Most Ball State University opponents are aware that quarterback Nate Davis likes to get wide receiver Dante Love the ball, but what they might not know is that Love will run the ball too.
This could have been the case Thursday when Ball State beat Northeastern University 48-14 to open the 2008 season. In the second quarter the Cardinals had a first and goal on the two-yard line. Normally in this type of situation a coach will give his running back the ball and have him try to bull his way into the end zone. Considering that running back MiQuale Lewis already had close to 80 yards on the ground it seemed logical to give Lewis the ball and have him try to get his second two-yard touchdown of the game.
However, Love lined up in the backfield where Lewis would normally be and got the ball from a Davis handoff. With one juke back toward the middle, Love crossed the goal line.
"I really didn't think that [offensive coordinator Stan Parrish] would call my number, but he did," Love said.
Love said the coaches have been working on using him in the backfield more, something Ball State opponents should take note of considering Love rushed for 192 yards last year on 35 carries.
The rushing touchdown wasn't the only time Love scored in the first half, however. In the second quarter Davis found Love on a 49-yard bomb that found the end zone after Love cut back toward the middle, causing the Huskies' safety to miss. It was the feather in the cap for Love's first half as he would go into halftime with seven catches for 142 yards and the touchdown.
"I'm one of the playmakers on the team, so wherever you put me I try to do my best," he said. "... I love being moved around all the time. It kind of gets boring playing one position."
Love would finish with 171 yards, the third most in his career, on nine catches while sitting out practically the entire fourth quarter as Ball State had built a large lead.
Getting Love involved early opened the door for the other receivers. Davis' other main target also was on the receiving end of a first-half touchdown pass as tight end Darius Hill was found for an eight-yard score early in the second quarter. The Hill and Love touchdowns were the 31st and 32nd time they have scored thanks to a Davis pass, accounting for almost two-thirds of Davis' 51 career touchdown passes.
Davis turned in a near perfect performance in the season opener, picking up right where he left off last year. He was 21 of 24, including 12 of 13 at halftime, for 290 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. Always refusing to be satisfied, Davis said he wasn't close to being perfect.
"I believe I could have better reads," he said. "... The thing that helped me the most was watching film on them."
While Davis has routinely found Hill and Love for completions, he stressed the importance of not zeroing in on them and keeping the other options open, as he showed with a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Daniel Ifft in the third quarter.
"It's big for our offense," Davis said. "The biggest thing is getting everybody involved, not just a third [option]. We need everybody ... I believe we've got to keep on using everybody to take pressure of [Hill and Love]."
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