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NU Football: Ball State QB Can Let It Rip (September 2007)
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 Nate Davis must have good hands. He must.
Without them, how did he rank seventh on Ohio's all-time high school basketball scoring list, right above Jerry Lucas and Bob Huggins, right below LeBron James?
How did he hit .500 on the baseball diamond? How did he pass for 8,000 yards and 80 touchdowns in a high school career?
Let's assume the Ball State sophomore quarterback has big paws like LeBron, soft and strong.
Then how do you explain what happened a year ago in Davis' first fall camp, when the Mid-American Conference's most talented freshman couldn't execute the most simple of football tasks. He couldn't hold his hands between the center's legs, say "Hut!" and grab the football.
Couldn't do it.
"This is kind of weird," Davis says, and his explanation begins.
He's kind of a weird player. Midway through his true freshman season, he replaced a fifth-year senior who had three times as many touchdowns as interceptions.
One month later, Davis led a fourth-quarter rally at the Big House to scare the whiskers off the Wolverines. This summer, he was one of 35 quarterbacks to be named to the Manning Award watch list.
On Saturday, Davis gets a shot at Nebraska. Think he'll get a case of sweaty palms? Can't be any worse than 2006 fall practices.
"I didn't think I'd ever be a college football player after fall camp," Davis said. "I couldn't take one snap under center."
He'd played almost his entire record-breaking high school career from the shotgun. Fourth-and-inches? Shotgun. Fourth quarter, running out the clock? Shotgun.
"If we were on the 1-yard line, we were in shotgun," Davis said. "We'd try quarterback sneaks and I'd always fumble those."
Problem was, he couldn't hide his problem at Ball State. It was like showing up the first day for calculus and learning the professor had banished your TI-86.
Those first weeks of practice horrified him.
"I would always open my hands and the ball would just come right through," Davis said. "Every time I'd take a snap, the ball went right through my hands."
Then one day, offensive coordinator Stan Parrish — the former Kansas State coach — handed Davis a pair of Cutters quarterback gloves. They're $40 at your local sporting goods store. They're designed for cold weather and fit tightly against the fingers.
Most important, they're a little sticky.
Davis slipped them on, placed his hands under center and . . . ta-da! He was cured.
He took over the starting job Sept. 30 and tossed four touchdowns to go with 298 yards against Northern Illinois. At undefeated Michigan, he broke out in the second half.
Ball State trailed 31-12 when Davis spearheaded touchdown drives of 73 and 64 yards. A potential game-tying drive fell short inside the Michigan 10, but Davis finished the second half with 205 passing yards.
"Man, there was a lot of people there," Davis said.
At season's end, he was 17th in the nation in passing efficiency, three spots ahead of Zac Taylor. He had tied Ball State's single-season record with 18 scoring passes.
Davis won't hurt defenders with his feet, but he wields a strong arm and doesn't shy from pass rushers.
"He has tremendous poise in the pocket," said Miami (Ohio) coach Shane Montgomery.
Elite quarterbacks are nothing new in the MAC. Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich were first-round draft picks — none wore gloves.
Davis, at this stage, has comparable skills and stature. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder progressed so quickly, Ball State coach Brady Hoke said, because of his competitiveness.
"You got a guy who really has a passion and love for the competition," Hoke said. "I think that really makes a difference in how a guy develops."
Davis grew up in Bellaire, Ohio, a town of 5,000 on the west bank of the Ohio River, the edge of Big Ten country. Not many BCS schools offered him a scholarship, perhaps fearing he'd choose basketball.
Davis scored 2,562 points in his career and was Ohio's Division III co-player of the year in 2006. Sharing the honor: O.J. Mayo. Mayo will soon be off to the NBA. Davis will have to settle for playing in front of 85,000 at Nebraska.
He won't treat the Blackshirts with kid gloves.
Source: Dirk Chatelains, Omaha World-Herald
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