The first inter-squad scrimmage of the season is rarely anything spectacular. Quarterbacks wear their red jerseys signifying they cannot be touched. Plays make clumsy mistakes as they learn the playbook, or work out at a new position. Sometimes it is just plain rust.

Either way, I never expect much from inter squad scrimmages, although there are a few items worth noting from to time.

THINGS I LIKED

Julian Edelman

Anyone who watched the scrimmage can throw out the numbers. Yes, Edelman had two interceptions and no touchdowns, but the picks weren’t his fault. The first one was a actually a pretty good throw before safety Brian Lainhart made a spectacular play jumping the route. More on that later.

The second interception was a result of the receiver running the wrong route. The one thing I have noticed this year is that Edelman does a great job of putting the ball into a spot this year and expecting his receivers to be there. Something only he does on the team.

Another great example of this is when the first team offense were starting from their own two. Edelman fired the ball downfield and to the left. About 15 yards away, a receiver turned around and got hit right in the breadbasket with the ball. The receiver wasn’t ready for the ball to be there. Edelman expected him to be at that spot, at that time. That is experience and that is why Edelman, if healthy, could have a great year.

Kent State coach Doug Martin said that this summer is the best he has ever seen Julian throwing the ball. I couldn’t agree more.

Edelman also showed his competitive side after the interceptions. On the Lainhart pick Edelman ran over and took Lainhart’s legs out, sending the safety flying through the air.

Lainhart, his off-campus roommate, said he should have known better than to think Edelman would not make the tackle while wearing the red jersey. No matter what they are doing, whether its basketball or video games or anything else, Lainhart said Edelman never stops competing.

On the second interception, by Dan Hartman; Edelman met Hartman on the sideline with a hit that probably made the linebackers proud.

Josh Pleasant

Perhaps the brightest spot of Tuesday’s scrimmage was the play of true freshman Josh Pleasant. He may have sealed up his position as a punt returner already.
With the offense pinned on the two-yard line, Pleasant fielded a 44-yard punt from Freshman Matt Rinehart.

He caught the ball on the right side of the field and spun out of a tackle by starting middle linebacker Cobrani Mixon. Pleasant then cut left and found a wall beginning to form. His plus speed and some nifty moves at the five got him past the punter Rinehart and into the end zone.

The Punting game

You did read correctly. It was a 44-yard punt by Rinehart. Martin referred to the punting game this summer as “A blessing straight from the heavens.” Hopefully the punting woes of the last two seasons can finally disappear this year.

The defense

At this point in the season the defense is definitely ahead of the offense. Then again, it’s hard to gage what the offense can do really do when Eugene Jarvis and Andre Flowers both get just a handful of snaps. Edelman cannot take off and run being his usual self either. Why get those guys hurt or tired at this time of the year?

Never the less, Coach Martin raved about the defensive front seven and rightfully so. Lineman Monte Simmons is a player who has been great in both spring and summer practices and looks to make a big impact on the defensive line.

Kevin Hogan, a holdover from last year’s defensive line, has also looked good in spurts. One person who grabbed my attention in Tuesday’s scrimmage was Lee Stalker. Stalker teamed with Darrius Carter for a sack against the second team offense. He also forced freshman Jacquise “Speedy” Terry to fumble.

Sophomore Dorian Wood, who is coming off a knee injury, recovered the fumble and ran 36 yards for a touchdown. Stalker is expected to supply depth on the line.

Brian Lainhart

My first instincts told me that his interception was a little bit of Lainhart knowing his own team all too well, Then Lainhart told us (the media) that the play was the exact same play Iowa State ran last year when he had an interception against them. Lainhart made a great play.

I liked Lainhart’s ability to recognize and react to the play. If he can read offenses like that on a consistent basis he will be on the field even more than he already is.

Found a nice Denver Post story about Jack Williams today. It's a little dated (July 22), but I don't think many people in these parts have seen it. You can check that out here.

Williams played special teams off the bat the other night against Houston. He got in on defense in the third quarter.

Friday marked the first full pads practice of the season for the Kent State football team. What better way to celebrate then to put all the players into an Oklahoma drill. It’s one defensive player versus one offensive player crashing together at a midway point. It was great.

Linebacker Cobrani Mixon, a Michigan transfer, had no problems shedding an offensive lineman during his first drill. It didn’t take long for the attention to move over to the defensive backs and wide receivers though.

They seemed to get a little chippy with each other throughout the Oklahoma drill. By my unofficial count defensive backs coach Scott Booker had to separate players at least 10 times. There was plenty of trash talked spewed. If it were a game, flags and ejections would have been all over the place. The hastiness toward each other ended immediately with the conclusion of the drill though.

Coach Doug Martin said he loved the competitiveness as long as the players shake hands and take care of each other after wards, which they did.

It is a good sign to see the receivers showing passion and feistiness in the drill. The group seems to be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after the unit was ranked at the bottom of the MAC. The ranking is now being used as motivation, Phil Garner said at Tuesday’s practice.

Big hitters in the drill for the defensive backs were junior Danny Sadler, sophomore J’Darrin Bell and true freshman Josh Pleasant.

Red shirting? I doubt it

The next few practices will help determine which players will be utilized this year and who will be red shirted, Martin said after practice.

Two plays I don’t expect to sit out this season are Pleasant and h-back Sal Battles. The freshmen seem to be all over the field in important positions and situations.

Battles already feels like a valuable part of the offense as he lines up at h-back. I also wanted to call him Chris Singletary most of the practice. Despite the obvious fact he wears No. 2, he also has a body type that is very similar to the basketball stars, just not as tall. Battles looks to be a viable option this season on offense.

Pleasant, who is also wearing No. 2, works out with the first string’s nickel package and hauled in an interception during Friday’s scrimmage. He showed tremendous speed after the catch. I wouldn’t be surprised if both players were excellent return men.

No question, it’s Edelman

Quarterback Julian Edelman looked better than ever running the football. He was wearing the red jersey that signifies he cannot be hit, but his legs looked fresh. He seemed to have an extra pep in his step that I haven’t seen for quite some time.

There always seems to be a lot of varying opinion of how good Julian Edelman is and whether or not Giorgio Morgan should now be the starter. For the naysayers, just watch one practice.

Although Edelman lacks the arm strength of Morgan, he is able to place the ball better than him at this point. He is the only quarterback who throws the ball to his receivers before their breaks. Morgan has a bright future, but that is after Edelman graduates. Morgan will get a series every half this season though to prepare him for that.

One has to like Edelman’s work ethic as well. During team sprints Edelman leads his group every single time whether it is the first sprint or the last. He also has clearly added more weight this offseason, but still looks very nimble.

This will mark the first time in Edelman’s injury-marred career that he was able to compete at spring practice and now summer practices. That will make a huge difference come Aug. 30.

Despite the issues with durability Edelman has quickly become one of the better passers in KSU history. He is ninth all-time in career completions (232), Ninth in attempts (431), sixth in yards (3,177), sixth in passing touchdowns (17), fifth in completion percentage (53.8) and second in passing efficiency rating (119.48). Josh Cribbs and Jose Davis, who is the older brother of Ball State standout quarterback Nate Davis, are above Edelman on most of the lists.

Running backs look good

The running backs could be a strength of this team. Eugene Jarvis was being his usual self has he skirted to the left on and broke a huge gain between the tackles. I am not sure if he was even touched when the whistle blew halfway down the field.

Andre Flowers looks as if he may have added more weight in the offseason as well. As the year progressed last year Flowers seemed to get a better understanding and improved with each game. As a sophomore this year he will once again get a lot of carries. True Freshman Jacquise Terry also looked sharp in practice and has a bit more speed than Flowers does.

The run of the day goes to red shirt freshman Jamar Cromwell who trucked through the right side on a goal line drill. He pan caked a defensive back at the goal line for the score.

I can see all four of them contributing this season.

A big scare

Perhaps one of the biggest fears of any coach is to lose a player to injury on the first day of hitting drills. That was nearly the case for two Kent State players Friday.

Freshman wide receiver T.J. Williams had to be taken to a local hospital shortly after the Oklahoma drill. The 6-foot 180 pound player complained of dizziness before losing consciousness on the side of the field.

Before Williams was taken away on a stretcher he did regain consciousness. By the end of practice. Williams was alert at the hospital. There was a chance he stayed over night of observation.

Another scare

The hearts of the coaching staff had to be planted in their throats when standout defensive lineman Kevin Hogan laid on the ground clutching his knee during a goal line scrimmage. Things didn’t look good at all for the junior, but after a few minutes the training staff helped him up and he was able to put pressure on the knee.

The diagnosis I received as a tweaked knee and he will be good to go. He was held out of practice for the rest of the day. It is much better than being held out of Aug. 30 in my opinion.

Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com points out 10 of the secrets of college football. Eugune Jarvis of the Flashes comes in at No. 6. Check out the full list here.

Freshman Sal Battles knows his way around the football field. It is knowing where Kent State football coach Doug Martin wants him that seems to be the problem.

In just his second collegiate practice, Battles could be seen working with the wide receivers, running backs, quarterbacks and even special teams Tuesday.

They got me playing so many positions, it’s just a lot to learn,” Battles said.

“It’s pretty cool coming out and just doing everything,” he said. “I am just trying to get on the field and play.”

He shouldn’t have much of a problem. The Youngstown East graduate earned First Team All Ohio honors as well as Offensive Player of the Year for Northeast Ohio. During his high school career he passed for 3,078 yards and rushed for 3,165 yards. He also had 74 touchdowns.

“Coaches are just talking to me and seeing I could a lot of things with the returning game and a bunch of stuff like that,” Battles said. “He just has me out there just seeing where I can play.”

Konz continues to impress

I’m already hard-pressed to find another tight end in the MAC who possesses the skills that Jameson Konz brings to the position. The converted linebacker made the position look so simple Tuesday.

He is just a natural on offense. Konz looked bored as balls were fired at him from a Jugs machine five yards away. He didn’t seem flinch or drop any balls. The majority of the receivers rock back or seem surprised when the ball came.

During one-on-one drills starting linebacker Cedrick Maxwell guarded the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Konz. Maxwell had no chance. Although Maxwell is known as a speedy, athletic linebacker, Konz, who is known as the fastest player on the team, blew by him play after play.

That is not to pick on Maxwell at all. He would start on just about every other Mid-American Conference team. If Konz is able to make that easy work of Maxwell, then how many linebackers are really going to be able to guard him this season? Not many.

Good Sign

One of the biggest problems that has plagued Kent State and many mid-major teams, over the years is a lack of depth. Since Doug Martin’s arrival the overall depth of the team has gotten better and better.

Martin is recruiting better. The players he is bringing in are better. The results on the field have just not shown up yet. They would have won a lot last year if they hadn’t struggled through four quarterbacks.

One sign of this new found depth is the ability to finally move Konz over to offense were he belongs. Konz, a senior, was a stand out wide receiver at Lake High School before coming to Kent State. When Konz arrived on campus the Flashes were so thin defensively that the coaching staff was forced to put him to defense where he could help immediately.

Although he earned three letters as a linebacker and recorded 90 career tackles, once the season begins everyone will see just how fluid he is leaping for balls. He just looks fluid and comfortable on offense.

Not alone

Konz is not the only player who is switching form offense to defense this season. Former defensive lineman Lester Troutman is also playing tight end this season.

Fifth-year senior Prishod Koonce will also be on offense for the first time this season. Starting linebacker Derek Burrell said Koonce, 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, brings a tougher mentality to the offensive line this season.

More depth

All four of last year’s quarterbacks are back on the field and healthy for this season. It has to be an added bonus that this is the first year Edelman has been healthy for spring and summer practices. He looks as if he has added a few more pounds of muscle. I expect a big year out of Edelman as he plays his senior year with a chip on his shoulder.

Giorgio still has the prettiest throw on the team and will get at least one series a half in each game, Martin said at media day.

A few more faces are also joining the quartet. Battles lined up at center some as did freshman Matt Hurdle. Physically Hurdle looks like a left-handed Giorgio clone without the pretty throwing motion. He seems more athletic over all though. He will be red shirted barring another repeat of last year’s disaster.

Ready for hitting

I’ll go more in depth Friday when the Flashes put the pads on and starting hitting each other around a bit. See ya’ then.

While there is still no word yet on the Tyree Evans scenario, I wanted to take a minute to clarify a statement on my last post about Antonio Gates and Josh Cribbs.

The previous Evans post was written on the fly with me working through my thoughts on the situation as I wrote. While I wrote "legal troubles" that is not entirely what I meant. The thought that I was truly trying to convey is that many athletes have come to Kent State, and many other Mid-major schools, with off-field baggage. Evans would not be the first. Kent State has taken the risk before.

Both Cribbs and gates struggled academically at times throughout their respective careers at Kent State. Gates originally went to Michigan State to play both football and basketball, but the relationship soured when then football coach Nick Saban wanted him to focus more on football. Gates landed at Eastern Michigan where he ran into grade troubles. Two JUCO schools later he ended up at Kent State as a last ditch opportunity for himself (hence the connection in my head to the Evans scenario).

Cribbs also battled some grade issues that scared away bigger programs. He also had a desire to play quarterback, which many schools were not willing to do. His legal issues did not come until he was at Kent State when he was arrested for marijuana. Yet it was not after, it was during his career with the Flashes.

The name that is perhaps the closest example to Evans may be former safety Abe Elam. Before landing at Kent State, Elam was kicked out of Notre Dame after sexual battery charges in 2002. He did not cause any problems at KSU. I think he is a much better example than the two names I mentioned previously.

Evans brings a unique scenario and a lot of question marks with him if he comes to campus. Last year the Flashes attempted to bring in a similar player, formerly of Purdue, named Korey Spates and it blew up in their face. After disrespecting Jim Christian and not participating in summer workouts he was quickly removed from the team. A guy by the name of Al Fisher was then found to replace him at the last minute.

Is Evans the next Korey Spates? Or is he the next Abe Elam, who now starts for the New York Jets? If he comes, only time can tell.

Updating Knight

It appears as if former Kent State forward Isaac Knight may be joining NAIA power Walsh University. The Cavaliers are in rebuilding mode down in North Canton after St. Vincent St. Mary High School standouts Brandon Weems and Corey Jones graduated last year. If he is accepted, Knight could give some quality minutes and help that program a lot.

recruiting for 09

While the 2008-2009 team is still yet to take the court, it is never to early to start thinking about the future. Chicago prep star D.J. Cooper has been offered a scholarship by Kent State, according to this article. He is a 5-foot-9 point guard.

The Flashes have also offered scholarships to 6-foot-6 185 pound small forward Marquis Horne of Princeton high school in Cincinnati and Another point guard, Ja'Rob McCallum of Marion, Ind.

A familiar face to the Kent State football program is once again patrolling the sidelines in Portage County – Albeit in the blue and red of the Hiram College Terriers.

Jim Corrigal, who coached the Flashes from 1994-1997, recently joined the coaching staff at the division III school. He will be an assistant coach and coach the defensive ends.

The three-time All Mid-American Conference and All-American Linebacker/ defensive tackle graduated from Kent State in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in history and government.

Directly preceding the great Jack Lambert, Corrigal was the first Kent State player to have his jersey retired as well as the first KSU player to earn All-conference honors three consecutive years. He was also the first Kent State player to be named captain two consecutive years.

On Oct. 11, 1969 Corrigal recorded 24 tackles against Western Michigan, which was then a record. Lambert set the bar even higher in 1972, recording 29 tackles against Toledo.

During his four-year coaching tenure with the Flashes he won eight games and lost 35 with one tie. Six of the eight wins came within Mid-American Conference play. Corrigal also served as assistant Athletic Director from 1990-1993. He has also coached at Akron, North Carolina State and Miami (Ohio).

Perhaps the biggest news of the summer still swirls around whether troubled, yet extremely talented, guard Tyree Evans will join the Flashes for next season. Evans is a game-altering talent who some consider an NBA-level player. For anyone unfamiliar with Evans’ story check out this SI.com story from a few months back

Because of Evans checkered criminal past he has not been able to attend Cincinnati, Kansas State and most recently Maryland this year. Maryland coach Gary Williams expected Evans to make an immediate impact on this year’s team until the dean got a whiff of Evans past that includes dealing drugs and statutory rape. Both were pled down to misdemeanors.

Ever since Evans asked for his release from Maryland there have been rumors connecting him to Kent State. While playing for Motlow Community College in Tennessee last year the six-foot-three Evans scored 21.1 points a game while shooting 44 percent from behind the 3-point arc. Motlow is also the former home of new Kent State assistant coach Bobby Steinburg, Evans’ coach last year, and new Kent State forward Frank Henry-Ala.

Despite not having a scholarship left to offer, the Flashes are in play. Evans is said to have a close-knit relationship with Steinburg and could join Kent State as a walk on. I have been told his past issues would not cause a problem for him to enroll. He is also taking offers from D-1 schools that can offer scholarships.

Either way Evans comes with a lot of question marks. Putting his questionable past aside for a moment, I have to wonder why an alleged “one and done prospect” is still even toying with college when he is 23 years old. Couldn’t he try out for an NBA team or make a decent amount of money in Europe at this point? Playing for a mid-major truly does feel like his last ditch chance to succeed.

This isn’t first player who would come to Kent State with legal trouble. Much beloved players such as Antonio Gates and Josh Cribbs dealt with legal troubles of their own. That doesn't mean bringing Evans in isn't questionable. Tell me what you think in the comments section or shoot me an e-mail at Jfortune@thebeaconjournal.com. I would love to do a mailbag on this topic.

In the mean time Evans is keeping himself busy by doing what he does best: playing basketball. This summer Evans played against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Ben Wallace in the Tri-City Summer League in Virginia. Big Ben’s “Wallace Express” team beat Evans’ DTLR/Cosmopolitan Lounge team last week 129-108 in the championship game. Despite Evans 32 point performance, it was the second year in a row Wallace got the best of the DTLR team.

Q signs in Israel
Last year’s Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Haminn Quaintance, has had a busy off season. After graduation, ‘Q’ signed a two-year contract with the Bnei Hasharon of the Israeli Premier League.

He is also still trying to earn a spot on an NBA roster by playing for the summer league team of the Utah Jazz next to local product Kosta Koufos. Q was in the starting lineup against Iran. He grabbed five rebounds, scored three points and had three steals in just over 14 minutes of action. The Jazz won 82-57.

Scott still without a team

In more surprising news Mike Scott still has not signed on to play with anyone next year. Scott is a player who is highly intelligent both on and off the court and has the type of game that could bring him good money over in Europe if he chooses to go that route.

Former Flash finds new home

Last year’s seven-foot project, Gabe Garcia, has already found a new home not to far away. Garcia has enrolled at Ashland University and will play basketball at the division II school. Isaac Knight, who left the team for academic reasons, is also looking for a new home. No word yet on where he may turn up.

Sherman off crutches

Many fans can breathe a sigh of relief to know that junior guard Rodriquez Sherman is not on crutches after his knee surgery. He is still going through rehab and I am told he walks with a noticeable limp. It is still unclear how ready he will be at the beginning of the season, but one has to think he will not be medically red shirted this season like some rumor mills said.

Kent State will not hold a football game at Dix Stadium until Saturday, Sept. 13 against Delaware State. The season opener against Boston College will be played at Cleveland Browns Stadium Aug. 30. That gives the construction crew working on the stadium renovations ample time to finish their project.

The second phase of the Dix Stadium renovations is expected to be finished by Mid-August and is estimated to cost around $4 million dollars.

The bleachers on the south end of the stadium will be gone, replaced by a new state-of-the art scoreboard, sound system, concessions and a plaza area. The scoreboard, pictured below, should be the real gem of the renovations.

Dix Stadium will be one of the first collegiate facilities, and first in the Mid-American Conference, to use a Daktronics HD-X technology scoreboard. The 36 feeet wide by 20 feet high scoreboard features light emitting diodes that deliver a high definition display that can be one giant picture or broken into windows of information.

Sixty-foot tall ProAd LED displays will flank the screen on both sides giving game stats and information.

A new ticket booth (below) is also being constructed on the west end of the stadium that serves as a new entryway. It will also include new concession stands. Phase II will be capped off by a new fence with brick pillars around the stadium.

The first phase of renovations was completed last September when improvements were made on the north stands. The east and West stands were given new entryways and a canopied roof was added to the press box. Phase I cost around $2 million dollars.

It is going to be hard for anyone to overlook running back Eugene Jarvis this year. After gaining a school-record 1,669 rushing yards last year, Jarvis becomes the leading returning rusher in the nation this year. Because of this Jarvis has been named the Maxwell Watch list.

The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the nation’s outstanding collegiate football player. Last year Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won the award while former Notre Dame and current Cleveland brown quarterback Brady Quinn won the award the year before.

Jarvis beat Kent State’s single-season rushing record by more than 300 yards last year while rushing for 139.1 yards a contest. Good enough to be ranked fifth in the nation. He also compiled 1,975 all-purpose yards, which is second in school history, and scored 13 touchdowns.

Although Jarvis is considered a long shot to win the award, he still deserves to be considered as one of the best backs in college football. After all it was Jarvis who provided the spark in the Iowa State game last year allowing Kent State to earn its first win against a BCS conference team since 1987.

If one remembers correctly Jarvis was going to sit out the game hampered by a leg injury until starting running back Darren Rogers left with a shoulder injury late in the first quarter. In just over three quarters Jarvis scampered for 113 yards and one touchdown.

The Ohio State game also gave a glimpse of what Jarvis could do against higher competition. Although the Flashes lost 48-3, Jarvis was able to shine in his very limited duty. He recorded 84 yards in limited first half action against the top-ranked, at the time, Ohio State defense. At the time that was the second most anyone had recorded against the Buckeye’s defense last season.

"Obviously he's the nation's (second) leading rusher for a reason," Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis told me after the game. "When you take him out of the game, it's going to make a big impact."

"He's a good player. He's obviously small and shifty and hard to get a wrap on," he said.

Candidates for the Maxwell Award are selected by the Maxwell Selection Committee and will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.

If you’re interested in reading the story about my story about the Kent State running game against Ohio State you can check that out here. Just ignore the headline blunder it still annoys me to this day.