For quarterback Kelly Page it wasn't difficult to find the true measure of his first game at Ball State University.
No one needed to compute his quarterback rating or find his completion percentage.
"We lost," Page said. "We didn't get that W. My first game was a failure."
Page made his collegiate debut Thursday night in Ball State's 20-10 loss to the University of North Texas. He did not play great, but coach Stan Parrish said he wasn't the reason they lost.
"He didn't lose the game for us," Parrish said. "I think he showed you he can do some things."
Page completed 15-of-34 passes for 140 yards and an interception. He also ran seven times for 53 yards.
Page completed his first pass to Torieal Gibson for a two-yard gain on the first series of the night. His biggest completion of the night would come in the third quarter, when he connected with receiver Briggs Orsbon down the sideline for 34 yards, setting up a Ball State field goal.
The redshirt freshman quarterback completed passes to seven Ball State receivers, five of whom had a reception of at least 10 yards.
Though it appeared to some observes that he improved as the night went on, Page was harsh in his critique of the way he ran the offense.
"We have to capitalize on our possessions," Page said. "When we drive, we can't stall our drives and not get in the end zone. We've got to score more than one touchdown to give our team a chance to win."
The Cardinals' lone touchdown was a 27-yard run by MiQuale Lewis.
Ball State reached the red zone three times but was unable to put the ball in the end zone. The Cardinals attempted two field goals, making one, and Page threw an interception in the first half.
With Ball State on the North Texas 14-yard line, Page threw a pass towards wide receiver Seth White. North Texas cornerback Royce Hill read the route and easily picked the ball off.
The mistake was amplified because of where it happened on the field.
"[Thursday] the quarterbacks had a test," Page said. "One of the questions was 'what's the main thing you do in the red zone?' The answer is protect the ball. I didn't do that. I should never have thrown it."
Page made his debut behind a rebuilt offensive line. At times the unit struggled to protect their freshman quarterback, but did not allow a sack. North Texas wasn't credited with any quarterback hurries, but at times Page was a victim of the pressure. Parrish said that was one of main reasons for Page completing 44 percent of his passes.
"Sometimes that's the line, sometimes it's the guy not trusting his protection," Parrish said. "Most of his good plays were outside the pocket, scrambling."
Parrish has spent much of his career tutoring young talented quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Nate Davis. His analysis of Page's debut was simple.
"He threw some balls too hard," Parrish said. "Probably didn't set his feet a lot and he had some passes dropped."
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