There aren’t a lot of options in most playbooks for a fourth-and-16 situation, but that didn’t get Mississippi State out of that exact scenario late in the fourth quarter against Kansas State on Saturday. After quarterback Garrett Shrader snapped the ball, and all of his receivers went running down the field, the Bulldog decided to make a run for it. Shrader made it 12 yards before an incoming pair of defenders forced him to commit to a daring leap for the first down. It was a commendable attempt, but both Wildcat players made contact with their opponent, with the first defender launching him in the air, and the second one sending Shrader spiraling like a downed helicopter in war movie.


The quarterback seemed to be alright after the play, but the ball was unfortunately spotted just short of the first down marker, giving Kansas State the ball back on downs.

That turnover ended what was essentially Mississippi State’s final drive of the game on their way to a 31-24 upset loss. If the Bulldogs want a better shot of winning their next game, Shrader will probably have to try levitating even higher than he did this time around.