The University at Buffalo’s challenge in defending Ball State quarterback Nate Davis is that there’s zero margin for error. He can defeat anything less than exemplary coverage with superior arm strength. He can exasperate anything less than an overwhelming pass rush with an elusiveness reminiscent of Donovan McNabb in his heyday.

Davis, a 6-foot-2, 217-pound junior from Kettering, Ohio, is the motor behind an efficient and explosive Ball State offense that has ensured that 10 of the Cardinals’ 12 wins in their perfect season have come by 14 or more points. He’s one of the players that UB, a 14zpoint underdog, will somehow have to contain to pull off the upset in Friday’s Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit.

Central Michigan coach Butch Jones saw the whole package in a 31-24 loss to Ball State on Nov. 19. Davis completed 12 of 22 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns while running seven times for another 52 yards, with a long of 22.

“He’s got great arm strength, but coupled with that arm strength he’s got tremendous accuracy,” Jones said. “And probably the best way to describe him is he was very poised, did not get rattled, just very poised, very calm, very collected. You can see that he’s the leader of that football team. He’s got a little bit of swagger to him.

“But not only did he make plays with his arm, he made some plays with his legs. And that’s something that we knew coming into the game when we studied film is that he’s been able to do that throughout the course of the season, and our game wasn’t anything different. He showed some mobility and some escapability within the pocket when it collapsed.”

Longtime fans of University at Buffalo football, those who pledged their support during the lean years, should be reacting to Davis’ ascent with a knowing nod. He was just a freshman making his second career start when Ball State came to UB Stadium in October 2006 and rolled, 55-25. The Cardinals led, 38-3, at the half, as Davis went 8 for 8 for 155 yards.

It was more of the same in last year’s 49-14 Ball State victory over the Bulls. Davis completed 21 of 29 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. For the second straight meeting, two of those TD throws went to 6-foot-6, 236-pound senior tight end Darius Hill, an NFL prospect.

Davis has entered the realm of all-time great MAC quarterbacks, joining players such as Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich. On the season he’s completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 3,095 yards with 25 touchdowns against six interceptions. He’s run for another 318 yards and four scores, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He’s been quite the find for coach Brady Hoke, a Ball State alum who has resurrected the program and then some.

“The God-given ability that he has is something that you like a lot,” Hoke said. “And I think his maturity and how he’s grown from a freshman and really taken care of our offense, taken care of the football and [made] good decisions, is something that’s been fun to watch. He understands that he doesn’t have to go out there and win every game for us and he’s got great teammates around him. I just think he hasn’t forced any throws in the last eight or nine weeks. When you know him and the competitiveness that he has, I think that’s a real good job of growing up as a quarterback.”

UB’s Drew Willy, another MAC quarterback with a potential NFL future, has an appreciation for what Davis brings to a Ball State offense averaging almost 38 points per game.

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen all year,” Willy said. “He’s got a very strong arm. I’ve been really impressed with his running ability as well. He’s like a good team leader for them, and he’s a total package of a great quarterback.”

The Cardinals are loaded runner MiQuale Lewis to a bevy of big-play receivers to a quarterback who possesses many of the attributes needed to take his game to the next level.

“I think he’ll be given an opportunity,” said Central Michigan’s Jones of Davis’ chances of playing in the NFL. “I think he possesses all the skills. You know, he can make all the throws. The guys that play on Sunday, they can defeat tight coverage, and he can defeat tight coverage. He’s got the arm strength, he’s got the accuracy and he can complete all the throws in the playbook from a deep post to a deep comeback to a hitch to a crossing route. He can do it all.”