The injury bug really hit the Ball State Cardinals hard. Like, really, really hard. So hard, in fact, it essentially gutted the 2017 campaign before it even started.
James Gilbert, the electric running back for the Cardinals, was one of the earliest victims of the injury bug in 2017, and that was extremely unfortunate, as the five-foot-nine, 198 lb. running back out of Indianapolis, Indiana, is capable of elite-level production when healthy.
The 2017 season saw Gilbert get action in three games, where he scored four touchdowns (including one rushing score in each game) and 207 rushing yards.