A player in possession of the ball and attempting to advance it.
Example sentencesExamples
They all could run right through a ball carrier or bury a quarterback.
The defense consistently over-pursued the ball carrier and failed to contain the outside.
They refused to allow their opponents into an easy scoring position and when they stole the ball the rest acted as support players for the ball carrier.
You'll be lucky to get out of the backfield with your ball carrier, but at least you won't be able to complete as many long bombs.
He can drop the hammer on a ball carrier, and he can ballhawk a pass when he gets the chance.