended his career as a football player. In Saturday's win over Indiana, Love broke a bone in his spine, and suffered a spinal cord injury as a result.
Love was garnering more attention from NFL scouts after getting out to a fast start this year. He was leading the nation with over 144 receiving yards per game before being carted off the field in the 2nd quarter on Saturday on short pass play that he caught.
Ball State's win over Indiana was their first ever against a BCS school. The Cardinals are also 4-0 for the first time in over 20 years. The program received some votes in the latest AP Poll.
Here is Love's stats, and where he ranks in the school's history:
199 receptions - 2nd all-ime
2,778 receiving yards - 2nd all-time
20 receiving touchdowns- 4th all-time
2,129 kickoff return yards - 1st all-time
Love, a senior, is one of the biggest reasons why Ball State has turned their misfortunes as a program around in recent years. He was a recruited out of Withrow High School in Cincinnati.
Ball State's strength is on the offensive side of the ball, and losing Love will be tough to overcome because of his ability and also mentally, too. According to coach Brady Hoke, Briggs Orsbon, a true freshman, will replace him. Orsbon has caught two touchdown passes on the season.
The team will have to lean on running back MiQuale Lewis more with the loss of Love. Lewis has averaged over 132 yards a game on the ground this year.
The defense will also have to step up for them to make a run at a possible undefeated campaign, and be a BCS buster. The defense has allowed over 200 rushing yards a game, and that could be a problem if the offense takes a step back because of the loss of their top playmaker.
The Cardinals still beat the Hoosiers 42-20 despite Love going out in 2nd quarter of the game. The team hosts Kent State on Saturday. Here's the rest of their schedule:
Oct. 4 @ Toledo
Oct. 11 @ Western Kentucky
Oct. 25 Eastern Michigan
Nov. 5 Northern Illinois
Nov. 11 @ Miami(OH)
Nov. 19 @ Central Michigan
Nov. 25 Western Michigan
The Mid-American Conference has been a traditionally tough place to run the table in because of the balance in the league. Conference play is an altogether different story than playing OOC games.
I did see Love play on television last year in their bowl game against Rutgers. Despite his size(he's 5'9") I thought he had a bright future at the next level as a receiver/returner. Football is a very rough and tough game, and it's sad to see something like this happen. After reading some of the media coverage about this, it's clear that everyone at the university was fond of him and that his last name was fitting. I wish nothing but the best for Love in the future in trying to overcome this difficulty in his life.
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9/23/2008 08:47:00 AM
David Funk
4 comments:
i read this earlier, it's just god awful, to have this happen to such a promising player!! i wish him all the best!!
Sad when a promising young athlete is struck down before his time.
I hope he walks without pain the rest of his life, but shame his gridiron days are over.
Cindy- It's awful for sure. I hope he can live a normal life, and not be handicapped at such a young age.
Lester- No doubt. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
3rd- Ditto. I hope he can walk without restrictions, too.
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