Trending
AKRON The last time Ball State University’s football program outright won the Mid-American Conference Championship was in 1996. Led into the trenches at that time by coach Bill Lynch, the Cardinals were drilled off the starting mark by Kansas and went on to drop the first three games of the season.
Pulling themselves out of the gutter, Ball State shook up the MAC conference by shelling out eight consecutive victories as they took home the MAC title and made an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Well that was 1996 and this is now.
The Cardinals (3-0) are now triggered by Bellaire native Nate Davis at the quarterback position and the signal caller intends to go another towards a MAC title in Muncie, Indiana.
“We have to keep working hard to get to that next level,” Davis indicated as Ball State is arguably the team to beat in the conference by many preseason polls. “I don’t believe (in the polls). We have to come out and play hard every week.”
The Cardinals fast paced offense used a plethora of receivers that included four different targets. Dante Love has been Davis’ key target this season hauling in seven balls for 97 yards Saturday against Akron in a 41-24 decision.
Davis finished the contest with 300 yards in the air with a pair of scores and grounded 26 stripes on four carries.
However, the Cardinals’ offensive figures were lower than anticipated, dropping a handful of first half balls in the spitting rain.
“As a team we did not come out to play. We were soft,” Davis said during a post-game press conference. “The defense made a great statement this game, but not the offense.
Humbleness Davis’ growth since his prep days are extraordinary and it shows as he is a total team player. Most quarterbacks would happily take a 300 yard game, but Davis isn’t satisfied yet. He realizes the intensity was not in his teammates as his receivers came out flat and were not making an extra effort to go towards the ball. A lot of time the balls were on the money, but no one seemed like they wanted to put Akron away.
The scrappy Zips went into halftime down a score, 17-10, and should not even be considered on the same level of play as their conference foes. But a total team effort by the Cardinals’ defense was the trump card as Ball State limited Akron’s backfield to minimal yards and their top back Andrew Johnson to 50 stripes in the contest.
As it stands now, Davis and the Cardinals are tied at the top of the MAC conference with a slue of opponents who they will see in the coming weeks.
“The biggest thing is we had a lot of improvement in different areas,” Davis commented about the Akron game. “Now we need to look forward to next week and play one week at a time.”
Davis’ heads into this week’s game at Indiana averaging 305 yards in the air in his first three games and has been responsible for nine scores. At Davis’ disposal will be nine receivers who have caught balls in Ball State’s high-powered spread offense.
SIDELINE NOTES
NATE DAVIS was not alone in Akron Saturday as a number of Ohio Valley fans who watched him during his days in Big Reds’ attire made the trip. Many family, some former opponents and some who wanted to see if he is really that good.
“It is great seeing everyone come out and watch,” Davis said as he signed autographs after the game. “My family travels to every game and it means a lot to me. But I have to not think about who is watching me and go out and play my game. My goal is to play better every week.”
AKRON SIDELINES
THE OHIO Valley is not too far from home in Akron as a ton of former OVAC students are playing big rolls behind the scenes in Akron’s athletic programs. Alex Corona, a Buckeye Local graduate, holds one of the top positions in the athletic department as the Video Operations Technician. In conversation, she made me aware that there were many Ohio Valley students taking part in the program and all the names would be too hard to name without looking at a list.
MASCOT
TAKING PART in the football atmosphere at Akron is Levi Nelson. The St. Clairsville graduate is the university’s mascot and attends most home events. Nelson also takes turns with a few other individuals during the season as the Zippy the Kangaroo.
QUEEN OF THE SIDELINES
ST. CLARISVILLE’S Alex Mitchell is a member of the Akron cheerleading team. The former Red Devils’ cheerleader is teamed up with her spotter Joe Neal during competition and can be found on the sidelines cheering on the Zips.
Cook can be reached at bcook@timesleaderonline.com