By Mat Mikesell
Kelly Page thought about if he’d get to see the field on his Senior Night against Ohio.
He thought if Ball State was able to blow out Ohio, then maybe he’d get some snaps in at the end of the game. Ball State blew out Ohio 52-27 Wednesday night, but Page got more than he thought he’d ever get.
“Nothing like this,” he said. “It was very, very humbling. I just wanted to go out there and play my last game at Scheumann [Stadium] like I’ve never played before.”
Starting quarterback Keith Wenning injured his Achilles tendon going for a catch on a trick play late in the second quarter. He made the catch, but limped off the field and wouldn’t return to the game.
In came Page, who hadn’t gotten a snap at quarterback all season, to take over and try to lead Ball State to a win in the “Black Out” game on Senior Night and against one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference.
Right from the beginning, he made an impact. Page faked a handoff to freshman running back Horactio Banks and easily scored on a 7-yard rushing touchdown to give the lead back to Ball State.
Ball State went into halftime and the biggest question was if Wenning would return to the game. He went to the locker room before the end of the half, limping off and putting no weight on his right ankle. But coach Pete Lembo said after the game that the team made no changes on offense when Page came in.
“Kelly went in and just ran the system,” Lembo said. “Whether it was going to be Keith or Kelly, we felt we needed to run the ball. We needed to stay on the field and keep pounding the ball and maintain time of possession.”
But it was Page that came out to run the offense on Ball State’s first possession of the second half, and the offense didn’t miss a beat. On the first play, sophomore running back Jahwan Edwards broke free for a 68-yard run to the Ohio 3-yard line. On the next play, Page hit junior tight end Zane Fakes for a touchdown that put Ball State back in the lead again.
His playmakers made it easy for Page, and he acknowledged it. But being able to put up a 52-point output against one of the better teams in the MAC isn’t an easy thing to do.
“It is a big deal,” Lembo said. “It’s not easy to do what he just did. The other side is that this is what we expect. We expect a backup to go in and get the job done and perform to the best of his ability.”
Page would finish the game with just 5-of-7 passing for 41 yards, but he threw two touchdowns and ran for 34 yards and had a rushing touchdown. The stat line wasn’t the numbers Wenning puts up nearly every game, but he didn’t need to put up those numbers.
Edwards ran for 169 yards and Banks finished with 135 yards while both scored a touchdown. Having the run game to rely on took pressure off Page but also allowed Ball State to be efficient in scoring.
After celebrating with his teammates after the win, Page ran off to the southwest side of the field at Scheumann Stadium where he found his mother Kim waiting for him on the field. He immediately hugged her and they whispered words to each other before he ran into the locker room.
Page was asked about it at the news conference following the game.
“Y’all can’t do this to me,” he said with a smile, fighting to hold back tears.
“My mother’s my backbone. She’s had my back in everything I’ve ever done. I saw her in the stands and I was like ‘Mom, go down there, I have to give you a hug.’ That moment is something I’ll never forget.”
The win puts Ball State at 8-3 on the season and 5-2 in the MAC with one game remaining. Sitting on eight wins, Lembo seemed confident that his team wouldn’t be spending another season sitting at home during the holidays.
“Let’s not make any Christmas plans,” Lembo said with a grin.
