Although the team didn't pull out a win, Ball State quarterback Nate Davis made the most of his first career start and also gave the Cardinals a glimpse of what the next four years could be like.
"He has such a great arm and poise for a freshman," Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak said. "We tried to get after him some, and we got him early. But he has tremendous poise, he sees the field real well and like I said he has a cannon for an arm. He is just a natural at what he does. He is going to have a great career, obviously."
The freshman amassed 298 yards through the air and threw for four touchdowns in the losing effort, two of which to were 6-foot-6 tight end Darius Hill.
"I think he handled himself pretty well," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said. "He's got a good arm and he has a pretty good feel for the game."
The first series didn't go to plan, as Davis struggled to find a rhythm and made a few mistakes. His first mistake came when he was forced to call a timeout because he wasn't able to get a play off in time. His second came on third down when he held onto the ball too long, which resulted in a sack for the Northern Illinois defense.
"I was just worried about how I was going to play," Davis said, "but I overcame that after the first series and bounced back."
Once he shook off the early jitters, the game looked to slow down to his liking and on his second series he was a perfect 5-for-5 and led the Cardinals offense to the end zone on an eight play, 80-yard drive.
After a Garrett Wolfe fumble, which halted Northern Illinois ensuing possession, Davis and the Cardinals took over at the Huskies 40-yard line. The Bellaire, OH native then capitalized on the turnover and hooked up with Michael Steinhaus from 5-yards out to give Ball State it's only lead of the game at 14-7.
"It was just like high school," Davis said. "Your first series you're just a little off, but I just came back and bounced back."
Trailing 40-14 in the fourth quarter, Davis added to his totals with two more touchdowns late and finished the day completing 27-of-38 passes with no interceptions.
Senior Joey Lynch only saw one series late in the third quarter, and fumbled the ball in a third and long situation, which resulted in a Huskie field goal.
"We just thought [Davis] had a really good week of practice," Hoke said. "We feel we have two really good quarterbacks. We're fortunate. It was time in his development to go out and start."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
