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Flashes Football Week 1 Preview–Murray State

by Ryan Lewis on September 1, 2010

in Football

Real quickly, thank goodness football is here–my favorite sport is still probably baseball for the pure "spirit" of it (if you're a baseball purist, you know the feeling in the pit of your stomach you get every February as word of spring training rolls around), but there's just nothing better than football season as a reporter/fan of the game. The collegiate gridiron is good to us (a special thanks go out to extra sports channels on Time Warner Cable, Dish, etc. etc. and that little yellow line for first downs, which should be the only thing considered as the greatest thing since sliced bread).

Game Previews will be built up as the season grows, but with only intrasquad action in the books and Murray State playing in the FCS, week 1 will be shorter than the norm.

Breakdown on Murray State–The Racers will go under the lights for the first time with new Head Coach Chris Hatcher, so the forecast is a tad cloudy on what to expect. Hatcher should run a spread offense, usually in a shotgun formation, that utilizes wide receiver screens. Coach Martin and his staff are planning to face both a 3-3 stack defensive formation as well as a 4-3 (it's believed this is now the base formation).

What To Watch For: Kent's aerial attack–With a year under his belt, Spencer Keith looks like a new man behind center. If he and fellow sophomore Tyshon Goode can pick up where they left off towards the end of last season, the sky's the limit. The offensive first unit looks much smoother with Goode on the field, as made evidenced by Fan Appreciation Night (Keith's first drive with Goode in a scrimmage resulted in three catches and a touchdown for Goode).

Another factor of Keith's development centers around what he does before the snap. Keith is being handed the keys (slowly) to the offense and now has some freedom to call audibles and change pass protections at his discretion. How he deals with multiple defenses and the decision he makes on the fly will go a long way to how well the offense moves the ball as a unit.

Keys To Victory: 1. Attack through the air–Again, how Keith, Goode and the rest of the passing game mesh will be a big keynote to build upon entering the Flashes two toughest games on the schedule, Boston College and Penn State, and then on to MAC play. Look for passes to the perimeter complimented by a power running game.

2. Control the tempo–The Flashes should be able to control both lines, and Time Of Possession should be in KSU's favor the entire night.

3. Attack the QB–KSU has the tools to be one of the better blitzing teams not just in the MAC, but the country as far as sacks and tackles for loss are concerned. The Flashes won't be able to blitz as much as they and defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis would probably like due to Murray State's spread offense, but pressure should still come early and often.

Biggest Question Mark: CB–Senior Kirk Belgrave has returned and appears to be healthy, but whether or not Belgrave is up to speed with the rest of the defensive backfield remains to be seen. With Brian Lainhart, Dan Hartman and Josh Pleasant accompanying him, this unit stands as one of Kent's best. Junior Norman Wolfe Jr. is second in line, and keep an eye on true freshman safety Luke Wollet. The entire coaching staff is very high on Wollet, and Martin believes Wollet has the skills to make jump to corner if the occasion should arise. Redshirt freshman Darius Polk is also an option.

Additives and Fillers: Coach Doug Martin is very impressed with backup quarterback Giorgio Morgan as of late, who should see a significant amount of snaps in Thursday night's game. Coach Martin says Morgan is becoming, once again, the quarterback he thought he had the potential to be upon coming to Kent. No quarterback competition is present at the moment, but if Keith falters Martin will be eager to retest Morgan.

Eugene Jarvis appears to be 100% healthy, but Jacquise Terry and Dri Archer could (maybe should is a better word) see an equal amount of carries in Jarvis' first live action since lacerating his only kidney last season. Terry will also act as the fourth wide receiver while in the "Pistol" offense (shotgun formation with four wide receivers and a running back in the backfield). Dri Archer will act as a kick returner. Freshman running back Robert Hollomon, who may not be north of 160 pounds but excelled in both scrimmages, will be redshirted.

Worthless Prediction Of The Week–Kent State 27, Murray State 7

Tagged as: Doug Martin, Dri Archer, Eugene Jarvis, Jacquise Terry, Murray State, Spencer Keith

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NewsFlashes Camp Notebook–Aug. 14 Scrimmage Review

by Ryan Lewis on August 15, 2010

in Football

Kent State University held the first scrimmage of the season Saturday night, featuring the Blue Team (Offense) vs. the White Team (Defense) vs. Mother Nature.

Poor weather–a misting rain and some intermittent lightening–forced a delay and put a damper on most of the game.

Tell that to true freshman Robert Hollomon, who carried the ball 19 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

Hollomon (5'9, 170 pounds from Philadelphia), who will most likely redshirt this season with Eugene Jarvis, Jacquise Terry and Dri Archer in his way, turned several would-be negative gains into first downs on a couple of nifty moves and great quickness. He first found the   on the tail end of an option play to the weak-side via Giorgio Morgan, and later spun out of a Will Johnson tackle for a short score.

Hollomon's numbers would have been a little better had it not been for a six yard loss accredited to his name, but not his doing.

The defensive line–nearly the entire line–blew through the second unit offensive line and swallowed Hollomon up before he ever had a chance.

The defensive line and front seven being in the backfield–regardless of which unit was on the field at that particular time–turned out to be the theme of the night, although the second unit struggled a bit more.

Senior defensive lineman Zach Williams sacked Spencer Keith on the second play of the game, and then pressured Keith into a hurried throw to plays later on third down.

Freshman and 2010 Big 33 Classic Defensive MVP Richard Gray (who attended the same high school as senior Monte Simmons), sophomore Kent Walker and sophomore Jake Dooley (who is behind Simmons on the depth chart) all added sacks of their own.

Each quarterback who took snaps was pressured on countless times, even when a sack wasn't recorded.

"Defensively, we're playing fast and we're playing physical," said Head Coach Doug Martin. "The one thing I really liked was a lot of young guys and backup guys stepped up and got better. That's what we need right now, some depth."

After the first play of the game–a 16 yard gain by Jarvis after he cut inside and then bounced it back outside–the first team offense failed to move the chains on it's next three drives.

Starting quarterback Spencer Keith threw the ball well, the offense was just never able to get into any rhythm, especially without Keith's go-to receiver Tyshon Goode on the field. Keith finished 11-21 for 64 yards and a touchdown. Starting flanker (at the moment), junior Sam Kirkland, also sat out.

The vast majority of Keith's throws were directed to the perimeter, but the middle of the field garnered the most success. Keith's only touchdown pass, a 20 yard beauty to sophomore Matthew Hurdle, split the safeties in the middle.

It appears Giorgio Morgan took bounds and leaps towards wrapping up the second-string quarterback spot, as not only did Morgan take snaps with the second unit, but the biggest threat to take his job, freshman Cedric McCloud, was the fourth quarterback to line up under center and threw just one pass.

Morgan was the victim of several drops, but still completed seven of 10 passes for 38 yards. Two of those incomplete passes were on down-field throws in the end zone.

Morgan also contributed to two safeties–the first on a fumble as he dropped back, and it appeared he tripped for the second gaff–but he was taking snaps from true freshman center Phil Huff, who filled in for junior Rimington Award Watch List member Chris Anzevino, who is playing through a hip pointer per Head Coach Doug Martin.

With that combination, some miscommunication is to be expected.

Eugene Jarvis carried the ball nine times for 54 yards, but would later pay for it. Keith checked down to Jarvis on a short pass to the weak-side, but led him a little too far. Senior strong safety Dan Hartman took advantage and laid Jarvis out, sending a surge through the defensive sideline.

"[Jarvis] getting popped like that is good for him at this stage, to know that he's back" said Martin. "He got hit pretty good on that one, but he looks like his old self. I thought he looked good."

Jacquise Terry gained 25 yards on six carries and a touchdown in addition to bringing in three passes for 19 yards.

Martin has repeatedly expressed his interest to find ways to get the ball in Terry's hands, saying, "[Terry is] one of our most versatile players, and we've got to find ways to get Terry on the field." For now, he's taking carries as the second head of a three-pronged ground attack, as well as acting as a wide receiver on four-WR sets.

Dri Archer was often swallowed up by Kent's defensive front seven, and finished with 14 yards on seven carries.

Senior Dorian Wood, currently playing weak-side linebacker, led the team with six tackles. True freshman Luke Wollet, who may be the biggest surprise of camp to this point, had four tackles. Wollet is listed as the second-string free safety behind maybe the best defensive player in the MAC in senior Brian Lainhart. Doug Martin has gone far enough to say he believes Wollet could be a young Lainhart.

Wollet could also see some time at cornerback opposite Josh Pleasant.

Sophomore Freddy Cortez was 3-4 kicking field goals, with a long of 41 yards. His only miss was blocked by redshirt freshman corner Darius Polk.

Junior punter Matt Rinehart punted the ball four times with a long of 46 yards.

Tagged as: Dan Hartman, Dorian Wood, Doug Martin, Dri Archer, Eugene Jarvis, Giorgio Morgan, Jacquise Terry, Luke Wollet, Robert Hollomon, Spencer Keith, Tyshon Goode, Zach Williams

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NewsFlashes Camp Notebook–Aug 12

by Ryan Lewis on August 13, 2010

in Football

The first Camp Notebook edition of NewsFlashes will be a double edition.

After attending practice on Tuesday and Thursday night, here are a couple insights from Dix Stadium.

For the most part, sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith looks light-years ahead of where he was just 12 months ago. Keith is by far the fastest of the bunch processing his reads and going through his check-downs. Keith has even begun alternating and calling plays at the line of scrimmage at almost a 50-50 clip, something Head Coach Doug Martin says is all a part of the plan.

I say for the most part, because usually Keith delivers a tight-spiraled throw in a spot only where his receiver can catch it. There have been a couple throws, however, that were either airmailed or resembled a flailing duck, not a the customary torpedo-like spiral we're accustomed to seeing in camp. Keith has firmly established himself as a leader both on and off the field, and his teammates are responding to his every move.

The heat is now on full in the competition to back up Keith. Neither junior Giorgio Morgan nor  freshman Cedric McCloud solely took snaps with the second team on Thursday. Rather, Martin is interchanging the QB's each play to talk and review the previous play on a play-by-play basis.

McCloud, a freshman two years removed from his senior year of high school who attended Central Carolina Sports Academy in 2009, is a little heavier-footed than Morgan but has the stronger arm.

Morgan, having seen quite a bit of playing time in 2009, holds the edge in experience and mobility.

"We recruited McCloud in hopes of him competing with Morgan for that job," said Head Coach Doug Martin. "It only makes Giorgio better to have someone competing with him, and it'll make them both tougher."

Thursday night's snaps may have shed a little early light on the situation. Each quaterack ran a simulated offensive possession using six offensive players and eight defensive players. Morgan took the stage first, making a couple of nice throws, but wasn't helped by his receivers as senior Dorian Wood intercepted a pass that bounced off of Jacquise Terry's fingers. Then, sophomore Matthew Hurdle, who looked absolutely fantastic the rest of the night, dropped a nicely played throw.

McCloud entered second but didn't fare as well. He tried to sneak his first throw into a tight window over the middle which was almost picked off by several line backers in the area. His second throw as tipped a couple yards off the line of scrimmage by sophomore line backer Jake Dooley. McCloud's last throw was intercepted by senior Calvin Taylor.

That being said, Morgan mishandled two snaps out of the Shotgun formation, one of which Dooley caught and took back for a defensive touchdown.

—

Sixth-year uber-senior Eugene Jarvis looks 100% healthy–you can take a deep breath (knock on wood, I'd rather not be labeled as the guy who jinxed one of the best offensive players in the conference). Cutting in, cutting out, cutting to the right, left, back, forward, taking punts–whatever Jarvis and his 5'5 frame wants to do with the ball, he does it.

Behind Jarvis, both junior Jacquise Terry and sophomore Dri Archer have been productive when given their chance in camp.

All three will be extensively used in Doug Martin's West-Coast style offense, due to the combination of speed and ability to run between the tackles that each seem to possess.

In addition to finding carries for each back, Terry will be on the field as a wide receiver in 4-WR sets and Archer will hold some kick-return responsibilities.

—

Everyone knows about sophomore Tyshon Goode, who almost instantly became Keith's number one target last season. Goode has looked even better this fall, and on more than one occasion has made his defensive counterpart look silly.His routes look crisp, he's getting open on a regular basis and nothing has escaped his grip.

"Goode has grown up quite a bit," said Martin. "The thing last year was he'd excel then disappear and come back. I've talked to him about showing up on every play and down. That's what the Edelman's and Jarvis' do."

It's the receivers on the depth chart after Goode that have began to make such a big splash.

Juniors Kendrick Pressley and Sam Kirkland lead the way for the starting split-end job, but 6'2 freshman Ed Cazenave, the most physical receiver of the bunch, has joined the mix.

Behind Goode is sophomore Matthew Hurdle.

Hurdle looks to have the best insticnts of the entire bunch, and may also be the best deep-ball threat with his size (6'3, 185 lbs) and ability to position himself under deeper throws. Hurdle made a great catch along the sideline, using his body to shield two defensive backs. On a different drive, Keith threw a beautiful fade route off the two yard line to the back of the end zone. Hurdle positioned himself, then realigned his body again to come down with it for a score.

Depth by competition at the WR spots is now plentiful.

—

Other notes from drills–

Seniors Monte Simmons and Zach Williams, on different occasions, exploded through the line to disrupt any attempt of a play by the offense. On a related note, for most of the drills the past couple of nights the defensive line has looked much faster, and several times have stopped either Jarvis, Terry or Archer for little or no gain.

Later, Williams came screaming into the backfield off of the strong side again on what happened to be a bootleg to the weak side. Williams, bearing down on Keith, was blindsided by 5'7 senior Leneric Muldrow on a fantastic block.

Weak-side sophomore linebacker Luke Batton, expected to start week one, returned to practice roughly a month earlier than expected, and is slowly being integrated into drills. For much of practice he's been working mainly on conditioning to make up for lost time.

Freshman offensive lineman Robert Kearney and Max Plunkett are making strong pushes for starting spots, along with freshman guard Tommy Pizzuro.

Junior center Chris Anzevino went down for a couple of minutes with what appeared to be a left leg injury. He walked off the field under his own power, was looked at for about twenty minutes, and returned to practice.

Tagged as: 90Ksu, Brian Lainhart, Brian Winters, Cedric McCloud, Doug Martin, Dri Archer, Eugene Jarvis, Giorgio Morgan, Jacquise Terry, Kendrick Pressley, Luke Wollet, matthew Hurdle, Monte Simmons, Sam Kirkland, Spencer Keith, Tyshon Goode, West Coast

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Brian Lainhart Named To Preseason Thorpe Award Watch List

by Ryan Lewis on August 10, 2010

in Football

To no surprise, Kent State senior safety Brian Lainhart is one of 35 defensive backs named to the Preseason Thorpe Award Watch List.

The list is cut back to 12 semifinalists in early November.

Lainhart's 15 career interceptions leads all returning Football Bowl Subdivision players, and his seven interceptions last season were good enough for fourth nationally. Five more, and he will overtake Lou Harris (1965-67) for the top spot in school history.

Phil Steele has Lainhart ranked as the seventh-best free safety in the country, and the best defensive back in the MAC.

—

If you would like Twitter updates on the Flashes all year long and through each practice attended, follow me @RyanLewisOhio. Tomorrow will be the first practice attended and the first practice in pads.

Tagged as: Brian Lainhart, Phil Steele, Thorpe

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Evaluating The 90Ksu Program To Date

by Ryan Lewis on August 5, 2010

in Football

Recently hired Athletic Director Joel Nielsen quickly established his ambitions of reinviting the Kent State football program with a heightened focus on the team itself, fan experience and marketing.

Thus his brain child, the "90Ksu–Everyone Counts" Program, was born.

Roughly two months after the new program's inception, it was time to calculate it's progress with cold, hard numbers.

90Ksu is built on several platforms and encompassess several aspects of the football program that needed to be reevaluated and rewired.

First, it focuses on improving the experience of the fan, including opening up the parking lot  three hours prior to kick-off for tailgating, providing a DJ and music in the Field house along with cheerleaders and other entertainment being added for the fans.

Executive Associate Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein emphasized if the product isn't up to snub, the progam won't succeed.

"Just asking people to buy tickets won't get it done, we have to provide an experience for the fan that's affordable, entertaining and a great value for college football on a Saturday afternoon," Said Kleinlein. "It's great to see the increased interest, and the community has turned out remendously, and because of this we're way ahead of ticket sales from years past."

Second, the football program itself.

The latter half of the 90Ksu title reads "Everyone Counts"–meaning it's the marketing department's job to increase interest and provide better entertainment, the fans' job to show their colors on Saturdays at the stadium, and Head Coach Doug Martin's job to bring home more W's than L's.

"We're driving this interest," said Kleinlein. "It's Doug Martin's job to ensure this product is what it needs to be on the football field."

KSU hasn't been to a bowl game since disco died, and a winning record has come few and far between. The Flashes are coming off a five-win season with All-MAC RB Eugene Jarvis set to return, quarterback Spencer Keith with a year under his belt and Div. 1-A's leader in interceptions Brian Lainhart spearheading a stronger defensive unit. If the hot-seat wasn't already hot for Head Coach Doug Martin, the added emphasis and focus on his program will act as the hot coals under his paper-thin chair.

Thirdly, football marketing, including everything from TV commercials and billboards as you enter Kent to the "90Ksu" logo appearing around campus.

Those involved with KSU communications and the 90Ksu Program will insist that all three aspects are being looked at evenly, but it's the latter of the trio that sits as the heart of the issue. To be simple–better marketing means better ticket sales.

Even with the increased volume of marketing directed towards, football, no "new" money has been spent.

Instead of shifting money from other aspects of the University, the way in which the existing budget was directed has been changed. For example, instead of print ads, billboard space was rented to reach more eyes in a more colorful way.

Due to the economic struggles as of late in this area of the country, the Kent football budget hasn't increased along with the increase of focus on the program. Per Alan Ashby, Director of Athletic Communications, the football marketing budget currently stands at about $105,000, with around 20% of that remaining.

Thus, creative ways of marketing have been used to market football while stretching each dollar spent.

When someone calls campus and is put on hold, they'll hear about 90Ksu and how to buy tickets. The 90Ksu logo also appears at the bottom of almost every Kent E-mail sent around campus. Many in the Kent State marketing department have gone around to local businesses in Kent, Stow and Hudson to ask if they can hang posters or schedule cards in their places of business. Tickets have even been sold simply by Ashby and others walking around with the 90KSU logo on their shirt, getting asked questions about it and taking orders.

All of those things have increased interest and ticket sales at minimum to no cost.

Two websites, www.kentstatesports.com and the newly created www.90ksu.com are also used as marketing avenues with little cost to run compared to the sales it's garnered.

Preseason ticket sales are calculated as "Total Tickets," meaning every season ticket package sold counts as six, while obviously every single game ticket counts as one ticket sold.

Per the Kent State Ticket Office, 3,648 tickets were sold as of August 5, 2009.

With the 90Ksu Program's help, that number just one year later stands at 25,545.

Tagged as: 90Ksu, Alan Ashby, Doug Martin, Joel Nielsen, Tom Kleinlein

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KSU's Media Day Predictions, A 2011 Football Commitment And More–Los Links!

by Ryan Lewis on August 2, 2010

in Uncategorized

Some news around the Flashes–

Kent State's athletic website was overhauled last week–check out the new layout.

Kent State was picked to finish third in the Mac East at the Mid-American Conference Media Day last Friday in Detroit. Akron was slated to finish last. Athlon Magazine also picked KSU to finish third, while Phil Steele has the Flashes tying Ohio University for second in the East. Steele also KSU earmarked as the eleventh most improved team in the country.

Senior linebacker Howard Bowens will be contributing to an open blog throughout the season. The first entry highlights a trip taken to a homeless shelter by Bowens and a couple of his Kent State football teammates.

Former KSU basketball player Anthony Simpson signed a deal to play for the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League, the same school where Geno Ford launched his professional coaching career in 1997.

Jordan Tarver, a quarterback/athlete out of Georgia in the class of 2011, has given KSU a verbal commitment. He is the second commitment in the 2011 class for Head Coach Doug Martin, following quarterback Evan Shimensky from Theodore Kent Roosevelt High School.

Former KSU basketball star Antonio Gates signed a five-year, $36.175 million contract with the San Diego Chargers, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Gates will make $7.235 million per season, with $20.4 million of it guaranteed.

Tagged as: Anthony Simpson, Athlon, Geno Ford, Howard Bowens, Phil Steele

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Key MAC Games Of 2010 Season

by Ryan Lewis on July 16, 2010

in Football

LeBron James stole our attention (and hearts) for a couple of days, but following his egotistical departure from Northeastern Ohio, many are turning their attention to football.

As the college football season slowly draws closer, here's a look at the biggest match-ups around the Mid-American Conference in 2010.

Sept. 11

Central Michigan at Temple–Interesting to see how Central Michigan rebounds from losing one of the best quarterbacks in MAC history, Dan LeFevour. Unfortuantly, they'll have to do it against the favorite to win the MAC East.

Sept. 18

Toledo at Western Michigan–Two of the better teams in the MAC West meet early in the season, giving both a chance to set the tone in that division.

Oct. 9

Temple at Northern Illinois–The probable favorites to face each other in the MAC Championship game in Detroit. The loser opens the door for the underdog teams of either division.

Akron at Kent State–Akron stopped Kent from bowl eligibility last season. If the Flashes want to reach that plateau, beating their arch-rivals for the first time in four years is a must. Not to mention the all-time series lead is on the line (both teams are 19-19-1).

Oct. 16

Buffalo at Northern Illinois–Looks like NIU drew the toughest schedule in the conference. The Bulls are on the cusp of contention in the East, and a win here on the road would do a lot towards putting up a fight with the likes of Temple, Ohio and Kent State.

Oct. 23

Temple at Buffalo–Temple and Buffalo continue the rough stretches of both their schedules, together.

Oct. 30

Northern Illinois at Western Michigan–The Huskies are rather prominent on this list, aren't they? After two tough games against East opponents Temple and Buffalo, NIU takes on an underrated Western Michigan.

Nov. 4

Buffalo at Ohio–A good matchup in the East on Thursday night.

Nov. 5

Western Michigan at Central Michigan–The Michigan rivals battle on a Friday night that could shape the West down the stretch.

Nov. 6

Temple at Kent State–The fantastic football weekend continues with two of the three teams in real contention of the East title.

Nov. 16

Ohio at Temple–The two favorites in the East meet in what could decide who represents the division in Detroit. It'll be interesting to see how things come together on a Tuesday night.

Nov. 26

Ohio at Kent State–The Flashes bring both Temple and Ohio–the two top dogs in the East–to Dix Stadium. Ohio comes to town as the last game of the season, as they end their season with the three toughest games on their conference docket. If the Flashes stay consistent throughout the season and Ohio beats Temple, this Friday match-up may act as a play-in game for the MAC Championship game.

Tagged as: Akron, Ohio, Temple

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NCAA Begins Their Bid To Water Down College Football

by Ryan Lewis on July 16, 2010

in Football

The overly-cautious, politically correct rules of the No Fun League have snaked their way into college football.

Diehard football fans were worried this would happen, and it finally hit the collegiate gridiron a few weeks ago in what could be the first of many "censorship" rules to keep college football robotic and as gray as possible.

The NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved three rule changes, one of which cracks down on expression from student-athletes.

Beginning in 2011, players will not be allowed to write messages or symbols on eye black.

Why? It's not a huge change, it wont drastically alter the game, but why is there a need?

Maybe it's because Tim Tebow of Florida wrote Bible versus on his eye black, something he became quite known for.

The NCAA would never admit to Tebow's religious inscriptions being the reasoning behind the ban, but he was the most prominent figure for this sort of thing.

So what if th rule change is because the NCAA doesn't want anything that might start a holy war? Are they worried because Tebow – or any future players – will offend players of different religions?

Since this has already come to fruition, why stop there? Ban players from raising two fingers to the sky to symbolize thanking God for their touchdown or sack. What's stopping the NCAA from penalizing players who take a knee in prayer after scoring or before games?

Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State wears a Block O on his eye black – so?

Is it that easy for someone to take exception with Reggie Bush of USC writing an area code on his?

To go to the pro ranks, LeBron James has his area code tattooed on his forearm (although apparently he doesn't care about those numbers). Should the NBA ban that as well?

I'd be interested to see how many college football players have a tattoo displaying their area code or hometown. Will they have to cover it up?

Before all that, Pryor had "Mike Vick" on his eye black in support of the unthinkable acts committed by Michael Vick in his dog fighting case. Personally, I'm not sure I've ever supported something less, but Pryor has freedom of speech and he's not hurting anyone by doing that. Was is popular? No. Should he have done it? Most would say no. Was it his right to do so? Yes.

The NCAA doesn't want to give student athletes any freedom at all because eventually someone will have a marijuana leaf or something overly political or some nonsense like that under their eyes on Saturday. That's probably true, and student-athletes will take advantage and see how far they can take it. OK, ban anything that could be linked to drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever.

Perhaps a partial ban will be counterproductive, as rejections over which should be banned and which shouldn't could surface every weekend. Banning eye black messages that are clearly geared toward sex, drugs or crime would not be too difficult to enforce.

A partial ban and a couple of grievances by those who feel they have been wrongly accused is better than total censorship.

Why can't student athletes express themselves? I thought college was a place of personal development and emergence where one could express and discover himself or herself.

If you're banning Bible versus as too religious, where do you draw the line if you're the NCAA? If you ban religion on eye black, how can you not ban religion on the field, sidelines or locker rooms?

Can players still say a prayer before games? That's a rather obvious display of religion–why is that allowed? If the NCAA wants to stay uniformed in how it governs and is worried about eye black messages getting out of hand, then players shouldn't be allowed to point fingers to the sky, cross their shoulders or take a knee and bow their heads.

I hope players can still say prayers, because if the NCAA takes after the NFL in how controlled (boring) and politically correct (cautious) the NFL has become, they'll need those offerings to side-step the "No Fun League" label and the negative media attention the pro game has garnered.

Again, this isn't an earth-shattering crackdown in an effort to create mindless student-athletes. This isn't the NCAA stepping in to drastically change how the game is perceived in one, fatal swing.

But I fear this is the first step in a long line of rule changes made mostly in the name of political correctness (they also increased the seriousness of taunting/celebration penalties).

If the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel follows the same path of the NFL in how politically correct (and thus, bland) they try to make the game of college football, I'll take them to court and in an effort to leave the game as it is, call a "recess" every Saturday in the fall.

Tagged as: NCAA

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"Getting To Know" Series Features Two Kent State Players

by Ryan Lewis on July 14, 2010

in Football

Mac-sports.com is currently running a summer feature entitled "Getting To Know", in which they interview student-athletes from around the Mid-American Conference.

Two Kent State football players, quarterback Spencer Keith and center Chris Anzevino, have already been given a look-in to their personalities, goals, likes and dislikes.

Getting To Know…Kent State's Chris Anzevino Chris Anzevino is a junior center for the Kent State Golden Flashes. Anzevino, a native of Warren, Ohio, has started every game at center the past two seasons. As a freshman, he was named the team's Offensive Rookie of the Year as he helped open holes for the nation's 11th-ranked rushing offense. This season, Anzevino's experience will be counted on to anchor the Kent State offensive line. Below is a closer look at the Kent State center…

1. What are your goals for this season? My goal for this season is to win a MAC Championship.

2. Which three people (dead or alive) would you invite to dinner? The three people I would invite to dinner are Jim Carrey, Brock Lesnar, and Michael Scott (The Office).

3. You are on a road trip and stop at gas station. What snacks do you buy? The snacks I would buy at a gas station are cotton candy, Snickers and Combos.

4. What is one movie you could watch over and over again and not get sick of? The movie I could watch over and over again is Office Space.

5. What is your favorite holiday? My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving!

6. The artist that takes up most of my iPod… The artist that takes up most of my iPod is Breaking Benjamin.

7. What are your hobbies and off-the-field interests? My off-the-field hobbies are fishing, golfing and playing Call of Duty.

8. What is your favorite campus hangout? My favorite campus hangout is The Hub.

9. What is the best class you've taken at Kent State? My favorite class I took was History of Jazz.

10. What would your superhero name be? My superhero name would is Christopher "The Magnificant Magnifico" Michael Anzevino.

Getting To Know…Kent State's Spencer Keith Spencer Keith is a sophomore quarterback for the Kent State Golden Flashes. Keith had a prolific freshman season in 2009, setting Kent State freshman records with 2,147 yards passing and 14 touchdowns, both of which stand fifth in school history. He had a 57.1 completion percentage (168-294), which stands second in season records, while his 126.72 pass efficiency ranks fourth. Keith, a biology major with a focus in pre-med, threw for 200+ yards on seven occasions, including a pair of 300-yard efforts against Western Michigan and Akron last year. Below is a closer look at the Kent State QB…

1. What is your greatest accomplishment off the field? I believe my greatest accomplishment off the field is being able to manage my time well and make good grades. Being successful in the classroom is very important to me because I understand that there is a life after football. It is essential to work hard in school because that will help out when looking for a profession.

2. What do you still hope to accomplish in the future? Aside from winning a MAC championship, I would like to pursue my dream of being in the NFL someday. Also, I would like to get accepted into medical school somewhere and work towards becoming a doctor.

3. What are your goals for this season? My goals for this season include winning the MAC championship and leading the team to a bowl victory. This hasn't happened at Kent State in a long time so we are trying to bring back that winning reputation.

4. How did you get started playing football? Both of my brothers and my dad played football in high school, so there was some family history with it. Since my brothers are 7 and 10 years older than me, I grew up going to all of their football games. I started playing when I was in the third grade and have played ever since.

5. What is your favorite beverage/food/dessert? My favorite beverage is chocolate milk, food is steak, and dessert is banana pudding.

6. What is your favorite TV show? Why? My favorite TV show is Family Guy. I like Family Guy because it is one of the funniest shows on TV.

7. Besides football, what sport would you have pursued for a college scholarship? I would have pursued basketball for a college scholarship because I have been playing it all my life. Up until my junior and senior years of high school, basketball was my main sport to play. I played AAU basketball from 5th grade until 10th grade during the summer, and we traveled to many tournaments around the country. I have always enjoyed playing basketball and I probably always will.

8. The person from history I'd most like to meet is… I would like to meet Benjamin Franklin because of all of his scientific findings and inventions.

9. What is your favorite vacation spot and why? My favorite vacation spot is one that is near the beach and a golf course. When we go on family vacations, we usually play a couple rounds of golf. Also, I have always enjoyed going to the beach and swimming in the ocean since that chance doesn't come around very often.

10. What is one movie that you could watch over and over again and not get sick of? There are two movies that I could watch and not tire from: Any Given Sunday and The Hangover. Any Given Sunday is one of my favorites because it is an exciting football movie that motivates me. I could watch The Hangover a hundred times and still find it hilarious.

Tagged as: Chris Anzevino, Spencer Keith

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Mincy Returns to KSU, Kurtz Named P.A. Announcer Of The Year

by Ryan Lewis on July 5, 2010

in Uncategorized

Geno Ford's top prospect to replace Assistant Armon Gates, former Kent State point guard Jordan Mincy, has joined his staff.

Mincy played in more games for KSU than any other player in the school's history, and was known for his defense and passion on the court.

He will join the entire Kent staff as they enter the busiest recruiting time of the year. Mincy himself will travel to Minnesota, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Jeff Kurtz, P.A. Announcer for Kent State athletics, has been named as the best P.A. announcer in the country by National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA).

Kurtz has been announcing at Kent State for 30 years, handling nine sports for both men’s and women’s teams.  In addition, for has served as P.A. announcer for the Mid-American Conference Basketball Tournament for 18 years, and has also announced at 25 other MAC championships.  Kurtz also does press box announcing for the Cleveland Browns and at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.  Kurtz is the athletic director at Hudson (OH) Middle School.  His high school announcing resume includes numerous Ohio state championships and playoffs.

Tagged as: Jeff Kurtz, Jordan Mincy

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