WEST LAFAYETTE – The ball cut through a crowd of black and gold and red and white. At least two players got a finger on the leather, subtly helping it through the scrum.
Waiting just beyond the crowd was Purdue wide receiver Cortez Smith. He wasn't the intended target for Rob Henry's pass, but there he was. The ball fell into his expectant hands, and he streaked down the open sideline for a 76-yard touchdown.
The score was all Purdue needed to finish off Ball State. The Cardinals' upset bid fell short, dropping their first road game of the season 24-13.
Stan Parrish couldn't help but wonder what might have been if the ball hadn't slipped past cornerback Jeffery Garrett.
"We really had control of the game at that point," he said. "Not only doesn't he make the pick, it goes to their guy for a touch[down]."
Even Henry couldn't take credit for his first career touchdown pass.
"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," he said. "We got lucky there and it turned into a big play for us."
Safety Sean Baker, who made an interception in the third quarter, said it was one of many plays Ball State needed to make to win.
"He had the perfect possibility for that interception," he said. "We have to learn from it and get better from it."
It was a learning experience for the Cardinals, who found themselves in a close contest after starting yet another game flat. Purdue took a 14-0 lead into halftime, but it didn't last long.
On Purdue's first drive of the second half, Baker flashed in front of a pass from Robert Marve over the middle of the field. He made the catch at the Boilermakers 31-yard line, his 13th career interception. Ball State took advantage of the turnover, quickly covering the short field Baker gave the offense.
Quarterback Keith Wenning, who was making his first career start, didn't put the ball in the air on the drive. Instead the Cardinals leaned on their running backs. MiQuale Lewis found the end zone for the first time this season with a one-yard rush. Steven Schott's extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 14-6.
"We got down 14-0, but we kept going," Lewis said.
Eight points would be as close as the Cardinals would get. Though Ball State wasn't able to get its offense going for much of the second half, its defense kept the game close.
Just a score away from tying Purdue, Ball State was in position to score a season-altering upset. But the Cardinals opportunity melted away in front of the 54,124 fans at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"They played well," Baker said. "A couple plays could have turned it around, but we've got to come out and play a lot better."
Ball State's mistakes simply became too much to overcome. The Cardinals found themselves two touchdowns down after two Boilermaker possessions. Once the defense started getting stops, Ball State's offense began missing opportunities.
Ian McGarvey missed two field goal attempts in the second quarter, and Wenning threw an interception in the back of the end zone. The Cardinals also were unable to score after getting a first down on the Boilermakers' 14-yard line, thwarted by a botched snap in the wildcat formation that resulted in a 16-yard loss.
"We killed ourselves today," Lewis said. "We had a lot of good opportunities to score, and we've got to be able to put points on the board."
Wenning's first start didn't go nearly as well as his first significant playing time, which came in last week's loss to Liberty. The true freshman completed 11-of-21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions.
Parrish used Wenning and Kelly Page, who started the first two games of the season. Page was used mostly as a runner until the Cardinals' final drive, when he threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Connor Ryan.
While Purdue might not be the ideal opponent to break in a quarterback, Parrish said Wenning did a good job.
"You've got to learn to start somewhere," he said. "This is a tough venue, but he made some good plays."
Parrish said he plans to continue using both quarterbacks, especially with a matchup at No. 9 Iowa looming next weekend.
"It's a long haul," he said. "We go to Iowa next week. It's not for the faint of heart."
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