Stop me if you've heard this story.
Ball State's football team, struggling in the second quarter against an inferior opponent, takes out the veteran starting quarterback and puts in a highly-touted freshman from Ohio.
The freshman drops back and completes his first pass attempt for a first down. He leads the team on a drive downfield. He instills some hope in a restless Scheumann Stadium crowd.
Yes, most of you are saying, Keith Wenning did a fine job relieving Kelly Page on Saturday, outscoring Liberty 20-13 during his two-plus quarters of action.
But I'm not taking about Wenning, at least not entirely.
This is also Nate Davis' story. Davis briefly replaced senior Joey Lynch in Ball State's matchup against Eastern Michigan on Aug. 31, 2006.
That specific comparison might end there. Davis rolled off three touchdowns in a 38-20 Cardinals win.
But the links aren't over. Ball State lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team (North Dakota State) in Davis' freshman year, too. Their college weights are listed as being within three pounds of each other. They were both multisport athletes in high school.
Coincidences? Sure. Is Wenning the next Davis? Unlikely.
Davis was a once-in-a-generation talent for Ball State. The Cardinals were lucky to have him for the three seasons they did.
But we won't know what Wenning can do if he is on the sideline at kickoff Saturday. Parrish listed Page and Wenning side by side on the depth chart going into Ball State's matchup with Purdue.
One of coach Brady Hoke's biggest errors at Ball State was keeping Lynch as a starter for three weeks after Davis' debut. Lynch and Davis split time in losses to Indiana, Purdue and North Dakota State.
Parrish was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006. He needs to remember the cliché about history and avoid making Hoke's mistake.
With Wenning, the Cardinals would start to have multiple threats on offense — the ability to run and throw the ball. Could a well-rounded Ball State team surprise
its Mid-American Conference opponents and make a run at the West Division title? Why not?
For those who haven't paid attention, the MAC is terrible this season. The conference is 0-10 in Football Bowl Subdivision nonconference games. It's the only conference not to have a win over another FBS conference. A MAC team has yet to do anything impressive.
Someone has to break through and win the division. Why couldn't that team be Ball State? The schedule lines up well with a home game against divisional favorite Northern Illinois and crossover games against the worst of the MAC East.
Wenning is still a freshman, though, with 15 minutes of on-field time in his collegiate career. The only way Wenning will be ready for MAC play is to get a crash course in NCAA football. That means giving him the start the next two weeks.
Facing Big Ten competition would prepare Wenning like nothing else could. If he has to hit the ground running against Central Michigan or Western Michigan, it would be hard for him to succeed.
Plus, could Ball State, clicking on all cylinders and catching a break or two, give Purdue a run for their money? Absolutely. The Boilermakers had their own troubles against an FCS team last weekend. Purdue didn't exactly blow Western Illinois out of the water.
To challenge the Boilermakers, there are certainly a few question marks that will have to be ironed out during practice. The Cardinals seemed to struggle running the ball — their supposed bread and butter — with Wenning under center. The defense gave up too many yards to the Flames.
Upsetting a double-digit favorite takes a few things. First, you need a defense that can get the ball. The Cardinals are 15th in the country in turnover margin.
Purdue quarterback Robert Marve has three interceptions in two games. Sean Baker will be hawking every ball Marve floats, if given the chance.
Secondly, the Cardinals have to be able to put up points quickly. While a triple-threat running attack is nice, Ball State needs to be able to throw downfield if the game is close or if time is of the essence.
Wenning has shown the ability to do that. Page has not.
It is the responsibility of the head coach to put the best players on the field every week. Whatever the quarterbacks are doing in practice is nice, but we saw the results Saturday and Wenning blew Page away.
Come on, Stan. Give Wenning a chance.
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