The Gridiron Life of John O'Farrell (TCY)

[Big Six]

It's said that the third time's a charm, and I hope in this case, it is.

I've started two TCY dynasty stories for this forum, and neither one has taken off and flown.

My Roger Allen story was a lot of fun until something went wrong with the file and the game data wouldn't load properly.

My John O'Farrell/Notre Dame story was fun, until I realized that coaching a powerhouse team with the game set to an easy level was too easy. Coach O'Farrell recruited so many studs that before long the Fighting Irish were too good to be fun any longer. The last season I played (which I didn't write about for the forum) saw the Irish go 11-0, outscoring its opponents by a margin of almost 8:1.

This time, I'm keeping Coach O'Farrell as my main character, but I've given him a more daunting challenge. He's just been hired as the head football coach at Kent State University.

The Golden Flashes are among the weaker teams in major college football. They'll open the 2004 season ranked #107; even a couple of teams in the Buckeye Conference (the Solecismic Eight, set in Ohio) are stronger.

KSU's football program isn't known for its high academic standards in this universe, either. It's ranked #118 in Undergraduate Average, and none of its individual academic programs rank higher than #101.

Coach O'Farrell will, therefore, face a daunting task: lead the Golden Flashes to victory on the field while improving the program's academic reputation.

Why Kent State? I have some relatives with connections to KSU. My wife's mom and uncle graduated from there; her uncle was a student at Kent State on May 4, 1970 (http://www.kent.edu/about/history/May4/index.cfm). Click the link, and you'll find out why that fact is significant.

Much of this dynasty story will be written in first person, from Coach O'Farrell's perspective. Think of it as a diary, or as a very honest blog.

I hope you'll enjoy the story.

[Big Six]

Preseason, 2004

I'm fairly pleased with the quality of my staff here at Kent State. They seem to be as talented as the coaches at other MAC schools, and most of them are young.

Syndicate coordinator Donovan Herndon, 43, is Excellent at dealing with Syndicate-related issues and at soliciting donations from alumni. He's Terrible when it comes to keeping athletes eligible, so it looks like I'll have to be even more diligent about recruiting good students than usual. Donovan won't be much help with the marginal guys.

Our defensive coordinator, David Buckner, 49, is particularly adept at playcalling. He's Lousy at helping players avoid injury, so the fact that he's Good at rehabilitating them is especially helpful. He's Terrible at helping young defensive linemen develop, but he's Pretty Good with the other position groups he works with.

Offensive coordinator Kendall Ohalete, 49, is a disciple of the Wing T offense. He's a Decent playcaller, and his ability to deal with players' health is the mirror image of Coach Buckner's--Excellent at injury avoidance, Terrible with rehab. His biggest weakness as a teacher is his ability to develop quarterbacks, a skill at which he's Poor. With the running backs and O-linemen that are the key to a successful Wing T offense, he's Good and Fair, respectively.

We plan on concentrating our recruiting efforts close to home, so our Great Lakes scout, Anthony Foley, will probably be the most important member of our scouting staff. Coach Foley, 45, is Terrific at judging the talent of QBs and WRs, and he's Excellent with O-linemen. However, he's basically throwing darts when it comes to identifying good defensive players. I'll have to make sure to visit our defensive recruiting targets myself and verify Coach Foley's evaluations.

[Big Six]

Preseason, 2004

Here's the schedule the Golden Flashes will face in 2004. Home games are listed in ALL CAPS. Mid-American Conference games are highlighted in blue.

The preseason ranking of each of Kent's opponents is listed, too. I'll update these throughout the season and include them in my game writeups.



Week Opponent Ranking
Week 2 at Iowa 25
Week 3 YOUNGSTOWN 102
Week 4 at Rutgers 87
Week 5 AKRON 103
Week 6 at Central Michigan 96
Week 7 at Miami of Ohio 65
Week 8 MARSHALL 68
Week 10 OHIO 105
Week 11 at Buffalo 117
Week 12 EASTERN MICHIGAN 116
Week 14 at Central Florida 89


Kent State is in the Mid-American Conference's North Division, along with Akron, Buffalo, Central Florida, Marshall, Miami of Ohio, and Ohio. The MAC South includes Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Western Michigan. Akron is Kent State's most bitter rival.

Our preseason ranking is #107. I have no illusions about beating Iowa, but I think we ought to win our home opener against Buckeye Conference foe Youngstown. The Rutgers game will be a good, hard test on the road before we begin our conference schedule. If we're 2-1 at this point, I'll be thrilled.

We need a home win against Akron in our rivalry game, and I think we've got a decent shot at a road upset of Central Michigan. Miami is one of the four best teams in the MAC, so I'm not counting on a win at their place.

If we can beat Marshall at home, we might very well be on our way to a bowl game. The Herd will probably be favored to win. On the other hand, if we can't beat Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, we don't deserve to play in a bowl. The trip to Florida in December will be nice, and it will be even nicer if we win.

My (very) optimistic prediction: 9-2, 7-1 in the conference, and a MAC North championship.

My pessimistic prediction: 5-6, 4-4 in the conference. I'll be pleased if we finish with a winning record, either overall or in the MAC.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2004

Here are the projected starters on our offensive unit this season, along with some other players I expect will play key roles.



POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 19 Jack Turner 6-3 190 Jr 21/21 Idaho Falls, ID/Idaho Falls
RB 32 Mickey Helms 5-10 192 Sr 30/30 Turbotville, PA/Warrior Run
FB 37 Courtney Kennedy 5-11 228 Sr 53/53 Ada, OH/Ada
SE 1 Darrin Wampus 6-1 184 So 25/54 Westerville, OH/South
FL 81 Amos Willis 6-1 194 Sr 35/35 Avon, OH/Avon
TE 83 Spencer Alston 6-5 226 So 15/34 Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area
LT 70 Phillip Harrison 6-4 278 Fr 19/51 Akron, OH/Manchester
LG 73 Edgar Bennefield 6-5 277 Fr 18/59 Martinsville, IN/Martinsville
C 53 Gilbert Barrere 6-3 283 Jr 33/61 West Union, OH/West Union
RG 69 Percy Wheeler 6-3 253 Fr 7/47 Belleville, IL/East
RT 74 Tyrus Jarvis 6-3 274 Jr 22/22 Parma, OH/Parma
K 5 Jerry Bouman 5-11 170 Jr 38/49 North Versailles, PA/East Allegheny

QB 13 Benjamin Summers 6-1 187 Jr 14/36 Springfield, OH/Shawnee
RB 29 Jake Barton 5-11 211 Jr 22/35 Ossian, IN/Norwell
RB 21 Clay Lowder 5-11 185 Fr 14/27 Richmond, IN/Richmond
FB 20 Adam Rodriguez 5-11 216 Sr 47/47 Carrolton, OH/Carrolton
WR 3 Ronnie Brady 5-10 166 Sr 23/23 Ashville, OH/Teays Valley
TE 84 Butch Farler 6-4 220 Fr 11/39 Downey, CA/Downey
OL 64 Cornell Corbett 6-5 271 So 13/31 Fond du Lac, WI/Theisen


Turner is the better QB right now, but Summers has more upside. I'll probably experiment with an "elephant backfield" in order to get both Kennedy and Rodriguez on the field at the same time. They're the two most talented players on the entire team. The receivers are OK, and Wampus has some potential down the line.

The offensive linemen are young and very raw, but they do have some upside. The three freshmen could conceivably play together for four years, and if they do, they could be a very cohesive, effective unit. I hope Wheeler doesn't get destroyed while he learns what's required of a collegiate O-lineman.

It's hard to imagine a situation in which I can't recruit players who are at least as talented as the guys I have on the roster now. Guys like Turner and Jarvis might find themselves starting as juniors and playing behind true freshmen as seniors.

Turner and Wampus look like they're going to be awful students. Turner majors in Business, but he has Bartending and Telemarketing on his class schedule. He's bright enough, but he's lazy as hell (Aspiration 7). Wampus, a Geography major, is neither particularly bright nor particularly motivated. He might struggle to pass Pokemon Training.

On the other hand, the young O-linemen are eager students, and all but Bennefield are brighter than average, too. They'll be fine role models for the younger players I recruit, guys who will exemplify the standards I want Kent State football players to achieve.

[Recoil]

Great start. I think you'll find KSU to obviously be more challenging than ND, but also more satisfying once you get the program off the ground.

I'll be following. Good luck.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2004

Here is our defensive starting lineup, with our key defensive reserves.



POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 98 Don Mok 6-3 231 Jr 27/27 Medina, OH/Medina
LT 91 Win Van Brocklin 6-5 281 Jr 27/27 Heath, OH/Heath
RT 78 Ian Donaldson 6-3 260 Jr 23/34 Eben Junction, MI/Superior Central
RE 97 Justin Elliott 6-6 262 Sr 27/27 Poseyville, IN/North Poseyville
LLB 92 Edwin Horton 6-1 209 Sr 20/29 Chicago, IL/Mather
MLB 40 Isaac Herndon 6-3 235 Sr 26/35 Fairfield, OH/Fairfield
RLB 50 Lorenzo Bernier 6-0 192 Jr 22/22 Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union
LCB 43 Shaun Cedeno 5-11 164 Sr 22/22 Marion, OH/Harding
RCB 25 Terrell Fisher 5-8 163 Sr 23/23 Lowellville, OH/Lowellville
SS 47 Frankie Contois 6-3 189 So 18/18 Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington
FS 30 Marc Bachman 5-10 175 Sr 22/31 Cleveland, OH/John Hay
P 7 Alfred Boyer 6-1 187 So 26/57 Woods Cross, UT/Woods Cross

DE 79 Hunter Mitchell 6-3 237 Fr 9/47 North Lewisburg, OH/Triad
DT 76 Tyrone Lawhorn 6-1 249 Jr 22/22 Adrian, MO/Adrian
OLB 99 Tim Gomez 5-11 192 Fr 13/35 Chicago, IL/Kelly
ILB 58 Tyrone Newsome 6-3 206 Fr 7/28 Woodstock, IL/Woodstock
ILB 49 Vince Geary 6-4 210 Fr 9/26 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush
CB 44 Josh Dawkins 5-11 169 Jr 17/17 Millville, PA/Millville Area
S 48 Jared Rhodes 6-1 173 Fr 7/32 Findlay, OH/Findlay


We'd better score some points, because it looks like our opponents will.

We have a veteran defense, but in this case, it means our below-average players aren't going to get much better. It's strange; Mok's and Donaldson's overall ratings imply they've maxed out their potential, but their individual rating reports show some green bar potential. I'm not sure what to take from that, except that Coach Foley is indeed Lousy at evaluating the talent of defensive linemen.

The linebackers and defensive backs are as unimpressive as the linemen are. Herndon and Bachman have some upside, but not much.

I chose to highlight the more promising younger players here, rather than the mediocre older guys who might get more playing time this year but who lack any real potential to help us down the road.

Mitchell looks like he could be good one day, but again, Coach Foley might not be the most reliable source here.

Our offensive players would beat our defensive players in Trivial Pursuit, best two of three. Herndon, an aspiring dentist, has the highest academic Aspiration on the team (97) but his scholarly bent separates him widely from most of his platoo-mates. Bachman, Cedeno, and Donaldson, for example, have a COMBINED Aspiration of 23.

Hopefully, we can recruit some defensive players this year who will, at least, push the returning players hard in 2005. To be fair, I haven't seen these guys on the field yet. They could turn out to be better than they look on paper. However, I'm not feeling too confident about our defense right now.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2004

Since we don't begin our season until next week, I was able to spend most of my time on recruiting. We concentrated our efforts on Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and contacted 11 players. We offered scholarships to seven of them.

The most highly touted player we recruited heavily was Broderick Stokes, a safety from Ravenna, Ohio. He's ranked #20 in the nation at his position by rivals.com, and his grades and SAT scores are solid.

I was reminded of how much work we'll have to do to make the Kent State program into what we think it ought to be. Players kept telling us how disappointed they were in the quality of our academic programs. I might have to shift my recruiting efforts toward students who don't care as much about academics, but that's something I really don't want to do.

[Big Six]

Great start. I think you'll find KSU to obviously be more challenging than ND, but also more satisfying once you get the program off the ground.

I'll be following. Good luck.

I think you're right, Recoil. Program-building is one of the things I enjoy most about college sports simulations. If I take on a powerhouse again, I'm going to crank the difficulty level up almost all the way and see what happens.

Thanks for the comment. :)

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2004

Kent State at #25 Iowa

As expected, we went to Iowa and got our ears pinned back. We entered the game as 15-point underdogs, which seemed to a lot of people to be very generous. When the smoke cleared, we had allowed nearly 600 yards of total offense, including 350 on the ground, and went home licking our wounds from a 49-3 loss.

By nature I'm a positive person, but it's tough to find many good things about this game. Our backup running backs looked pretty good running against Iowa's second defense; Jake Barton gained 58 yards rushing and true freshman Clay Lowder got 53 on three carries. Jerry Bouman tried one field goal, and made it. We also didn't get banged up too badly. DE Justin Elliott tore a ligament in his thumb, and he'll be doubtful for next week, but that's the only injury we're dealing with.

On the other hand, we let Bo Ogle run for 250 yards against us. If he goes on to win the Heisman Trophy, he'll have us to thank for getting his season off to a great start.

I know Iowa is a good team, from a power conference, and they're nationally ranked. Still, we shouldn't let them gain yardage at will.

Kent State's record: 0-1.
Kent State's ranking: #102.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2004
Youngstown (#115) at Kent State (#102)



Youngstown 7 14 0 7 - 28
Kent State 7 14 17 10 - 48

1Q: 05:00 KENT - Jake Barton 3 run.
1Q: 05:00 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 01:13 YOUN - Tito Burke 13 pass from Gus Page.
1Q: 01:13 YOUN - Myron Tuinei extra point.
2Q: 13:40 YOUN - Daniel Phillips 56 interception return.
2Q: 13:40 YOUN - Myron Tuinei extra point.
2Q: 11:45 KENT - Mickey Helms 30 run.
2Q: 11:45 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 07:29 YOUN - Eugene Strange 4 run.
2Q: 07:29 YOUN - Myron Tuinei extra point.
2Q: 04:38 KENT - Jake Barton 21 run.
2Q: 04:38 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 11:34 KENT - Darrin Wampus 10 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 11:34 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 06:05 KENT - Amos Willis 39 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 06:05 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 00:02 KENT - Jerry Bouman 27 field goal.
4Q: 13:31 YOUN - Rob Goricki 12 pass from Gus Page.
4Q: 13:31 YOUN - Myron Tuinei extra point.
4Q: 03:15 KENT - Courtney Kennedy 10 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 03:15 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 00:37 KENT - Jerry Bouman 28 field goal.


We went into this game as two-point favorites, and for 30 minutes, the game was as close as you'd expect from two teams that were that closely matched on paper. After standing toe to toe with Youngstown for a half, we broke the game open in the third and fourth quarters. It was great to see the players respond the way they did.

I couldn't be more pleased with the way we executed our ground game. We ran the ball 56 times for 407 yards!! Jake Barton and Mickey Helms each got 16 carries; Barton gained 120 yards, Helms 197.

As good as they were, the O-line was incredible. Center Gilbert Barrere was credited with nine key run blocks, guard Edgar Bennefield had seven, and second string tackle Bryant Williams added four.

I liked the way Jack Turner looked, too. He went 15-20 for 201 yards, and except for the pick-six he threw, he made good decisions all day long.

Our defense still struggled, and we allowed another RB to run roughshod over us. We'll have to play better against our conference opponents in order to win.

Still, it's great to get a victory under our belts. There was a decent crowd at the game today, and I think we put on a good show for them.

Barrere, Burton, and Helms all got Player of the Week mention.

Nobody got hurt, which makes it all that much better.

Recruiting News
We're getting our first visit from a recruit this coming week. QB Kendall Page from Valley Forge HS in Cleveland will come to campus and look around. Kendall's stats aren't much to look at, but I think he'd be a decent fit here. He's a good student, reporting a 3.33 GPA and an 1190 SAT.

Kent State's record: 1-1.
Kent State's ranking after the game: #76.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2004
Kent State (#76) at Rutgers (#104)



Kent State 14 0 7 9 - 30
Rutgers 0 10 0 15 - 25

1Q: 10:19 KENT - Jake Barton 17 run.
1Q: 10:19 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 05:20 KENT - Amos Willis 5 pass from Jack Turner.
1Q: 05:20 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 11:45 RUTG - Louie Thomason 1 pass from Horace Reynolds.
2Q: 11:45 RUTG - Deion Lai extra point.
2Q: 06:20 RUTG - Deion Lai 30 field goal.
3Q: 11:41 KENT - Darrin Wampus 10 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 11:41 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 13:45 RUTG - Ken Hansen 2 pass from Horace Reynolds.
4Q: 13:45 RUTG - Horace Reynolds pass to Ken Hansen for conversion
4Q: 09:10 KENT - Jerry Bouman 27 field goal.
4Q: 01:43 RUTG - Rob Ballard 33 pass from Horace Reynolds.
4Q: 01:43 RUTG - Deion Lai extra point.
4Q: 00:29 KENT - Jake Barton 3 run.
4Q: 00:29 KENT - Jake Barton run for conversion failed.


Going into the season, I believed the Rutgers game would present us with a good, hard test. I thought if we played well, we'd have a chance to win the game, and good teams often separate themselves from the pack by winning away from home.

I was right about the game being a good one, and we're extremely happy with the outcome. How could we not be, after we scored a game-winning touchdown with less than 30 seconds remaining?

After Rutgers scored to take the lead, we got a good kickoff return from Kent Isola, a senior WR. On our first play from scrimmage, Jack Turner hooked up with Amos Willis for 48 yards to the Rutgers 15; from there we kept it on the ground and scored. Gilbert Barrere threw another great block on Jake Barton's TD run.

We opened our offense up a little more against Rutgers. Turner threw 39 times, completing 21 for 294 yards, 2 TD and an INT. Willis and Darrin Wampus each caught five passes.

Our running game featured great balance, too. Barton, Mickey Helms, and FB Courtney Kennedy all rushed for between 41 and 59 yards. Barton and Turner were mentioned on the Players of the Week list.

The defense looked a lot better, too. Our senior LB, Isaac Herndon, was all over the field--he made 16 tackles and earned the game ball (the MVP award). Lorenzo Bernier was in on 10 stops, and Hunter Mitchell got two sacks.

At 2-1, we are right where I wanted us to be after three games.


Recruiting Update
Four more players are visiting this week:

OT Robert Barker
OLB Jim Goodwin
RB Levon Browning
K Patrick John SySy is also visiting Ohio, so it looks like we're battling a MAC opponent for his services.

Only one of our other top recruits has announced an official visit. ILB Roderick Turnbull is visiting Youngstown this week.

We've offered scholarships to a total of 24 players, hoping to fill up our 16-player recruiting class.

Kent State's record: 2-1.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2004
#44 Akron (2-1) at #71 Kent State (2-1)
TV4



Akron 7 10 7 0 - 24
Kent State 7 14 3 20 - 44

1Q: 13:15 AKRN - Arnie Cepeda 5 pass from Jonathan VandenBelt.
1Q: 13:15 AKRN - Conrad Osborne extra point.
1Q: 08:15 KENT - Jake Barton 2 run.
1Q: 08:15 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 13:39 KENT - Jake Barton 7 run.
2Q: 13:39 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 10:33 AKRN - Jonathan VandenBelt 6 run.
2Q: 10:33 AKRN - Conrad Osborne extra point.
2Q: 06:26 KENT - Mickey Helms 9 run.
2Q: 06:26 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 00:22 AKRN - Conrad Osborne 22 field goal.
3Q: 06:34 KENT - Jerry Bouman 20 field goal.
3Q: 03:28 AKRN - Greg Kamphaus 12 run.
3Q: 03:28 AKRN - Conrad Osborne extra point.
4Q: 09:16 KENT - Clay Lowder 5 run.
4Q: 09:16 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 04:54 KENT - Mickey Helms 18 run.
4Q: 04:54 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 02:30 KENT - Courtney Kennedy 6 run.
4Q: 02:30 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point failed.


We're developing a formula for victory that I really like a lot. When we're at our best, we keep the ball on the ground and wear teams down, and take control of the game during the second half. That's what we did this week, and we came away with a big win against our biggest rival in our conference opener.

I think our guys were upset about the fact they were seven-point underdogs at home, and they took it out on the Zips.

We ran the ball 63 times for 340 net yards and six touchdowns. Courtney Kennedy, our big fullback, led the way with 120 yards on 16 carries, and Mickey Nelms added 95 more on 17 carries. Not surprisingly, we won the possession battle by a wide margin; we had the ball for nearly 38 minutes. When we did throw, we were fairly efficient.

For the second straight week, nobody on our team got hurt. Justin Elliott is able to play with his bad thumb, so we've been very, very lucky.

A decent crowd came out to watch us, but there were still quite a few empty seats in our stadium. I hope that soon becomes a thing of the past.

Speaking of our stadium, I haven't told you anything about it yet. Dix Stadium opened in 1969, and it seats 29,300 fans. It has a FieldTurf playing surface.

Our local economy is considered Pretty Good, as are our Community Loyalty, Alumni Loyalty, and Student Goodwill. We sold 17,900 season tickets this year. Our seating breakdown and ticket prices look like this:



LOCATION SEATS PRICE
End Zone 10,100 $11
Upper Deck 7,300 $14
Alumni Section 4,200 $14
Premium Sideline 6,500 $15
Student Section 1,200 $5
TOTAL 29,300


Recruiting Update

One more recruit has announced he will make an official visit to Kent State:

OLB Wayne MerrillNo other Kent State recruit has any new visits lined up, and none of the players we've offered a scholarship has signed with anyone. I'm expecting the recruiting action to heat up soon.

Kent State's record: 3-1; 1-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2004
#49 Kent State (3-1, 1-0) at #72 Central Michigan (1-2, 0-0)



Kent State 7 3 7 7 - 24
Central Michigan 7 14 3 7 - 31

1Q: 06:40 CMIC - Reggie Marston 5 pass from Jim Porter.
1Q: 06:40 CMIC - Kris Witt extra point.
1Q: 00:46 KENT - Darrin Wampus 5 pass from Jack Turner.
1Q: 00:46 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 13:21 KENT - Jerry Bouman 28 field goal.
2Q: 05:35 CMIC - Ross Schwartz 11 pass from Jim Porter.
2Q: 05:35 CMIC - Kris Witt extra point.
2Q: 02:26 CMIC - Reggie Marston 18 run.
2Q: 02:26 CMIC - Kris Witt extra point.
3Q: 12:31 KENT - Josh Dawkins 44 interception return.
3Q: 12:31 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 07:48 CMIC - Kris Witt 25 field goal.
4Q: 12:59 KENT - Mickey Helms 22 run.
4Q: 12:59 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 09:10 CMIC - Drew Dawson 11 pass from Jim Porter.
4Q: 09:10 CMIC - Kris Witt extra point.


Central Michigan turned out to be a better team than anyone expected. Their defense played a terrific game, and they were very opportunistic on offense. We turned the ball over four times--three interceptions and a fumble--and when you do that, you have a hard time winning football games.

I have to give some props to Isaac Herndon. He was in on 16 more tackles today, making him third in the nation in total tackles. Isaac is a real playmaker--a big, strong, active middle linebacker who simply knows how to play football. I wasn't expecting him to be quite as good a player as he is.

I checked the NCAA team statistics, and we're sixth among DI teams in rushing yards, and seventh in yards per rushing attempt. Our young offensive line is really jelling, and Gilbert Barrere and Edgar Bennefield are two of the most productive blockers in the conference.

Not much else to say. I tip my cap to Central Michigan for defending their turf and winning a tough, defensive game.

Recruiting Update

We're still waiting on our first commitment, but one of the players who was high on our list signed with someone else. ILB Roderick Turnbull, who would have been a great addition, is going to Youngstown.

OT Brad Chandler, from Pennsylvania, told us this week that he'd like to make an official visit to Kent State. Another OT we've been recruiting, Tyrus Boggs, is going to visit Lima. Our staff thinks Boggs is the better player, but Chandler likes us more at this point.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 1-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2004
#55 Kent State (3-2, 1-1) at #83 Miami of Ohio (2-3, 1-1)



Kent State 0 3 3 7 - 13
Miami of Ohio 7 7 7 28 - 49

1Q: 06:25 MIAO - Rico Bohdanowicz 1 run.
1Q: 06:25 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
2Q: 11:02 MIAO - Joel Oshiro 28 pass from Rex Cook.
2Q: 11:02 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
2Q: 07:07 KENT - Jerry Bouman 25 field goal.
3Q: 10:02 KENT - Jerry Bouman 27 field goal.
3Q: 06:13 MIAO - Bruce Azer 3 pass from Rex Cook.
3Q: 06:13 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
4Q: 12:26 MIAO - Rico Bohdanowicz 10 run.
4Q: 12:26 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
4Q: 07:55 MIAO - Bruce Azer 4 pass from Rex Cook.
4Q: 07:55 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
4Q: 03:17 KENT - Jake Barton 3 run.
4Q: 03:17 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 02:08 MIAO - Irving Roeder 14 run.
4Q: 02:08 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.
4Q: 00:24 MIAO - Irving Roeder 1 pass from Rex Cook.
4Q: 00:24 MIAO - Dixon Saltsman extra point.


Ouch. This one hurts.

If you look at the line score, that "28" for Miami in the fourth quarter really stands out. Don't be fooled, however; the game wasn't that close before then. We were already down 21-6, and it didn't feel like we were really in the game.

We were actually favored to win this one, which I wouldn't have expected at the beginning of the season. The Redhawks played better against us than they've played all year, and that's to their credit.

Once again, we had trouble stopping other teams from running the ball against us. When your opponent gains over seven yards a carry against you, you'll need to have a bunch of breaks go your way if you're going ot keep him off the scoreboard. More often, the outcome looks like what we saw this week: seven touchdowns, all but one scored on ground or set up by long, grind-it-out drives.

Jake Barton played well for us--10 carries, 58 yards--and so did Isaac Herndon. Herndon had another 12 tackles and a sack, and he broke up a pass. He got Player of the Week mention, and I think he's in position for All-MAC recognition, too.

Recruiting Update

When it rains, it pours! Fifteen players informed us that they're making official visits to our campus this week:

RB Randall Gillespie
RB Jonathan McSherry
WR Joey Koehler
TE Shaun Guidry
C Colin Cunningham
G B.J. Webster
G Tommie Wallack
T Tyrus Boggs
T Leon Palmer
DT Brandon Caskey
OLB Ross Bowen
CB Mitch Clark
S Adrian Castillo
S Broderick StokesI had previously been targeting very few players who were top students, guys with GPAs better than 3.00 and SATs higher than 1150 or so. I wasn't getting as much interest from them as I liked, so this past week I contacted players with slightly lower academic credentials. Several of them immediately scheduled visits, but so did some of the guys we'd been recruiting all along.

We also received our first commitment. OLB Wayne Merrill from South Range High School in North Lima, Ohio is the first member of our incoming class. He's the #100 player in Ohio, and is considered the #6 OLB in the state. However, he's a marginal student and has a history of some attitude problems, so he might present us with a few challenges.

I suppose that could be par for the course for a while, before we rebuild the image of the Kent State program.

Kent State's record: 3-3, 1-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2004
#73 Marshall (2-3, 2-0) at #76 Kent State (3-3, 1-3)


Marshall 3 7 7 16 - 33
Kent State 7 14 0 0 - 21

1Q: 10:27 KENT - Jake Barton 3 run.
1Q: 10:27 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 04:34 MRSH - Don Shapiro 28 field goal.
2Q: 09:36 KENT - Mickey Helms 23 pass from Jack Turner.
2Q: 09:36 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 06:22 KENT - Isaac Herndon 61 interception return.
2Q: 06:22 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 01:30 MRSH - Sammy Huffman 13 pass from Jeremy Cole.
2Q: 01:30 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
3Q: 02:41 MRSH - Shawn Miller 62 fumble return.
3Q: 02:41 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
4Q: 06:12 MRSH - Emmanuel McCarthy 1 run.
4Q: 06:12 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
4Q: 04:27 MRSH - Don Shapiro 39 field goal.
4Q: 02:39 MRSH - Don Shapiro 44 field goal.
4Q: 00:43 MRSH - Don Shapiro 39 field goal.



When Isaac Herndon picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown in the second quarter, we took a 21-3 lead and it looked like we were home free.
<O:p</O:p
Unfortunately, we couldn’t end the game at halftime. We didn’t score again, Marshall put 30 more points on the board, and we lost another one. <O:p></O:p>
Marshall has a better-than-average offense, and they demonstrated that fact against us this week. Jeremy Cole, their QB, played well, and Freddie McWilliams ran for over 140 yards. They’re both seniors, and they stepped up.
<O:p</O:p
We had to play without one of our seniors, WR Amos Willis. He separated his shoulder, and he probably won’t be back to full strength for another three weeks.
<O:p</O:p
Mickey Helms (12 carries, 93 yards) had a good game, and so did Jack Turner (14-20, 130 yards, TD). And Isaac Herndon was great again—14 more tackles and that pick-six. He’s playing himself into some serious consideration for post-season honors.
<O:p</O:p
Now we’re 1-3 in the Mid-American Conference. We have to turn things around quickly.
<O:p</O:p
<O:pRecruiting Update</O:p
<O:pOur 2005 recruiting class really took shape this week, as eight players accepted scholarship offers to play for Kent State.
</O:p
<O:pThe eight newest Golden Flashes are:</O:p

<O:pRB Randall Gillespie</O:p
<O:pTE Shaun Guidry</O:p
<O:pC Colin Cunningham</O:p
<O:pT Tyrus Boggs</O:p
<O:pP Pat Sawyer</O:p
<O:pDT Brandon Caskey</O:p
<O:pOLB Russ Bowen</O:p
<O:pCB Mitch Clark</O:p<O:pWe're very pleased with these players. Sawyer, Bowen, and Boggs are ranked among the 1000 best players in the nation, according to rivals.com. Six of them are listed among the best 100 players at their position, and all of them are on their state's Top 100 list.
</O:p
<O:pWhat's more, all but two of them have GPAs over 3.00 and GPAs over 1000. They're legitimate scholar athletes.
</O:p
<O:pThis week, we have another large group of players coming to campus. We still have seven open scholarships, so this looks to be a big week for us, too.</O:p
<O:p
Kent State's record: 3-4, 1-3 in MAC play.</O:p

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2004

We didn't have a game this week, so we went back to work with a vengeance. We also had more time to concentrate on building our future through our recruiting efforts.

Recruiting Update

Four players accepted offers to play for us this week:

QB Josh Roaf
G Seth Gourdine
ILB Darnell Warren
S Adrian CastilloSigning Castillo is HUGE for us! He's ranked #8 in the nation among players at his position, he carries a 3.73 GPA, and he scored 1270 on his SAT. I confess; I didn't think we had much of a chance to land Adrian, after I saw the other schools he was visiting: Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, and Michigan State.

We needed to bring in a quarterback, and we think Roaf will be a good one. He's the #724 player in the nation, and the #7 player in a particularly strong group of Ohio QBs.

Three more scholarship offers remain unclaimed, and hopefully we'll have a full recruiting class next week.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2004
#120 Ohio (1-7, 1-4) at #86 Kent State (3-4, 1-3)



Ohio 0 17 7 10 - 34
Kent State 7 3 7 14 - 31

1Q: 12:41 KENT - Mickey Helms 22 run.
1Q: 12:41 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 13:23 KENT - Jerry Bouman 45 field goal.
2Q: 08:47 OHIO - Aaron Lincoln 3 run.
2Q: 08:47 OHIO - Archie Austin extra point.
2Q: 06:59 OHIO - Archie Austin 22 field goal.
2Q: 02:20 OHIO - Horace Tauke 9 run.
2Q: 02:20 OHIO - Archie Austin extra point.
3Q: 06:01 OHIO - Xavier Moronkola 20 pass from Devin Woodley.
3Q: 06:01 OHIO - Archie Austin extra point.
3Q: 01:19 KENT - Jake Barton 1 run.
3Q: 01:19 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 11:39 OHIO - Archie Austin 44 field goal.
4Q: 08:13 KENT - Amos Willis 6 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 08:13 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 04:27 OHIO - Horace Tauke 1 run.
4Q: 04:27 OHIO - Archie Austin extra point.
4Q: 00:44 KENT - Amos Willis 8 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 00:44 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


This was a game we could have won--perhaps SHOULD have won--and we didn't.

Once again, our ability to stop other teams from running the ball hurt us. Horace Tauke added his name to the list of backs who have rushed for over 100 yards against us. He's a good running back, but we have a way of making good running backs look like great ones.

It was a cold, rainy day, and neither team could pass the ball effectively. We moved the ball on the ground pretty well, with Mickey Helms (14 carries, 116 yards) and Courtney Kennedy (9 carries, 86 yards) doing the bulk of the work.

We didn't have WR Darrin Wampus this week, because he got his knee scoped; Amos Willis showed great toughness by coming back ahead of schedule from his shoulder injury and catching two short TD passes.

Isaac Herndon had another typical Isaac Herndon game: 15 tackles. He now leads all Division I players in tackles. I know that's partially a result of the fact that teams run the ball so much against us, but Isaac also has 14 tackles for losses, and only one of them is a sack. That means he's stuffing a lot of
ballcarriers--many more than most linebackers do.

Recruiting Update
We signed three more players this week:

QB Deon Scribner
RB Blaine Kooistra
G Tommie WallackWith their signings, our 16-player recruiting class is complete. Looking back, I wish we'd signed a defensive end. We had shots at a couple of good ones, but lost out in each case.

After the season's over, I'll post lots of information about the players in the recruiting Class of 2005.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2004
#95 Kent State (3-5, 1-4) at #94 Buffalo (3-5, 2-4)



Kent State 7 3 7 7 - 24
Buffalo 3 0 0 7 - 10

1Q: 03:54 BUFF - Dwight Bradley 21 field goal.
1Q: 01:06 KENT - Clay Lowder 45 run.
1Q: 01:06 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 07:09 KENT - Jerry Bouman 42 field goal.
3Q: 02:11 KENT - Kent Isola 9 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 02:11 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 10:17 BUFF - Aaron Mussi 27 interception return.
4Q: 10:17 BUFF - Dwight Bradley extra point.
4Q: 03:19 KENT - Amos Willis 2 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 03:19 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


According to the computer rankings, this was the closest possible matchup in all of Division I football. Our defense got tired of getting sand kicked in its face, and stood up for itself against Buffalo.

We allowed the Bulls only 77 yards rushing all day, and only 117 yards passing. As a result, our defensive players could come off the field with their heads held high, an experience they haven't had very often this year.

Isaac Herndon had "only" 11 tackles, but he was all over the field, making Buffalo account for him on every down. We also put great pressure on their QB all day. DE Don Mok and DT Ian Donaldson each got a sack. They're our leaders in that category this year: Mok has 7.5 and Donaldson 6.5 to their credit.

I feel really badly for our cornerback, Terrell Fisher. He's out for the year with a compound fracture of his leg. He's a senior, so he's obviously played his last game for the Golden Flashes. I think the defense wanted to play especially well for Terrell, who is one of the happiest, most positive guys on the team.

Offensively, we got our ground game cranked up early, with a great long run by backup RB Clay Lowder setting the tone for the entire day. Mickey Helms (12 carries, 112 yards) had another good day, and our big FB, Courtney Kennedy ran hard all day (10 carries, 52 yards).

We needed this one, if for no other reason than to feel better about the direction we're heading as the season draws to a close.

Kent State's record: 4-5, 2-4 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2004
#99 Eastern Michigan (3-6,3-3) at #86 Kent State (4-5, 2-4)



Eastern Michigan 0 7 0 0 - 7
Kent State 0 7 14 14 - 35

2Q: 09:30 EMIC - Sam Deericks 11 pass from Hunter England.
2Q: 09:30 EMIC - Oliver Shepard extra point.
2Q: 00:27 KENT - Courtney Kennedy 10 run.
2Q: 00:27 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 11:47 KENT - Benjamin Summers 22 run.
3Q: 11:47 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 03:53 KENT - Adam Rodriguez 11 run.
3Q: 03:53 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 13:22 KENT - Mickey Helms 2 run.
4Q: 13:22 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 01:10 KENT - Clay Lowder 6 run.
4Q: 01:10 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


On a dismal day for football--35 degrees and rain that felt more like sleet--we spotted Eastern Michigan an early touchdown and then shut them out the rest of the way.

Five different players ran for touchdowns as we kept the ball on the ground , controlling the tempo of the game and the clock. We rushed for 301 yards and kept possession of the ball for over 36 minutes, and we picked up 31 first downs.
Mickey Helms (20 carries, 101 yards) and Courtney Kennedy (14 carries, 97 yards) gave us a great one-two punch again today.

It was great to see Adam Rodriguez score a touchdown today. He's a terrific football player who, unfortunately, plays the same position as Courtney Kennedy. I wish Adam weren't a senior this year, because he'd be a great foundation for our offense next year.


Any time your running game is as effective as ours was today, your O-line has to play well, and ours was fantastic today. We gave Gilbert Barrere a game ball for his 7 key run blocks in 14 opportunties, but we could have just as easily honored Edgar Bennefield (6/11) or Phillip Harrison (5/9).

After having very few problems with injuries, we've been hit hard the last few weeks. Very early in the game, QB Jack Turner went out with a knee injury, and he wasn't able to return. The diagnosis wasn't good; Jack tore cartilage in his knee and is probably not going to play again this year. He should recover fully and be ready for spring practice, however. Benjamin Summers came in and played well, and he'll be the starter the rest of the way.

TE Spencer Alston got hurt, too; he tore a calf muscle and, like Turner, he's probably out for the year. Freshman Butch Farler stepped in for Alston. Butch is a better receiver than Spencer is, but Spencer is a better blocker.

Our defense played exceptionally well again, too, holding Eastern Michigan to under 200 total yards. They've allowed only 17 points in their last two games, and I'm thrilled to see them finish so strong.

We have one game left, and we still have a lot to play for. We can finish the season with a winning record, and we can finish .500 in the conference. If Mickey has a big game (161 yards) he can reach the 1000-yard plateau; he'd have had it easily if we didn't spread the carries around as evenly as we do. Both Courtney Kennedy and Jake Barton have good chances to exceed 500 rushing yards.

I'm feeling a lot better about the season after the last two games.

Kent State's record: 5-5, 3-4 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 14, 2004
#75 Kent State (5-5, 3-4) at #51 Central Florida (6-4, 6-1)
TV 4



Kent State 0 0 3 3 - 6
Central Florida 10 10 0 14 - 34

1Q: 10:39 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini 33 field goal.
1Q: 05:39 CFLA - Louie Kuhlman 11 run.
1Q: 05:39 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini extra point.
2Q: 14:43 CFLA - Levon Sheldon 29 pass from Thurman Schneider.
2Q: 14:43 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini extra point.
2Q: 05:16 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini 26 field goal.
3Q: 01:17 KENT - Jerry Bouman 28 field goal.
4Q: 11:48 CFLA - Louie Kuhlman 1 run.
4Q: 11:48 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini extra point.
4Q: 03:49 CFLA - Louie Kuhlman 2 run.
4Q: 03:49 CFLA - Ronnie Mancini extra point.
4Q: 00:20 KENT - Jerry Bouman 28 field goal.


We knew we'd have a tough game on our hands this week. Central Florida, which for some inexplicable reason is in the Mid-American NORTH division, came into the game 6-1 in the conference. No matter what happened today, they had secured a spot in the MAC title game. I hoped we'd ride the momentum of our last two games into Orlando and catch the Golden Knights off guard.

That didn't happen, and it's to UCF's credit that they didn't let it happen.

The Golden Knights roughed us up pretty good. Louie Kuhlman rushed for 198 yards, and his backup, Marlon Hazam, had 76 more.

They ran behind their excellent tackle, Jeff Logan, who will almost certainly make All-MAC, first team. He's the best offensive lineman we've seen all year long.

Kuhlman is the second leading rusher in the conference, with well over 1000 yards going into the game, so it's not like we let a putz run all over us. Still, we shouldn't ever let a back hang nearly 200 yards on us.

In the final game of his collegiate career, Isaac Herndon made 14 tackles, including five more TFL. Kuhlman apparently had very nice things to say about Isaac in a post-game interview. He said Isaac is the best defensive player in the conference, and that their game plan involved making sure #40 couldn't run wild and make plays all day long.

The UCF defense shut us down all day, and we didn't ever get things rolling. Benjamin Summers had a rough day, and their D-line was really tough.

We didn't even get to enjoy some real Florida weather. It was 50 degrees and rainy at game time.

Next week, Central Florida will play Northern Illinois, the South Division champion, in the MAC championship game. The winner will play in the Raisin Bowl out in Fresno.

Kent State's record: 5-6, 3-5 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Postseason Notes, Part One


Central Florida defeated Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship, 28-13.
However, because Notre Dame earned a spot in a BCS bowl, the Golden Knights went to the Aloha Bowl, instead of taking the MAC champion's automatic bid to the Raisin Bowl. Out in Hawaii, the Golden Knights lost to UNLV, 34-14.
Northern Illinois traveled to Fresno, CA for the Raisin Bowl. There, #20 Kansas State beat them, 45-13.
#1 Miami (FL) faced #2 Nebraska for the national championship in the Rose Bowl. The Hurricanes won a classic, 23-20.
Texas Tech's junior QB, Sammie Knight, won the Heisman Trophy. The Del Valle, TX native completed 305 of 490 passes for 42 touchdowns, and led the Red Raiders to a 10-3 record and a victory over California in the Fiesta Bowl.Here are Kent State's final statistics for the 2004 season. Graduating seniors are highlighted in blue.



PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT
Turner 212 112 52.8 1325 11 11
Summers 53 24 45.2 251 0 2
TEAM 266 137 51.5 1583 11 13

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Helms 141 855 6.1 6
Kennedy 99 506 5.1 2
Barton 92 483 5.3 9
Lowder 30 228 7.5 3
Rodriguez 22 112 5.1 1
Turner 50 30 0.6 0
TEAM 485 2305 5.0 22

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Kennedy 24 164 6.8 1
Wampus 23 306 13.3 3
Willis 18 257 14.2 5
Farler 12 157 13.0 0
Brady 11 144 13.0 0
Helms 11 129 11.7 1
Isola 10 148 14.8 1
Barton 9 64 7.1 0
Alston 6 67 11.1 0
Osborne 4 53 13.2 0
TEAM 266 1583 11.5 11

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Bouman 12 21 45 33 34 69

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In20
Boyer 49 1737 35.4 51 9

BLOCKING KRB KRO BL% SkA OFF%
Barrere 41 120 34.1 1 29.2
Bennefield 36 85 42.3 1 21.0
Harrison 18 83 28.5 7 15.6
Jarvis 17 53 32.0 7 15.8
Williams 15 35 42.8 0 33.6
Wheeler 9 24 37.5 4 5.8
Kennedy 7 24 29.1 0 6.9

DEFENSE TCKL AST SACKS TFL INT DEF
Herndon 111 30 1.0 22 1 8
Horton 39 15 3.0 8 0 1
Mok 37 16 9.0 13 0 1
Bernier 37 12 1.0 3 2 3
Cedeno 30 8 0.0 2 2 3
Dawkins 30 5 0.0 3 4 3
Donaldson 28 11 8.0 8 0 0
Huffman 27 10 0.0 2 0 1
Bachman 19 7 0.0 4 0 0
Lawhorn 19 7 0.0 4 0 0
Mitchell 17 9 3.0 5 0 0
Fisher 17 6 0.0 1 1 3
Lambert 16 2 4.0 5 0 0
Van Brocklin 16 11 1.0 2 0 0
Newsome 15 3 1.0 2 0 2
Ellard 15 5 0.5 2 2 1
Contois 13 4 0.0 2 0 2
Rhodes 12 4 0.0 1 2 1
Alston 11 0 0.0 0 0 0
TEAM 587 176 37.0 95 16 31


Kent State placed 11th in the nation in rushing yards, and tied for 3rd in yards per carry.

[Big Six]

Postseason Notes, Part 2

Some other observations about the 2004 season at Kent State:

RB Louie Kuhlman of Central Florida, who beat us up so badly in the last game of the season, was named the Mid-American Conference MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year. I can't argue with that choice.
Central Michigan ILB Blake Ewbank was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. I can actually understand how the voters chose him over our Isaac Herndon--Ewbank was a beast, finishing with 13 fewer tackles than Herndon did, but recording 6.5 sacks.
As expected, two Golden Flashes earned First Team All-MAC honors: junior center Gilbert Barrere and senior middle linebacker Isaac Herndon.
Senior fullback Courtney Kennedy made the All-MAC Second Team.
Kent State's team GPA was 2.86. Not great, but not terrible, either.
Our overall academic reputation is pretty lousy, however. We score 32 here, which is 119th among Division I teams. Only New Mexico State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss (the SEC hates this), Louisiana Tech, and Troy are considered weaker academically than Kent State. I think that's a disgrace. I'm going to make sure Kent State improves here, and soon.
The squad's top students include S William Shipman (3.86, Social Work), G Percy Wheeler (3.80, German), RB Jake Barton (3.74, Metallurgy), OLB Tim Gomez (3.74, Marketing), and G Jonathan Frost (3.74, Trigonometry).
The worst students are QB Moe Peebles (1.74, Trigonometry), P Richie Bates (1.74, Geography), ILB Joseph Houston (1.74, Geology), CB Oliver Schultz (1.40, Marketing), and WR Mike Hughes (1.38, Random Number Theory). I cut two walk-ons who would have made the bottom five if they were still on the team.
Peebles and Schultz are seniors, so I won't have to worry about their crappy academic performance dragging us down any longer. I'd cut the other lousy students, but they're all popular players, and I'd worry aobut the effect their loss would have on our team chemistry. Hughes has the ability and the desire to make better grades; hopefully he'll improve next year.
Mickey Helms pulled a 2.22, but he failed his Marketing class. I suspect Mickey had a bad case of senioritis.
Our recruiting class was ranked #77 in the nation. It was the eighth-best in the 14-team Mid-American Conference. Marshall and Bowling Green, both of whom had recruiting classes ranked in the top 30, scored the best.Professor Laertes' grades for our season look like this:



Team Performance 69/100
Academic Performance 37/100
Recruiting Performance 95/100
Television Revenue 69/100
Alumni Donations 41/100
Attendance/Stadium 28/100
Final Grade: 53/100


Not bad. It's clear Laertes thought we overachieved in Recruiting Performance, isn't it?

Well, let's kiss 2004 good bye, and move on to 2005...

[Big Six]

In my excitement to move on to the 2005 season, I forgot to collect the information about Kent State's recruiting class of 2005. I wanted to make it a postseason feature, since National Signing Day happens in early February. So much for my added touch of realism! :)

Since I've already ended the 2004 season, this look at the incoming Golden Flashes recruits will reflect their status as they begin their first season as college players. Their listed weights are probably a little higher than they were as recruits. I won't be able to list any of their statistics for you. And instead of GPAs and SAT scores, I'll list their Aspiration and Intelligence ratings.

HSR: national high school ranking, if they made the top 1000 players on rivals.com's list
POS: national ranking among players at their position
STR: ranking among the Top 100 players in the state

At any rate, here are the 16 scholarship players of the Class of 2005:


PLAYER POS HT WT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Josh Roaf QB 6-2 190 Green, OH/Green
Deon Scribner QB 5-11 197 West Lafayette, IN/William Henry Harrison
Randall Gillespie RB 6-0 185 Gahanna, OH/Lincoln
Blaine Kooistra RB 6-0 195 Indianapolis, IN/Arsenal Technical
Shaun Guidry TE 6-5 245 Warren, OH/Howland
Colin Cunningham C 6-5 278 Goshen, OH/Goshen
Seth Gourdine G 6-3 279 Crown City, OH/South Gallia
Tommie Wallack G 6-3 287 Washington Court, OH/Miami Trace
Tyrus Boggs T 6-5 278 Youngstown, OH/East
Brandon Caskey DT 6-3 297 Toledo, OH/Waite
Darnell Warren ILB 6-1 233 Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy
Ross Bowen OLB 6-0 211 Allison Park, PA/Hampton
Wayne Merrill OLB 6-1 197 North Lima, OH/South Range
Mitch Clark CB 6-0 196 Frankfort, OH/Adena
Adrian Castillo S 6-1 204 Cleveland, OH/Valley Forge
Pat Sawyer P 6-5 218 Saint Clairsville, OH/Saint Clairsville

PLAYER HSR POS STR ASP INT MAJOR
Josh Roaf 724 52 32 59 55 Journalism
Deon Scribner --- 74 22 69 59 Journalism
Randall Gillespie --- --- 68 16 21 Geography
Blaine Kooistra 876 70 19 90 85 Jurisprudence
Shaun Guidry --- 97 92 67 85 Computer Science
Colin Cunningham --- 87 79 25 18 Algebra
Seth Gourdine --- --- 73 24 32 Algebra
Tommie Wallack 957 77 42 55 38 Geology
Tyrus Boggs 927 87 40 71 68 Industrial Engineering
Brandon Caskey --- 99 91 70 54 Accounting
Darnell Warren --- -- 97 100 86 Jurisprudence
Ross Bowen 516 24 21 70 81 Education
Wayne Merrill --- --- 100 15 14 Geology
Mitch Clark --- --- 74 55 49 Social Work
Adrian Castillo 273 8 10 76 74 Computer Science
Pat Sawyer 377 9 14 98 79 Spanish



Castillo, Sawyer, and Bowen look like the prize members of this year's class. All three represent significant upgrades, both in terms of talent and academic performance, over the players KSU has been attracting in the past.
After looking at some of the Aspiration and Intelligence scores here, I see how careful I need to be about recruiting guys with GPA's under 3.00 and SAT's in the 850 range. Gillespie, Cunningham, and Merrill all fit that description, and all three look like they'll struggle with college coursework.
In addition to the scholarship recruits, there's a promising freshman walkon: DE Corwin Heller. Corwin was the #89 player in Ohio last year, and he brings great academic credentials, too (84 Aspiration, 77 Intelligence, Accounting).

[Big Six]

Preseason 2005

Our 2005 schedule has been released, and it looks like this. Each of our opponents' preseason computer ranking is listed, too.



Week 1 MANSFIELD 121
Week 2 at Dayton 96
Week 3 at West Virginia 31
Week 4 BALL STATE 120
Week 6 at Miami of Ohio 52
Week 7 OHIO 90
Week 8 at Eastern Michigan 103
Week 10 at Central Florida 71
Week 11 MARSHALL 72
Week 12 at Buffalo 101
Week 13 AKRON 94


Home games are listed in ALL CAPS.
Mid-American Conference games are highlighted in blue.

Our preseason ranking is #80, considerably better than last year's #107.

We open the season with games against two Buckeye Conference opponents. We should win our hope opener against Mansfield, and I think we have a shot at beating Dayton, too. We try to play at least one major conference opponent a year, and this time we'll make the short trip to West Virginia to play the Mountaineers. Once again, if we complete our out-of-conference schedule at 2-1, I'll be happy.

Ball State tied for last in the MAC South last year, which is why they're ranked so low this season. We ought to be able to win that game, especially since it's in Kent. The trip to Miami will present us with a challenge, and the Redhawks will be favored to win that one.

We'll need to win the Ohio game to contend for the MAC North title, and if we can win at least one of the two road games that follow, we will probably feel like we're in the thick of things. Circle the Marshall game now; I think it could make or break our chances for a bowl game.

Weather could make a big difference when we go to Buffalo in Week 12. That game, and the rivalry game at Akron, will both be tough, and I hope we have lots to play for at that point in the season.

Unfortunately, I hit my "pessimistic prediction" right on the nose last year. I hope that's not the case again this year.

My optimistic prediction: 8-3, 6-2 in the conference, and a chance to play in the MAC Championship Game.

My pessimistic prediction: 4-7, 3-5 in the conference.

[Big Six]

Seven starters return from last year's Kent State team, including all five members of the offensive line. Here's the 2005 KSU offensive starting lineup, along with the key offensive reserves:



POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 19 Jack Turner 6-3 194 Sr 22/22 Idaho Falls, ID/Idaho Falls
RB 29 Jake Barton 5-11 216 Sr 24/35 Ossian, IN/Norwell
FB 34 Graham Kemper 6-0 233 Sr 19/19 Akron, OH/Buchtel
TE 81 Shaun Guidry 6-5 245 Fr 17/45 Warren, OH/Howland
FL 1 Darrin Wampus 6-1 187 Jr 18/40 Westerville, OH/South
SE 3 Ronnie Brady 5-10 170 Sr 25/25 Ashville, OH/Teays Valley
LT 70 Phillip Harrison 6-4 289 So 22/51 Akron, OH/Manchester
LG 73 Edgar Bennefield 6-5 286 So 15/59 Martinsville, IN/Martinsville
C 53 Gilbert Barrere 6-3 288 Sr 37/61 West Union, OH/West Union
RG 69 Percy Wheeler 6-3 265 So 14/47 Belleville, IL/East
RT 74 Tyrus Jarvis 6-3 280 Sr 22/22 Parma, OH/Parma
K 5 Jerry Bouman 5-11 172 Sr 41/49 North Versailles, PA/East Allegheny

QB 13 Benjamin Summers 6-1 192 Sr 16/36 Springfield, OH/Shawnee
RB 23 Randall Gillespie 6-0 185 Fr 20/44 Gahanna, OH/Lincoln
RB 21 Clay Lowder 5-11 191 So 13/27 Richmond, IN/Richmond
TE 33 Spencer Alston 6-5 233 Jr 17/34 Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area
TE 84 Butch Farler 6-4 230 So 13/39 Downey, CA/Downey
WR 86 Everett Hanson 5-9 167 Fr 25/25 Elnora, IN/North Daviess
OL 61 Bryant Williams 6-7 309 Sr 17/28 Oak Hill, OH/Oak Hill
OL 68 Jonathan Frost 6-5 282 So 8/27 Loveland, OH/Loveland


Turner will probably throw the ball more this year than he did in '04, and he'll have to prove he's up to the task. Barton, too, will carry a heavier load than last year's starting tailback, Mickey Helms, did; the Flashes don't have a fullback like Courtney Kennedy to share the load. Guidry's superior potential gives him the inside track at TE. Barrere leads a solid O-line; he's a first team, All-MAC choice. Oddly enough, Bennefield's current and potential ratings both DROPPED from where they were this time last year. Bouman is a fairly reliable placekicker.

Summers failed to impress in limited action last year. Gillespie should get quite a few touches this year, and Lowder returns after a productive freshman year. Alston might get some playing time at FB. Williams played well as a reserve last year.

Both freshman QBs, Josh Roaf and Deon Scribner, are redshirting, as are RB Blaine Kooistra and all the true freshman O-linemen.

[Big Six]

The Kent State defense got pushed around too much last year, especially by teams with good running attacks. The unit will have a new look this year, as All-MAC middle linebacker Isaac Herndon and three members of the secondary will need to be replaced. Hopefully, several young players will give the KSU defense a new, tougher edge.



POS NO NAME HT WT CL PR/CR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 79 Hunter Mitchell 6-3 244 So 16/47 North Lewisburg, OH/Triad
LT 91 Win Van Brocklin 6-5 287 Sr 28/28 Heath, OH/Heath
RT 78 Ian Donaldson 6-3 265 Sr 23/34 Eben Junction, MI/Superior Central
RE 98 Don Mok 6-3 236 Sr 38/38 Medina, OH/Medina
LLB 50 Lorenzo Bernier 6-0 198 Sr 22/22 Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union
MLB 49 Vince Geary 6-4 218 So 16/26 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush
RLB 54 Ross Bowen 6-0 211 Fr 5/86 Allison Park, PA/Hampton
CB1 22 Eugene Babin 5-8 170 Sr 29/42 Philadelphia, PA/Northeast
CB2 36 Mitch Clark 6-0 196 Fr 12/55 Frankfort, OH/Adena
SS 47 Frankie Contois 6-3 194 Jr 23/23 Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington
FS 9 Adrian Castillo 6-1 204 Fr 35/67 Cleveland, OH/Valley Forge
P 17 Pat Sawyer 6-5 218 Fr 47/54 St. Clairsville, OH/St. Clairsville

DE 75 Corwin Heller 6-0 238 Fr 15/43 Navarre, OH/Fairless
DE 72 Darren Yaffin 6-3 237 Sr 17/17 West Lafayette, IN/William Henry Harrison
DT 76 Tyrone Lawhorn 6-1 255 Sr 20/22 Adrian, MO/Adrian
ILB 58 Tyrone Newsome 6-3 214 So 10/28 Woodstock, IL/Woodstock
OLB 99 Tim Gomez 5-11 200 So 16/35 Chicago, IL/Kelly
OLB 55 Wayne Merrill 6-1 197 Fr 6/65 North Lima, OH/South Range
CB 44 Josh Dawkins 5-11 173 Sr 18/18 Millville, PA/Millville Area
CB 25 Wes Ellard 5-9 165 Jr 12/12 Alpena, MI/Alpena
S 35 William Shipman 6-2 193 So 12/24 Wilmington, IL/Wilmington



Mok and Donaldson demonstrated the ability to put pressure on opposing QBs; this year, they and the other D-linemen have to prove they can stop the run. Bowen might be overmatched as a true freshman, but with his potential, how can I keep him off the field? Geary must step in at Herndon's old position. Clark won the starting job at corner as a true frosh. Castillo could already be the best player on the KSU defense. Punter Sawyer can turn the field around in a hurry.

Yaffin is a pash rush specialist. Preferred walk-on Heller could contribute right away. Merrill will play a lot, and might even start in Bernier's place. Dawkins is the nickel corner. Shipman is a special teams headhunter.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2005
#121 Mansfield at #80 Kent State
TV5



Mansfield 0 0 6 0 - 6
Kent State 7 14 13 14 - 48

1Q: 02:48 KENT - Clay Lowder 1 run.
1Q: 02:48 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 08:54 KENT - Jack Turner 5 run.
2Q: 08:54 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 00:37 KENT - Devin Tippett 48 run.
2Q: 00:37 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 11:51 KENT - Jerry Bouman 30 field goal.
3Q: 09:17 MANS - Derek Brandt 2 pass from Kevin Popp.
3Q: 09:17 MANS - Donovan Clark run for conversion failed.
3Q: 06:09 KENT - Randall Gillespie 3 run.
3Q: 06:09 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 02:34 KENT - Jerry Bouman 39 field goal.
4Q: 08:00 KENT - Everett Hanson 18 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 08:00 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 02:52 KENT - Randall Gillespie 8 run.
4Q: 02:52 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the new season!
<O:p</O:p
A nice crowd came out to Dix Stadium on a picture-perfect day and watched us play as good a game as I’ve seen us play in my short tenure here at Kent State. We got the job done in every aspect of the game—offense, defense, and special teams.

Jake Barton has been bothered with a turf toe injury, so we used him sparingly. That meant true freshman Randall Gillespie got the majority of the carries, and he responded brilliantly: 25 carries, 176 yards, two touchdowns. Another back, senior Devin Tippett, broke loose for a nice 48-yard run. It was great to see Devin perform well.

QB Ja<O:p</O:pck Turner had a good, efficient game, and we didn’t turn the ball over all day.
<O:p</O:p
On defense, we took on a very good running back and shut him down. Derek Brandt gained 971 yards last year, and we held him to 22 yards today. After you deduct the yardage from our sacks, Mansfield had one net yard rushing.
<O:p</O:p
Speaking of sacks, senior DE Darrin Yaffin recorded 2.5 sacks today, which equaled his total for all of 2004.
<O:p</O:p
The true freshmen we played on defense all did a good job. OLB Ross Bowen was in on five tackles, one for a loss. Reserve OLB Wayne Merrill had two tackles. CB Mitch Clark had three tackles, a TFL, intercepted a pass, and returned it 32 yards. S Adrian Castillo was in on five stops, and returned two kickoffs for 59 yards.
<O:p</O:p
On a day like today, football is a lot of fun.
<O:p</O:p
Recruiting Update<O:p</O:p
We already have a recruit visiting us: offensive guard Kenneth Calixto from North Royalton, Ohio. His dad played at Kent State in the late 70s, and Kenneth grew up rooting for the Golden Flashes. He’s a big kid—6-5, 282 pounds—and he’s a good student, reporting a 3.18 GPA and an 1180 SAT.<O:p></O:p>

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2005
#21 Kent State (1-0) at #117 Dayton (0-1)



Kent State 0 7 7 3 19 - 36
Dayton 7 0 7 3 16 - 33

1Q: 02:46 DAYT - Leslie Gilmore 14 pass from Kent Sutton.
1Q: 02:46 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.
2Q: 09:16 KENT - Darrin Wampus 13 pass from Jack Turner.
2Q: 09:16 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 08:10 DAYT - Corey Barker 3 pass from Kent Sutton.
3Q: 08:10 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.
3Q: 06:15 KENT - Shaun Guidry 47 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 06:15 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 07:13 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie 23 field goal.
4Q: 00:40 KENT - Jerry Bouman 42 field goal.
OT: 13:24 DAYT - Richard Morse 9 pass from Kent Sutton.
OT: 13:24 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.
OT: 14:09 KENT - Darrin Wampus 18 pass from Jack Turner.
OT: 14:09 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
OT: 14:45 KENT - Jake Barton 25 run.
OT: 14:45 KENT - Devin Tippett run for conversion failed.
OT: 13:06 DAYT - Max Quayle 8 run.
OT: 13:06 DAYT - Max Quayle run for conversion failed.
OT: 12:54 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie 26 field goal.
OT: 13:39 KENT - Devin Tippett 12 run.


Wow, that was close!

I thought the computer was being very generous when it ranked us #21 this week. Granted, we did win big against Mansfield, but still...

I have to hand it to Dayton; they fought us hard for sixty minutes, and then some. It took a clutch field goal from Jerry Bouman to tie the score at 17 and send the game into overtime, and then our defense asserted itself.

First, Corwin Heller made a big hit that kept Max Quayle out of the end zone on a conversion attempt. Quayle is a tough runner, and he'd had a good day against us.

On Dayton's next possession, we sacked their QB on two straight plays, after they completed a pass to our 6-yard line. Don Mok and Hunter Mitchell got him the first time, and Darrin Yaffin made a fantastic play and got him again. Those plays forced Dayton to kick a field goal on fourth down. They made it, but it put us in position to win the game with a touchdown, and Devin Tippett delivered for us.

Tippett has given us some impressive backfield depth. Jake Barton still isn't completely healthy, although he got us 106 yards on 19 carries today. Randall Gillespie (8-50) and Tippett (5-30) are really helping take the load off Jake while his turf toe clears up.

Shawn Guidry asserted himself in our passing game today. That's the kind of performance we expected to get when we recruited him.

Our defense played another good game. The score is deceptive; we allowed only 17 points in regulation. Adrian Castillo (15 tackles, 2 TFL) and Ross Bowen (17 tackles, 3 TFL) were making plays all over the place. It's still early, and we haven't gotten into the conference season yet, but it looks like they're both ready for college ball.

Recruiting Update
Another player will be visiting us, and he could fill a crucial recruiting need for us. Marlon Larkin is a good placekicker from Gnadenhutten, not far from here. We've offered a scholarship to him, and we've also offered one to Dwight Ashworth, a kicker from Pennsylvania.

Kent State's record: 2-0.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2005
#29 Kent State (2-0) at #58 West Virginia (1-1)
TV5


Kent State 7 7 0 7 - 21
West Virginia 21 20 7 10 - 58

1Q: 10:07 WVIR - Levon Brewer 13 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
1Q: 10:07 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
1Q: 04:50 KENT - Josh Dawkins 68 interception return.
1Q: 04:50 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 03:07 WVIR - Levon Brewer 42 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
1Q: 03:07 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
1Q: 01:54 WVIR - Phil Cooley 17 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
1Q: 01:54 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
2Q: 14:26 WVIR - Levon Brewer 22 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
2Q: 14:26 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
2Q: 09:49 WVIR - A.J. Johnstone 3 run.
2Q: 09:49 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
2Q: 04:49 WVIR - Kyle Ridge 43 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
2Q: 04:49 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point failed.
2Q: 01:33 KENT - Vince Geary 99 interception return.
2Q: 01:33 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 04:11 WVIR - Levon Brewer 10 pass from Geoff Shellenberger.
3Q: 04:11 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
4Q: 11:13 WVIR - Wes Herndon 19 field goal.
4Q: 01:49 WVIR - Dusty Wentworth 2 run.
4Q: 01:49 WVIR - Wes Herndon extra point.
4Q: 01:27 KENT - Spencer Alston 68 fumble return.
4Q: 01:27 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


Now you see why you can't always trust the computer rankings so early in the season.

We were under no illusions about being better than West Virginia, and the Mountaineers showed us how much we need to improve before we're ready to stand toe to toe with the prestige teams in our sport.

We managed only six first downs, and we scored all our touchdowns on turnovers. It was exciting to see three of our guys bust loose on those long runs, though!

Josh Dawkins has returned two interceptions for touchdowns in two years. He busted one loose against Central Michigan last year.

Vince Geary's 99-yard pick six was the longest interception return I've ever seen. He actually looked pretty good doing it, too. Vince played some running back in high school, and he looked like he remembered a few things.

Spencer Alston's touchdown came after Devin Tippett had made a nice run, got stuck hard, and fumbled the ball. It popped up into Spencer's hands, and he was off to the races.

Otherwise, there's not much to say. Geoff Shellenberger, a senior who was an All-Big East quarterback last year had a great day against us. So did Levon Brewer, who we knew would be a lot to handle. Our inexperienced secondary got roughed up, but they're still holding their heads high.

We'll open our MAC season next week, at home against Ball State.

No news on the recruiting front this week.

Kent State's record: 2-1.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2005
#82 Ball State (1-1) at #73 Kent State (2-1)



Ball State 7 7 14 7 - 35
Kent State 0 7 0 7 - 14

1Q: 08:32 BALL - Johnnie Dawson 1 pass from Wally Harmon.
1Q: 08:32 BALL - Rick Lang extra point.
2Q: 06:26 KENT - Clay Lowder 6 run.
2Q: 06:26 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 00:10 BALL - Bernie Lofton 1 run.
2Q: 00:10 BALL - Rick Lang extra point.
3Q: 10:54 BALL - Frank England 60 interception return.
3Q: 10:54 BALL - Rick Lang extra point.
3Q: 05:18 BALL - Alan Evans 8 pass from Wally Harmon.
3Q: 05:18 BALL - Rick Lang extra point.
4Q: 08:03 BALL - Brent Raaen 4 pass from Wally Harmon.
4Q: 08:03 BALL - Rick Lang extra point.
4Q: 06:00 KENT - Devin Tippett 17 run.
4Q: 06:00 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


I have to hand it to Ball State and their coach, Tony Schilz. They looked at the film of our game against West Virginia and developed a game plan that attacked our secondary, especially our inexperienced cornerbacks. Wally Harmon completed 27 of 38 passes and threw three TDs, and their defense shut us down almost as thoroughly as West Virginia's did.

Randall Gillespie missed the game with a sore hamstring, and Jake Barton wasn't feeling good, either. That put more of the burden on QB Jack Turner, and he didn't play well (10-22, 63 yards, 3 INT).

I stayed up all night one night last week trying to decide if I should pull the redshirt off one of our young QBs, Josh Roaf or Deon Scribner. For now, I've decided to stick with Jack. He's a senior, he's popular with his teammates, and they consider him a leader. I'm concerned about the effect benching him might have on the team's morale.

The one thing we did well was attack their quarterback. Harmon had a great day, but he spent quite a bit of time on his butt, too. Don Mok got him four times, which earned him some Player of the Week love. All in all, we recorded eight sacks, and hurried Harmon into bad throws twice.

We have a bye week coming up, so we'll get back to work and concentrate on recruiting a little more.

Recruiting Update
Two more players have lined up official visits:

WR Carlton Looman
K Dwight AshworthBoth Looman and Ashworth would help us fill fairly immediate recruiting needs. We're looking at several players at both positions, but Looman and Ashworth seem more interested in us than anyone else we're recruiting at WR or K.

Kent State's record: 2-2, 0-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2005

Bye week.

Recruiting Update
We received our first commitment this week. G Kenneth Calixto, who grew up a Kent State fan, will be making some boyhood dreams come true when he suits up for us next year.

WR Tito Sexton is visiting this week, too.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2005
#71 Kent State (2-2, 0-1) at #103 Miami of Ohio (0-3, 0-1)



Kent State 7 0 6 15 - 28
Miami of Ohio 7 3 7 7 - 24

1Q: 10:23 KENT - Everett Hanson 22 pass from Jack Turner.
1Q: 10:23 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 04:55 MIAO - Rico Bohdanowicz 14 run.
1Q: 04:55 MIAO - Brent McAdams extra point.
2Q: 00:33 MIAO - Brent McAdams 38 field goal.
3Q: 10:35 MIAO - Joel Oshiro 1 pass from Claude Tetreault.
3Q: 10:35 MIAO - Brent McAdams extra point.
3Q: 07:31 KENT - Jerry Bouman 44 field goal.
3Q: 03:15 KENT - Jerry Bouman 34 field goal.
4Q: 07:50 MIAO - Donny Terrell 1 run.
4Q: 07:50 MIAO - Brent McAdams extra point.
4Q: 06:23 KENT - Everett Hanson 56 pass from Jack Turner.
4Q: 06:23 KENT - Jack Turner pass to Darrin Wampus for conversion
4Q: 01:34 KENT - Jake Barton 1 run.
4Q: 01:34 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


We put together a nice fourth quarter comeback this week, and won a tough road game against Miami. They're a lot tougher than that 0-3 record would indicate.

Recently, we've been making Everett Hanson a bigger part of our offense, and this week it really paid off. People look at him and underestimate how tough he is. In the fourth quarter today, he took a short pass over the middle and broke it open for a long touchdown.

Jack Turner didn't throw often, but he was accurate (11 for 16) and productive. I'm glad I stuck with him.

Wayne Merrill has responded well to starting at OLB. This week he tied Adrian Castillo for the team lead with 11 tackles. In fact, all the freshmen seem to be adjusting to the demands we're placing upon them.

It's always great to win a conference game, especially on the road. Let's hope we can keep these good times rolling!

Recruiting Update
No news here. No new commitments, no new visits. Things should heat up a little bit in the coming weeks.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 1-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2005
#112 Ohio (0-4, 0-2) at #68 Kent State (3-2, 1-1)



Ohio 3 3 0 7 10 - 23
Kent State 0 0 7 6 7 - 20

1Q: 09:21 OHIO - Tito Welch 38 field goal.
2Q: 02:40 OHIO - Tito Welch 29 field goal.
3Q: 01:08 KENT - Jake Barton 61 run.
3Q: 01:08 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 09:44 KENT - Jerry Bouman 24 field goal.
4Q: 04:27 OHIO - Rondell Garrett 3 run.
4Q: 04:27 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
4Q: 01:27 KENT - Jerry Bouman 43 field goal.
OT: 14:15 OHIO - Julio Pike 21 run.
OT: 14:15 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
OT: 13:06 KENT - Ronnie Brady 1 pass from Jack Turner.
OT: 13:06 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
OT: 13:04 OHIO - Tito Welch 33 field goal.


For the second straight week, a team that came into their game against us without any wins took us into overtime, and this time they beat us.

We moved the ball well all game long, but we had trouble putting it in the end zone. In fact, we couldn't even get too deep into Ohio territory before their defense stopped us, or we stopped ourselves.

Jake Barton had a career day: 24 carries, 236 yards. Gilbert Barrere and Edgar Bennefield kept opening big holes for him up the middle, and Jake did the rest. We rushed for 343 yards; when you accomplish something like that, you figure you're going to win. Not today, however.

We really needed this one, and we couldn't finish the job.

Recruiting Update
It would have been nice to get some good news here, to take away a little of the sting of our loss. Unfortunately, there's nothing to report.

Kent State's record: 3-3, 1-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2005
#74 Kent State (3-3, 1-2) at #64 Eastern Michigan (3-2, 2-0)
TV5



Kent State 0 7 7 17 - 31
Eastern Michigan 14 3 3 3 - 23

1Q: 11:08 EMIC - Sam Deericks 13 pass from Everett McCune.
1Q: 11:08 EMIC - Oliver Shepard extra point.
1Q: 02:50 EMIC - Deron Nickell 18 pass from Everett McCune.
1Q: 02:50 EMIC - Oliver Shepard extra point.
2Q: 13:15 KENT - Ronnie Brady 3 pass from Jack Turner.
2Q: 13:15 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 08:23 EMIC - Oliver Shepard 22 field goal.
3Q: 09:46 EMIC - Oliver Shepard 33 field goal.
3Q: 04:23 KENT - Shaun Guidry 16 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 04:23 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 10:57 EMIC - Oliver Shepard 31 field goal.
4Q: 07:28 KENT - Devin Tippett 2 run.
4Q: 07:28 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 01:52 KENT - Jake Barton 2 run.
4Q: 01:52 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 00:32 KENT - Jerry Bouman 24 field goal.


One thing I can say about this year: things have seldom ever been boring!

Our guys felt like they had to win this week. It's still too early in the season to talk about "must win" games, but this one came close. We needed it, if for no other reason than to get our heads back on straight after the disappointing loss to Ohio.

Once again, Jake Barton was the star of the game for us. He's shown a lot of toughness this year; he's been bothered by a turf toe all year long, and he's playing through the discomfort. The other players are impressed by his dedication. He gained 127 yards on 23 carries, scored the game-winning touchdown, and made a key catch on fourth-and-six to keep a drive going that culminated in Devin Tippett's touchdown run.

Ronnie Brady, another senior, caught a touchdown pass today, and he led the team with four receptions. He wrestled the ball away from a defender in the end zone today, a play that got our guys fired up--we'd been down 14-0, and EMU seemed to have all the momentum going their way.

We learned today that MLB Vince Geary will be out for the rest of the year with repetitive concussion syndrome. Vince had big shoes to fill, taking over the position that Isaac Herndon played so well for us last year. Tyrone Newsome, an athletic sophomore, started in Vince's place today and made eight tackles. Tyrone also gives the ability to bring even more heat when we blitz.

The weather today was beautiful, and we gave a regional TV audience a good show. And, we demonstrated once again how much more fun it is to win a game late in the fourth quarter than it is to lose one.

Recruiting Update
I thought our recruiting season would intensify soon, and this week, it did. Fifteen more players told us they were making official visits to Kent State!

The 15 prospective Golden Flashes run the gamut. Among them are Bennie Horton, the top offensive tackle in Ohio, and Will Clinton, a tight end from Pennsylvania who's the #3 player at his position in the nation. Either one of them would be a big prize for us. We also have players on our list that we think are better than the "experts" do, guys we believe will fill a role for us and who aren't being recruited heavily by anyone else...not yet, at least.

Last year, I learned to be patient, and wait a little longer for the guys I really wanted. Hopefully that lesson will pay off this time around.

Kent State's record: 4-3, 2-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2005

Bye week.

Recruiting Update
Three more players commit to us this week, and we're pretty excited about them:

TE Rusty Flynn, Proctorville, OH
WR Albert Guenther, Concord, NC
K Dwight Ashworth, Harrisburg, PAFlynn is the #21 TE in this year's recruiting class. He comes from a program that prepares its players especially well for college football, so he could get onto the field pretty quickly. He can also play DE, which makes him that much more attractive.

Guenther's stats are crazy good; he caught 79 passes for almost 1900! yards and 14 TDs. I'm not sure he's as good as our assistants say he is, and he's raw, but we decided to roll the dice with him We don't usually take many players from down South, but Albert caught our eye early on.

Signing a kicker was a must, since Jerry Bouman is a senior, and we missed out on Patrick John Sy last year (we'll see him when we play Akron). Ashworth has a powerful leg, and we think he'll be a very good player.

All three are extremely good students, too. Flynn has a 3.95 GPA, and all three scored at least 1230 on their SAT.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2005
#61 Kent State (4-3, 2-2) at #37 Central Florida (6-1, 4-0)



Kent State 7 3 14 3 - 27
Central Florida 0 7 7 7 - 21

1Q: 08:32 KENT - Jake Barton 5 run.
1Q: 08:32 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 14:04 CFLA - Vinny Harvey 13 run.
2Q: 14:04 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
2Q: 09:01 KENT - Jerry Bouman 33 field goal.
3Q: 11:42 KENT - Randall Gillespie 3 run.
3Q: 11:42 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 06:02 CFLA - Thurman Schneider 2 run.
3Q: 06:02 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
3Q: 01:22 KENT - Clay Lowder 1 run.
3Q: 01:22 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
4Q: 11:19 CFLA - Xavier Price 4 pass from Thurman Schneider.
4Q: 11:19 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
4Q: 02:25 KENT - Jerry Bouman 30 field goal.


We worked hard during the bye week, and it paid off in the form of another huge road win. Our offensive line executed almost flawlessly and, as a result, we were able to put points on the board against a defense that had allowed 33 points in its last six games combined.

C Gilbert Barrere dominated the middle of the line--we credited him with 11 key run blocks in 22 opportunities. We rushed for 219 yards, as Jake Barton, Randall Gillespie, and Devin Tippett all had good days. Tippett bounced one outside for 49 yards to set up Clay Lowder's one-yard plunge late in the third quarter.

We did a decent job of containing Vinny Harvey, CFU's talented running back, and we kept the pressure on their quarterback all day long.

Now we're on a roll, with two big road wins in a row. We come back home next week to play a very good Marshall team.

Recruiting Update
Three more players announced their intention to play their college ball at Kent State, including two tough O-linemen:

G Conrad Piper, Attica, OH
T Roosevelt Godfrey, Columbus, OH
DE Quinn Cristal, Chicago, ILPiper isn't very big--254 pounds--but he demonstrates excellent technique, particularly in pass protection. He's the #2 OG in Ohio this year, and I'm even more impressed with him than our assistants are.

Godfrey, on the other hand, is huge, weighing in at nearly 300 pounds. Not surprisingly, he's a devastating run blocker who ought to fit in well with our system. We think he's underrated--he's a product of the outstanding program at Walnut Ridge High School.

Cristal fills a big recruiting need for us, too. He's a smallish DE who excels at rushing the passer off the edge, the same kind of player we have now in Don Mok. In a perfect world, he'd be bigger, but he's 6'4" and might put on weight in college. We'll redshirt him if we can, but we might need him right away.

Again, all three signees are solid academically, too.

Kent State's record: 5-3, 3-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2005
#44 Marshall (6-2, 4-1) at #55 Kent State (5-3, 3-2)



Marshall 7 20 7 21 - 55
Kent State 0 0 7 0 - 7

1Q: 09:12 MRSH - Kenny Andreou 9 run.
1Q: 09:12 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
2Q: 10:07 MRSH - Kenny Andreou 18 run.
2Q: 10:07 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
2Q: 07:07 MRSH - Don Shapiro 35 field goal.
2Q: 05:19 MRSH - Phil Rodgers 67 interception return.
2Q: 05:19 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
2Q: 00:19 MRSH - Don Shapiro 26 field goal.
3Q: 08:39 KENT - Everett Hanson 2 pass from Jack Turner.
3Q: 08:39 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 04:31 MRSH - Lenny Baggett 12 run.
3Q: 04:31 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
4Q: 14:54 MRSH - Drew Blake 33 pass from Donnell Southrey.
4Q: 14:54 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
4Q: 07:40 MRSH - Lenny Baggett 5 run.
4Q: 07:40 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.
4Q: 03:43 MRSH - Sammy Huffman 6 pass from Donnell Southrey.
4Q: 03:43 MRSH - Don Shapiro extra point.



We got whooped. Plain and simple, we got whooped.

Marshall ran and passed against our defense virtually at will. They forced four turnovers and capitalized on each one. We fell behind quickly, which forced us out of our preferred offensive mindset; we had to throw more than we like to, and we weren't able to do so effectively. Jack Turner went only 14-33, and threw three picks.

On the brighter side, we got a good game out of WR Darrin Wampus, whose season had been a disappointment so far. He's failed to develop as much as we'd like, and he lost his starting job to Everett Hanson. Darrin caught six passes for 97 yards.

The Tyrones were both very active on defense. MLB Tyrone Newsome is adjusting to his new role as a starter as well as we hoped he would do; he made nine tackles and intercepted a pass. DT Tyrone Lawhorn played a lot because Ian Donaldson is banged up a little bit, and Lawhorn was in on ten tackles.

We had been in sole possession of third place in the MAC North, but this loss drops us into a fourth-place tie. We really need to bounce back against winless Buffalo next week.

Recruiting Update
The eighth, ninth, and tenth members of our recruiting class signed this week:

WR Carlton Looman, Dayton, OH
DT Ethan Drake, Erie, PA
CB Bruce Horton, Neenah, WIWe weren't surprised that Looman committed to us, only that he waited this long to do so. We were the only school he visited, and he seemed pretty excited about coming to Kent State all along. He's a tough kid who isn't afraid to come across the middle, but he's very raw.

Despite being a little on the small side for a DT, Drake is particularly strong at the point of attack. Like Looman, he's going to need a redshirt year to prepare himself for the rigors of college football, because his high school preparation wasn't terribly intense. Ethan is also ranked first in his high school class academically, with a 3.99 GPA. He scored 1490 on his SAT.

Horton's stats leap off the page at you--especially his 12 interceptions--but, like the other two guys who committed this week, he has a lot of developing to do. He could make an impact as a return man, too.

Kent State's record: 5-4, 3-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2005
#58 Kent State (5-4, 3-3) at #125 Buffalo (0-9, 0-6)



Kent State 7 0 7 0 - 14
Buffalo 10 7 3 3 - 23

1Q: 06:32 BUFF - Ike Harrison 35 field goal.
1Q: 04:31 BUFF - Dexter Williams 1 pass from Dave Dozier.
1Q: 04:31 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
1Q: 00:37 KENT - Jake Barton 23 run.
1Q: 00:37 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 02:51 BUFF - Jay Ottis 34 run.
2Q: 02:51 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
3Q: 08:32 KENT - Clay Lowder 1 run.
3Q: 08:32 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 02:31 BUFF - Ike Harrison 28 field goal.
4Q: 04:43 BUFF - Ike Harrison 51 field goal.


I thought weather might make a difference in this game, but it wasn't a factor. It was 44 degrees and sunny at game time. Buffalo wasn't expected to be a very good team this year and, if anything, they weren't even as good as people thought they'd be. Until today, that is.

Buffalo did to us what we hoped we'd do to them: control the ball, gain yards on the ground, and play consistent defense. They scored first, controlled the line of scrimmage, and won their first game of the season.

Jake Barton had a good game (17 carries, 142 yards, TD), but he was the only player who really stood out for us.

To make matters worse, we lost our good freshman OLB, Wayne Merrill, to an elbow injury. He won't play in our season finale against Akron.

If we beat the Zips, we'll finish the season with a winning record. We'll also end up at .500 in conference play. Those goals are worth playing for, and it will be Senior Day. We'll want to send the seniors out in style.

Still, if you'd told me we'd beat both Central Florida and Miami on the road, I'd have felt very good about our chances for a bowl game.

Recruiting Update
Our recruiting class now numbers 12, as two more players signed with us this week:

WR Jackie Bosworth, Belvidere, IL
CB Robbie Nobles, Roy, UTI know what you're thinking. Why would a team that depends on its passing game as little as Kent State does bring in three wideouts in a single recruiting class? There are actually several reasons why. One reason why we haven't thrown much is the fact that our receivers haven't been all that good. Bosworth impresses us with his ability to get open, and he's very good at making people miss and gaining yardage after the catch. I think Jackie will be a very good player for us.

We recruited several players from out West this year. The most intriguing prospect was a QB from California named Walter Davidson who ended up visiting us, but signed with UCLA. We also liked what we saw of Nobles, offered him a scholarship, and now he's a Golden Flash. Robbie is ranked #95 among players at his position nationwide; he has good size (6'0"), and he recorded 4.5 sacks and 14 interceptions as a senior. He's also a dangerous punt returner.

Unfortunately, we lost out on several players we really hoped to land. Will Clinton wanted to get as far away from Pennsylvania as possible, so he picked Boise State. Bennie Horton, the offensive tackle we took a shot at, surprised nobody when he picked Ohio State. We lost a very good ILB prospect, Pete Kulaga, to Miami of Ohio, so we'll have to play against him now. That hurts twice as much.

With our four remaining scholarships, we hope to bring in another linebacker, a defensive end or tackle, and a fullback. Steve Doyle, the #16 fullback in his class, has narrowed his choices down to Kent State and Texas Tech, and we're currently the leader for the services of Kris Kawaguchi, the #44 fullback.

Xavier Heetderks, the #2 ILB in Ohio, will choose between us and Cleveland. We're also in the running for Darrin Dunlap, another in-state LB.

Kent State's record: 5-5, 3-4 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2005
#93 Akron (3-6, 3-4) at #68 Kent State (5-5, 3-4)



Akron 0 0 3 0 - 3
Kent State 14 21 0 7 - 42

1Q: 06:40 KENT - Jake Barton 1 run.
1Q: 06:40 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
1Q: 01:41 KENT - Everett Hanson 10 pass from Jack Turner.
1Q: 01:41 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 11:04 KENT - Randall Gillespie 1 run.
2Q: 11:04 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 07:19 KENT - Jake Barton 10 run.
2Q: 07:19 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
2Q: 05:16 KENT - Everett Hanson 8 pass from Jack Turner.
2Q: 05:16 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.
3Q: 11:29 AKRN - Toby Bullard 28 field goal.
4Q: 04:54 KENT - Randall Gillespie 10 pass from Benjamin Summers.
4Q: 04:54 KENT - Jerry Bouman extra point.


Our players were admittedly frustrated and ashamed after their losses to Marshall and Buffalo ended their chances for a breakthrough season. They took those emotions out on Akron this week and earned a victory that gave them a winning record for the season.

We controlled the ball for almost 36 minutes and ran 80 plays from scrimmage: 50 runs, 30 passes. We gave three backs lots of touches: Jake Barton (18-91), Randall Gillespie (16-64) and Devin Tippett (10-72). Jake and Devin are seniors, so we wanted to make sure our fans got a good chance to see them one last time. It would have been great to see Jake get 1000 yards, but he fell 12 short. That turf toe he dealt with all season long was the difference there.

Senior C Gilbert Barrere racked up seven key run blocks, giving him a conference-best 53 for the season. I can't imagine him not repeating as the first team All-MAC center.

Both senior quarterbacks, Jack Turner (8-10-141, 2 TD) and Benjamin Summers (10-20-175, TD) saw lots of action. Together, they threw for 316 yards.

Everett Hanson isn't a senior, but he caught 10 passes for 168 yards and two scores.

DE Don Mok and DT Win Van Brocklin both got sacks in their final games at KSU.

Today's game was a satisfying ending to a rollercoaster season. We still have a few recruiting tasks to complete, but otherwise, it's time to close the book on 2005.

Recruiting Update
Three players committed to play at Kent State next year:

DE Leon McWilliams, Perry, OH
DT Harvey Van Pelt, Youngstown, OH
ILB Darrin Dunlap, Cleveland, OHMcWilliams and Van Pelt give us some much-needed reinforcement on our D-line. Leon is the #5 DE in Ohio, and he's a big, mean pass rusher. Harvey is a run stopper who has been especially well-coached in high school. He's also an aspiring CPA with a 1580 SAT score.

Dunlap is smallish for an ILB (204 pounds) but he's surprisingly tough against the run, and he's demonstrated some ability to rush the QB, too. He pounced on his chance to play for KSU, unlike Xavier Heetderks, who's still making up his mind. Another ILB, Thurman Talley, has also entered the picture.

Now we have one scholarship left. FB Kris Kawaguchi opened up his recruiting a little more, and is now making all five of his official visits. He added big-name schools Louisville, West Virginia, and Oklahoma to his list. FB Steve Doyle is still weighing offers from Kent State and Texas Tech.

I suppose the best-case scenario would be for either Kawaguchi or Doyle to sign with us and claim that last schollie. Still, I'd be happy to bring either Heetderks or Talley on board. They're both very good football players, and if I don't bring in a fullback, I can possibly move Spencer Alston there permanently. Or, perhaps a good walk-on can help us out there.

Kent State's record: 6-5, 4-4 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 14, 2005

We completed our regular season last week. Here are the final regular season MAC standings:


STANDINGS Overall Mid-American Conference
MAC NORTH W L T PCT PF PA W L T PCT PF PA RNK
Central Florida 9 2 0 .818 325 140 7 1 0 .875 246 99 31
Marshall 7 4 0 .636 362 247 5 3 0 .625 260 168 51
Kent State 6 5 0 .545 288 304 4 4 0 .500 183 207 63
Miami of Ohio 5 6 0 .454 244 242 4 4 0 .500 196 174 70
Ohio 4 7 0 .363 182 369 4 4 0 .500 162 206 83
Akron 4 7 0 .363 167 300 3 5 0 .375 120 219 85
Buffalo 1 10 0 .090 126 408 1 7 0 .125 102 238 120
MAC SOUTH
Western Michigan 6 5 0 .545 270 278 6 2 0 .750 260 153 62
Ball State 8 3 0 .727 266 280 6 2 0 .750 208 170 43
Northern Illinois 5 6 0 .454 304 349 5 3 0 .625 250 225 67
Bowling Green 7 4 0 .636 345 198 5 3 0 .625 242 136 41
Toledo 5 6 0 .454 298 339 3 5 0 .375 231 243 71
Eastern Michigan 4 7 0 .363 229 354 3 5 0 .375 203 235 93
Central Michigan 1 10 0 .090 195 388 0 8 0 .000 123 313 118



Central Florida and Western Michigan will play for the Mid-American Conference championship. UCF will almost certainly receive a bowl bid, even if they lose to WMU. I also think Ball State will play in a bowl, and possibly Bowling Green as well.

Recruiting Update
The early bird gets the worm, and the early decision-maker gets the scholarship.

While Xavier Heetderks, Steve Doyle, and Kris Kawaguchi hemmed and hawed, ILB Thurman Talley stepped in and claimed our final scholarship. Thurman is a big, tough run plugger from Hamtramck, Michigan, and he was ranked #9 among ILBs in his state.

[Big Six]

Postseason Update, Part 1

Central Florida trounced Western Michigan in the MAC title game, 41-6.
UCF then traveled out to Fresno for the Raisin Bowl, where they faced Colorado. The Buffaloes won a thriller, 20-19.
Central Florida was the only MAC team to earn a bowl bid.
Florida State defeated Texas, 19-13, to win the national championship.
UCLA's dynamic wide receiver, Conrad Knauls, won the 2005 Heisman Trophy. Knauls, a junior, defeated last year's winner, Texas Tech QB Sammie Knight, to win the coveted award. Knauls caught 88 passes for 1412 yards and 18 TD for the #3 ranked Bruins, who finished the season 11-1. Conrad's ratings? A dazzling 88/96.Here are Kent State's 2005 statistics. Graduating senors are highlighted in blue.



PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT
Turner 230 123 53.4 1584 12 12
Summers 24 10 41.6 175 1 1
TEAM 254 133 52.3 1759 13 13

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Barton 158 988 6.3 8
Gillespie 117 570 4.9 4
Tippett 41 368 9.0 4
Lowder 22 48 2.2 4
Turner 47 -123 -2.6 1
TEAM 406 1961 4.8 21

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Wampus 34 432 12.7 2
Hanson 29 506 17.4 6
Brady 17 266 15.6 2
Barton 11 64 5.8 0
Alston 10 101 10.1 0
Guidry 9 121 13.4 2
Osborne 9 83 13.4 0
Gillespie 8 108 13.5 1
TEAM 133 1759 13.2 13

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Bouman 10 20 44 34 34 64

BLOCKING KRB KRO BL% SkA 0FF%
Barrere 53 119 44.5 3 34.3
Bennefield 27 81 33.3 4 23.3
Jarvis 18 57 31.5 7 19.8
Harrison 15 48 31.2 4 13.6
Wheeler 5 16 31.2 4 4.6
Williams 5 13 38.4 1 15.2

DEFENSE TCK AST SACK TFL INT DEF
Castillo 84 36 0.0 9 1 8
Bowen 66 29 1.0 11 0 3
Dawkins 42 5 0.0 1 1 1
Merrill 42 11 1.0 5 1 6
Newsome 38 9 3.0 5 1 2
Mok 31 13 11.5 13 0 0
Geary 31 15 2.0 5 1 1
Contois 31 4 0.0 0 1 4
Babin 30 9 0.0 4 0 2
Clark 27 10 0.0 4 3 0
Van Brocklin 25 6 3.5 7 0 0
Lawhorn 25 10 2.0 5 0 0
Mitchell 23 9 3.0 6 0 0
Donaldson 21 4 2.5 5 0 0
Bernier 21 4 0.0 2 3 2
Yaffin 15 4 7.5 9 0 0
Heller 13 5 1.5 2 0 0
Rhodes 12 5 0.0 1 0 0
TEAM 657 202 40.0 98 13 31

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In40
Sawyer 47 1678 35.7 52 11

[Big Six]

Postseason 2005, Part 2

Some further observations about the 2005 season at Kent State:


Sophomore QB Donnell Southrey of Marshall was the Mid-American Conference MVP and its Offensive Player of the Year. Southrey threw for 2724 yards and 19 touchdowns. I'm a little surprised by this choice, as it appeared to me that a couple of players had better statistics and, while Marshall was a good team, they weren't a great one.
Western Michigan DE Rob Wheeler was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Wheeler, a sophomore, was a fine choice. Already a two-time first team All-MAC performer, Wheeler recorded 19 sacks this season.
G Clay Walton and T Jeff Logan, both of Central Florida, were the only MAC players to earn All-American recognition, and both made the first team.
S Adrian Castillo became the first Kent State player to achieve national honors, when he earned a spot on the national Freshman Team. Strangely enough, Adrian didn't earn a spot on either the All-MAC First or Second Teams.
Center Gilbert Barrere made the All-MAC First Team for the second straight season. Barrere, a senior, was the only Kent State player to make the first or second All-MAC squads.
Two KSU seniors--RB Jake Barton (3.87, Metallurgy) and T Tyrus Jarvis (2.89, Electrical Engineering)-- made the MAC Academic Team. Barton earned a 4.0 this year.
Kent State's team GPA was 2.83, which is 0.06 lower than last year.
The program's academic reputation ranking went up one, to 118th. Still not where we want it to be, but it's an improvement.
The team's highest GPA was a perfect 4.00, achieved by redshirt freshman LB Darnell Warren. Another redshirt frosh, RB Blaine Kooistra, pulled a 3.88, and sophomores G Percy Wheeler and S William Shipman earned a 3.83.
Twelve Kent State players currently carry GPAs of 3.50 or better. Five of them are players Coach O'Farrell recruited last year.
Unfortunately, seven Golden Flashes struggle with sub-2.00 GPAs. Three of them--RB Randall Gillespie, G Tommie Wallack, and QB Josh Roaf--are Coach O'Farrell's recruits. The worst of all, walkon freshman CB Phil Witt, produced an abysmal 1.06, with no grade higher than a D+. Again, I'd cut Phil from the team if he wasn't such a popular player.
There's no excuse for Roaf's poor academic performance, because he's above average in both Intelligence and Aspiration. Wallack, too, should do better. On the other hand, Gillespie is a student athlete" in only the most general sense .
Until KSU improves its academic reputation, I think I'll be stuck with some dumb and/or unmotivated walkons.

[Big Six]

Recruiting 2005

According to TCY Today, this year's Kent State recruits are not nearly as impressive as last year's were.

The 2005 KSU recruits rank 112th in the country, and last in the 14-team Mid-American Conference. I would like to think the future Golden Flashes will prove they're better than this, where it counts--on the field.

Four of Kent State's recruits ranked among the nation's top 1000 players: TE Rusty Flynn (#485), WR Albert Guenther (#578), G Conrad Piper (#631), and
CB Bruce Horton (#982). No member of the Class of 2006 is as highly recruited as Adrian Castillo,

Here are the 16 recruits who will make their way to the Kent State campus next fall.


PLAYER POS HT WT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Rusty Flynn TE 6-2 222 Proctorville, OH/Fairland
Jackie Bosworth WR 5-9 170 Belvidere, IL/Belvidere
Carlton Looman WR 6-0 163 Dayton, OH/Northridge
Albert Guenther WR 6-0 169 Concord, NC/Concord
Kenneth Calixto G 6-5 282 North Royalton, OH/North Royalton
Conrad Piper G 6-2 254 Attica, OH/Seneca East
Roosevelt Godfrey T 6-6 294 Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge
Dwight Ashworth K 5-7 149 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East
Quinn Cristal DE 6-4 231 Chicago, IL/Von Steuben Metro Science
Leon McWilliams DE 6-5 246 Perry, OH/Perry
Ethan Drake DT 6-1 244 Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
Harvey Van Pelt DT 6-3 252 Youngstown, OH/Chaney
Darrin Dunlap ILB 5-10 204 Cleveland, OH/East Technical
Thurman Talley ILB 6-3 223 Hamtramck, MI/Hamtramck
Bruce Horton CB 5-10 152 Neenah, IL/Neenah
Robbie Nobles CB 6-0 169 Roy, UT/Roy

PLAYER POS ST SP SCT GPA SAT MAJOR
Rusty Flynn 21 22 2 63+ 3.35 1230 Physics
Jackie Bosworth -- 60 3 52+ 2.87 1110 Social Work
Carlton Looman -- 82 6 45+ 2.60 1190 Marketing
Albert Guenther 37 17 3 89-- 3.35 1340 Social Work
Kenneth Calixto -- 78 8 37+ 3.18 1120 Psychology
Conrad Piper 54 26 2 68+ 3.69 1250 Jurisprudence
Roosevelt Godfrey -- 77 6 35+ 3.33 1180 Speech
Dwight Ashworth 74 87 3 50+ 3.38 1230 Music
Quinn Cristal -- 55 9 42+ 3.41 1310 French
Leon McWilliams -- 96 9 43+ 2.64 1010 Algebra
Ethan Drake 92 68 3 43+ 3.99 1490 Architecture
Harvey Van Pelt -- -- 10 30+ 3.75 1580 Accounting
Darrin Dunlap -- 80 7 39- 3.15 1280 Art
Thurman Talley -- 57 7 48- 3.28 1030 Jurisprudence
Bruce Horton 80 15 2 63- 3.59 1450 Chemistry
Robbie Nobles 95 12 1 52+ 3.25 1180 Physics


POS = player's rank among the top 100 players at his position nationwide
ST = player's rank among the top 100 recruits in his state
SP = player's rank among the top 10 players at his position in his state

I think every player on the list has a chance to make an impact on the Kent State program before he graduates. The class, as a whole, is stronger academically than last year's was, too.

[Big Six]

Here's how Professor Laertes graded our program this year:



Team Performance 70/100
Academic Performance 37/100
Recruiting Performance 76/100
Television Revenue 70/100
Alumni Donations 77/100
Attendance/Stadium 35/100
Final Grade 59/100


Our overall grade is up six points from last year. We improved in most areas, but our recruiting score went down, and our academic grade was the same as it was in 2004.

On to 2006 we go...

[Big Six]

Preseason 2006

Here is our 2006 schedule, along with each of our opponents' preseason computer ranking:



Week 1 TROY 84
Week 3 DAYTON 81
Week 5 at Northern Illinois 62
Week 6 BUFFALO 121
Week 7 at Ohio 77
Week 8 WESTERN MICHIGAN 86
Week 9 at Marshall 60
Week 10 at Mansfield 111
Week 11 MIAMI OF OHIO 61
Week 12 at Akron 83
Week 13 CENTRAL FLORIDA 54


Home games are listed in ALL CAPS.
Mid-American Conference games are highlighted in blue.

Our preseason ranking is the best it's been in my three years at KSU: 68.

We open the season with two non-conference home games, both of which we have a very good chance of winning. After each of these games, we have a bye week. We then go on the road to play a good Northern Illinois team, before we return home to play Buffalo. I don't think I need to tell you how eager we'll be to avenge last year's upset loss to the Bulls.

The game at Ohio will be another tough test on the road: the kind of game a conference champion ought to win. We host last year's MAC South champion, Western Michigan, and they'll put up a hard fight. Then it's off to Marshall. Hopefully we can pay them back for the beating they laid on us at home in 2005.

We travel to Mansfield during Week 10 for a non-conference game before we finish our MAC schedule with a trip to Akron and a home game with Central Florida.

Since there's no team like West Virginia or Iowa on this year's schedule, there's no game I look at and think "we're going to lose this one." Since most of the teams we play seem to be very comparable to us, our record is almost impossible for me to predict. We might go 10-1; we might go 1-10.

My somewhat optimistic prediction: 7-4.

[Big Six]

With new starters at some of the skill positions and a big, strong O-line that features a blend of youth and experience, the Kent State offense could be very good, very weak, or somewhere in between.

Here are the key offensive players for the 2006 Golden Flashes:


POS NO PLAYER HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 10 Josh Roaf 6-2 199 Fr 23/61 Green, OH/Green
RB 25 Blaine Kooistra 6-0 203 Fr 42/64 Indianapolis, IN/Arsenal Technical
FB 33 Spencer Alston 6-5 241 Sr 23/34 Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area
TE 81 Shaun Guidry 6-5 257 So 32/36 Warren, OH/Howland
FL 87 Albert Guenther 6-0 184 Fr 25/62 Concord, NC/Concord
SE 1 Darrin Wampus 6-1 193 Sr 21/39 Westerville, OH/South
LT 70 Phillip Harrison 6-4 301 Jr 35/51 Akron, OH/Manchester
LG 66 Seth Gourdine 6-3 290 Fr 34/60 Crown City, OH/South Gallia
C 57 Colin Cunningham 6-5 290 Fr 25/59 Goshen, OH/Goshen
RG 73 Edgar Bennefield 6-5 297 Jr 30/59 Martinsville, IN/Martinsville
RT 60 Tyrus Boggs 6-5 289 Fr 28/66 Youngstown, OH/East
K 12 Leonard Shultz 5-11 178 Jr 12/50 Toledo, OH/Libbey

QB 15 Deon Scribner 5-11 204 Fr 12/60 West Lafayette, IN/Wm. Henry Harrison
RB 23 Randall Gillespie 6-0 193 So 24/44 Gahanna, OH/Lincoln
RB 38 Devin Tippett 5-11 209 Sr 18/18 Skokie, IL/Niles West
TE 84 Butch Farler 6-4 239 Jr 14/39 Downey, CA/Downey
WR 86 Everett Hanson 5-9 171 So 27/27 Elnora, IN/North Daviess
WR 89 Ethan Osborne 6-1 186 Jr 23/24 Russell, PA/Eisenhower
OL 69 Percy Wheeler 6-3 276 Jr 20/47 Belleville, IL/East
OL 64 Cornell Corbett 6-5 287 Sr 13/31 Fond du Lac, WI/Theisen


Roaf has great potential, but will he be ready to step right in as a redshirt freshman? Scribner is not quite as advanced, but has lots of talent.

Kooistra beat out Gillespie for the starting job at RB, but both will get lots of carries. So will Tippett, who was very productive when called upon last year.

True freshman Guenther joins an improving receiving corps that includes last year's leading pass catcher, Wampus. Guidry should be a formidable weapon, too.

Three freshman linemen join juniors Harrison and Bennefield. Wheeler developed slowly, and has lost his job to Gourdine, who looks like he could be really good. Cunningham must replace two-time All-MAC center Gilbert Barrere.

Schulz won the placekicking job over highly recruited Dwight Ashworth, who will redshirt.

We might throw a little more than we have in the past, in order to take advantage of Roaf's talent.

[Big Six]

This year's Kent State defense features a number of promising youngsters with the potential to become impact players. One or two of them are probably ready to make that kind of statement already. Like their offensive counterparts, the KSU defense could have a terrific year if the young players are ready to step up. If they aren't there yet, it could be a long, hard season.

Here are the starters and key reserves for the 2006 KSU defense:


POS NO PLAYER HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 75 Corwin Heller 6-0 246 So 14/43 Navarre, OH/Fairless
LT 97 Brandon Caskey 6-3 308 Fr 17/53 Toledo, OH/Waite
RT 91 Ethan Drake 6-1 247 Fr 12/43 Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
RE 79 Hunter Mitchell 6-3 251 Jr 20/47 North Lewisburg, OH/Triad
LLB 55 Wayne Merrill 6-1 207 So 21/65 North Lima, OH/South Range
MLB 58 Tyrone Newsome 6-3 222 Jr 17/28 Woodstock, IL/Woodstock
RLB 54 Ross Bowen 6-0 221 So 24/86 Allison Park, PA/Hampton
CB1 22 Eugene Babin 5-8 176 Sr 30/41 Philadelphia, PA/Northeast
CB2 36 Mitch Clark 6-0 204 So 25/55 Frankfort, OH/Adena
SS 47 Frankie Contois 6-3 199 Sr 26/26 Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington
FS 9 Adrian Castillo 6-1 209 So 56/68 Cleveland, OH/Valley Forge
P 17 Pat Sawyer 6-5 222 So 66/66 Saint Clairsville, OH/Saint Clairsville

DE 77 Quinn Cristal 6-4 244 Fr 12/51 Chicago, IL/Von Steuben Metro Science
DE 92 Leon McWilliams 6-5 255 Fr 14/27 Perry, OH/Perry
DT 51 Deron Jamison 6-3 267 Jr 9/28 Rockford, IL/Auburn
LB 99 Tim Gomez 5-11 207 Jr 17/35 Chicago, IL/Kelly
LB 34 Darnell Warren 6-1 242 Fr 17/19 Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy
LB 49 Vince Geary 6-4 226 Jr 22/26 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush
CB 31 Robbie Nobles 6-0 181 Fr 12/36 Roy, UT/Roy
S 26 Jared Rhodes 6-1 186 Jr 16/32 Findlay, OH/Findlay
S 35 William Shipman 6-2 200 Jr 17/25 Wilmington, IL/Wilmington


Three new starters must step in on the defensive line. Heller played a lot as a freshman, and played fairly well. Caskey is intriguing; he's a huge presence who could be an elite run stopper and a fearsome pass rusher. Mitchell has shown the ability to pressure the QB, too. True freshman Drake will have to grow up quickly, because there's very little D-line depth. Cristal might one day be a star.

Merrill and Bowen both held their own as true freshmen last year, and both have improved significantly since this time last year. If they take similar strides this year, they'll be in the running for post-season honors. Geary would start at MLB, but he's still recovering from his concussion-related issues. Newsome will fill the breach until he's better.

Castillo looks like he's every bit as good as advertised: a heat-seeking missile who disrupts opposing offenses on a regular basis. Contois is a three-year starter, and corners Clark and Babin are fairly solid. Rhodes and Shipman don't hurt the team when they play, and true frosh Nobles has talent.

Sawyer is a weapon that can help the Golden Flashes win field position battles all day long.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2006
#84 Troy at #68 Kent State



Troy 0 0 7 0 - 7
Kent State 10 0 0 21 - 31

1Q: 11:02 KENT - Leonard Shultz 32 field goal.
1Q: 04:09 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 24 run.
1Q: 04:09 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 05:29 TROY - Jerome Lyrenmann 10 pass from Jerald Drummond.
3Q: 05:29 TROY - Ian Chalenski extra point.
4Q: 10:48 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 9 run.
4Q: 10:48 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 07:11 KENT - Adrian Castillo 97 punt return.
4Q: 07:11 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 02:19 KENT - Randall Gillespie 3 run.
4Q: 02:19 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.


It was a good win, but a costly one.

Early in the second quarter, one of our starting OLBs, Wayne Merrill, broke his foot. In the fourth quarter, the OTHER starting OLB, Ross Bowen, tore ligaments in his knee. Both of them are sophomores, and we probably lost both of them for the season.

Ross is almost certainly done for the year; the early prognosis indicates it'll be six months before he's back to full strength. Wayne's injury isn't quite as serious, but they're saying 13 weeks for him. Now all three of our projected starting linebackers are out, since Vince Geary is still recovering from repetitive concussion syndrome.

Tim Gomez and Percy McCareins are the new starters at OLB. They're both juniors, and they've both appeared in every game the last two years, but mostly on special teams. Tim and Percy are tough, and they've got some talent, but neither of them have the potential Wayne and Ross have. In the short run, we'll be OK; in the long run, we'll have to see what the injuries do to the potential of two very talented players.

On a brighter note, we got a great effort from Blaine Kooistra (26 carries, 156 yards, 2 TD) in his first collegiate game. We used Randall Gillespie at fullback some, and he did a good job, too (12 carries, 56 yards). QB Josh Roaf hung in there (9-22 passing) but, most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over and ran the offense well enough for us to put up 31 points.

Adrian Castillo brought the crowd to its feet with a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also led the team with 11 tackles and intercepted a pass. He can flat-out play football.

Time will tell what effects the injuries to Bowen and Merrill will have on our team. I wish them all the best as they recover.

Recruiting Update
It's encouraging to see some talented players showing a little more interest in our program than has previously been the case. Several guys on the rivals.com Top 100 show up on our recruiting report as "blue," and a couple are "green." We're recruiting all of these players, and if anything comes of our efforts, I'll let you know.

Kent State's record: 1-0.

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2006

Bye week. We continued our recruiting efforts, but no players have arranged to visit us yet.

We're getting some positive vibes from the #7 player in the nation: DE Wes Gray, from Phelps, KY. We've offered him a scholarship, and so has Louisville. Landing Wes would be a huge, huge step forward for our program.

Needless to say, we're not expending all our recruiting efforts on players like Wes Gray. We're continuing to recruit heavily in the state of Ohio, looking for talented, possibly overlooked, players whom we have a good chance of bringing to campus.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2006
#97 Dayton (0-1) at #44 Kent State (0-1)
TV5


Dayton 7 0 7 7 - 21
Kent State 14 7 14 14 - 49

1Q: 10:13 KENT - Darrin Wampus 13 pass from Josh Roaf.
1Q: 10:13 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 09:17 DAYT - Riddick Bush 86 run.
1Q: 09:17 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.
1Q: 03:51 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 run.
1Q: 03:51 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 03:12 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 29 run.
2Q: 03:12 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 12:22 KENT - Randall Gillespie 4 run.
3Q: 12:22 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 06:09 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 run.
3Q: 06:09 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 00:00 DAYT - Roger Phan 21 pass from Riddick Bush.
3Q: 00:00 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.
4Q: 13:11 KENT - Randall Gillespie 5 run.
4Q: 13:11 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 07:25 KENT - Deron Jamison 50 fumble return.
4Q: 07:25 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 05:11 DAYT - Max Quayle 49 run.
4Q: 05:11 DAYT - Roosevelt McKenzie extra point.


We played as well offensively as we have in my two-plus years at Kent State. We executed almost flawlessly in both our running and passing games, and the result was 49 points, 517 total yards, 33 first downs, and almost 39 minutes in possession of the ball.

Blaine Kooistra had an even better game than he did against Troy, with 31 carries, 211 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Randall Gillespie got 20 carries and managed only 52 yards, but he scored twice and caught four passes.

Josh Roaf took a huge step forward today. He went 20-22 for 250 yards and a touchdown, and threw one interception. He sure didn't look like a freshman out there.

Neither did Wes Gourdine, who contributed six key run blocks. The rest of the line added 13 more, which is impressive.

We all got a kick out of watching big Deron Jamison pick up a fumble and "run" 50 yards with it for a TD. He shook off a tackler and kept his legs moving, and before he knew it he was in the clear.

We have another week off before we play our conference opener at Northern Illinois.

Recruiting Update
We're continuing to make contact with recruits and invite them to campus, but nobody has lined up a visit yet. I'll keep you posted.

Kent State's record: 2-0.

[Izulde]

Kooistra is looking like an absolute stud. Looks like you made the right play in redshirting him his first year. Was he Indiana All-State his senior year in high school?

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2006

We had a bye week, but that didn't mean it was an uneventful week. Two of our starters broke team rules, and I suspended them.

Quarterback Josh Roaf and cornerback Mitch Clark will have the rest of the season to think about whether or not they're willing to do what it takes to be an active part of our football program. The NCAA will not become involved, but their offenses were serious enough that I took action.

I hated to do it, because both Josh and Mitch have been playing well, but there are some things more important than winning. I think the rest of the team has responded well to my decision; they knew the guilty players deliberately chose to do the wrong thing and understand why that can't be tolerated.

Deon Scribner will be our new starting quarterback. I'm confident that Deon can step up and lead the team. True freshman Robbie Nobles will start in Mitch's place at corner, and I have a lot of faith in his ability, too.

These are the hardest moments for me as a coach. Josh and Mitch are good guys, and I hope they'll learn from this experience.

Recruiting Update
Still quiet. It's about time for the nation's top players to make their decisions, and this year, we've got a greater interest in some of those decisions.

[Big Six]

Kooistra is looking like an absolute stud. Looks like you made the right play in redshirting him his first year. Was he Indiana All-State his senior year in high school?

Kooistra did make All-State as a high school senior. I was surprised he wasn't more heavily recruited by the Big Ten and by Notre Dame, because he's also an aspiring attorney with a 3.88 GPA.

Several times last year, I came close to pulling Blaine's redshirt when I saw that Jake Barton's turf toe wasn't going to get better. I had already used Randall Gillespie, another true freshman, so I really wanted to let Kooistra redshirt. It worked out well, because Gillespie was just fine, and I got some good production from Devin Tippett.

Thanks for the comment, Izulde. It's good to see that people are following along.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2006
#29 Kent State (2-0) at #86 Northern Illinois (1-2)
TV4


Kent State 0 7 3 8 - 18
Northern Illinois 6 8 7 7 - 28

1Q: 06:34 NILL - Roger Karamazov 20 field goal.
1Q: 01:32 NILL - Roger Karamazov 36 field goal.
2Q: 14:23 NILL - Sammy Springer 6 pass from Bob Gamboa.
2Q: 14:23 NILL - Blaine Harmon run for conversion.
2Q: 01:22 KENT - Albert Guenther 33 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 01:22 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 06:50 KENT - Leonard Shultz 35 field goal.
3Q: 03:05 NILL - Sammy Springer 1 pass from Bob Gamboa.
3Q: 03:05 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.
4Q: 12:44 KENT - Albert Guenther 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 12:44 KENT - Deon Scribner run for conversion.
4Q: 04:41 NILL - Wade Cook 1 pass from Bob Gamboa.
4Q: 04:41 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.


I honestly wasn't surprised that, after the week we had, we didn't go out to Northern Illinois and beat them. They're a very good football team, and I knew we'd have to be at our best to win. For several reasons, we were not at our best.

Our offense is going to have to get used to having Deon Scribner at the controls. Deon is an extremely athletic, versatile quarterback who can do a lot of things well. He'll run the ball more than Josh Roaf did; Josh is more of a traditional drop-back passer. Deon completed 12 of 28 passes today and threw two picks, but he also hit Albert Guenther for two TDs. Guenther has had two good receiving games in a row.

Blaine Kooistra picked up another 86 yards on 18 carries, and he's now third in the entire NCAA in rushing. He's developing into a threat in our passing game, too; he caught four passes today.

And, as usual, it seemed that Adrian Castillo was all over the field: 12 tackles and another interception. I hope he draws some All-American attention this year, because I think he's that good a player.

We're through with our on-again, off-again cycle, which might actually help us by putting us into a more predictable, "normal" routine. We need to snap back quickly from this loss, because the conference season has begun.

Incidentally, their placekicker, Roger Karamazov, is pretty good. I wonder if he has a brother... ;)

Recruiting Update
We learned today that eight of the nationally-ranked players we had recruited signed with other, more prestigious schools. Among them was Wes Gray, who ended up deciding to stay in-state and signed with Louisville. That goes to show that attracting the attention of top players and actually signing them are two very different things.

We're still awaiting our first official visit. I'll keep working the phones, making visits, and looking for players who fit our system and our overall goals for the program.

Kent State's record: 2-1, 0-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2007
#70 Buffalo (1-1, 0-0) at #53 Kent State (2-1, 0-1)



Buffalo 7 14 0 14 - 35
Kent State 7 14 14 3 - 38

1Q: 12:02 KENT - Eugene Babin 88 interception return.
1Q: 12:02 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 08:21 BUFF - Ernest Diaz 12 run.
1Q: 08:21 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
2Q: 14:52 KENT - Shaun Guidry 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 14:52 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 12:27 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 12:27 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 06:35 BUFF - Louie Joseph 2 pass from Shawn Harzstark.
2Q: 06:35 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
2Q: 01:30 BUFF - Ernest Diaz 5 run.
2Q: 01:30 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
3Q: 11:36 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 14 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 11:36 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 07:16 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 71 run.
3Q: 07:16 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 11:06 BUFF - Monty Palepoi 16 pass from Shawn Harzstark.
4Q: 11:06 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
4Q: 03:38 KENT - Leonard Shultz 43 field goal.
4Q: 03:00 BUFF - Louie Joseph 32 pass from Shawn Harzstark.
4Q: 03:00 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.


We bounced back with an exciting, close win against Buffalo, largely because we have Blaine Kooistra on our team.

Blaine caught two TD passes from Deon Scribner and raced 71 yards for another score. The Bulls had to account for him on every play and, even knowing we'd rely on him heavily, he rushed for 199 more yards on 24 carries. Blaine now averages 16 yards per game, which ranks second in all of Division I. The leader, Dennis Duran of UCLA, averages 163.3.

We did a lot of things right that didn't involve Kooistra, however. Scribner looked a lot more comfortable this week, completing 16 of 29 passes. He threw three interceptions, which means he still has to work on making good decisions. We'll be patient with him, because we think he has the chance to be a very good quarterback.

We got four picks ourselves, including three by Eugene Babin. He brought the crowd to its feet by taking the first one 88 yards to the house. Adrian Castillo got the other one, and added 10 more tackles.

It was great to win a close one in front of a big, enthusiastic crowd. Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend.

Recruiting Update
We learned that we have a player visiting us this week: TE Tommy Nikolaiszyn from nearby Brooklyn, OH. Tommy is the #78 player at his position in the country, #59 on the Ohio Top 100 list, and the #3 TE in the state. He's big and strong--6'4", 222 pounds--and has the ability to catch the ball in traffic.

Many of the players we've been looking at are visiting other schools this week, which isn't a good sign. Hopefully we can get back in the running for some of these guys. Otherwise, we'll look at some other options.

[kobe360x]

dang didn't expect roaf to get in trouble you were doing so well to

[Big Six]

dang didn't expect roaf to get in trouble you were doing so well to

I didn't expect it either. I remember him having a "Very Good" attitude when I recruited him. He was a slacker in the classroom his first year, but I didn't see the team rules violation coming.

He'll probably get pissed and transfer out of the program next year because I suspended him, but I've learned that the alternative--not suspending him and having a bunch of his teammates get pissed because I was too gutless to enforce my rules--is usually worse.

Thanks for the comment, kobe360x. Keep following!

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2006
#52 Kent State (3-1, 1-1) at #92 Ohio (1-3, 1-0)


Kent State 14 3 10 7 - 34
Ohio 14 14 7 14 - 49

1Q: 11:48 OHIO - Robert Wisne 19 run.
1Q: 11:48 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
1Q: 11:41 KENT - Adrian Castillo 108 kickoff return.
1Q: 11:41 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 08:27 OHIO - Sherman Dodge 5 run.
1Q: 08:27 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
1Q: 05:02 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 20 run.
1Q: 05:02 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 12:01 OHIO - Robert Wisne 17 run.
2Q: 12:01 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
2Q: 07:22 OHIO - Robert Wisne 11 run.
2Q: 07:22 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
2Q: 00:20 KENT - Leonard Shultz 19 field goal.
3Q: 10:28 KENT - Leonard Shultz 31 field goal.
3Q: 05:47 OHIO - Sherman Dodge 28 pass from Robert Wisne.
3Q: 05:47 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
3Q: 00:55 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 5 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 00:55 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 11:30 OHIO - Sherman Dodge 10 run.
4Q: 11:30 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
4Q: 04:21 OHIO - Bubba Sinclair 7 run.
4Q: 04:21 OHIO - Tito Welch extra point.
4Q: 02:52 KENT - Ethan Osborne 8 pass from Roderick Lake.
4Q: 02:52 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.


On a rainy, messy day down in Athens, nobody could stop anybody else, and the result was a shootout; we came out on the losing end.

Ohio scored an early TD, and their kicker put the kickoff deep in our end zone. I screamed at Adrian Castillo not to bring it out, but he did anyway...and ran it back 108 yards for a touchdown. He broke the Mid-American Conference record for the longest kickoff return, and demonstrated once again why I think he's the best football player in the league.

Oh, Adrian made 19 tackles, too. I should probably mention that. :)

We lost two wideouts to injuries this week: starter Darrin Wampus and reserve Everett Hanson. We pulled the redshirt off Jackie Bosworth, started him, and watched him catch four passes for 118 yards and a score. QB Deon Scribner went 15-27 for 245 yards, and his backup, Roderick Lake, completed two of three and threw a TD pass. We only threw one interception, which was much better.

Blaine Kooistra was held to "only" 119 yards. We'll take that any day.

There's not much good to say about the defense this week. There usually isn't when you allow 49 points.

Recruiting Update
No commitments yet, but a whole busload of players are visiting this week:

QB Desmond Gonzalez
QB Junior Sheehan
RB Ralph Monroe
WR Skip Butler
WR Les Posavec
C J.J. Perry
G Dan Nussbaum
T Brandon Blackburn
DT Harris Seamster
OLB Cole Wistrom
OLB Neal Hawkins
CB Will Pierce
S Neil Farr


All but three of these players are ranked among the top 400 players in the nation, so we're still aiming high. They won't all sign with us, but perhaps some of them will. And, as guys drop off our list, new guys are added.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 1-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2006
#109 Western Michigan (1-4, 1-2) at #56 Kent State (3-2, 1-2)


Western Michigan 0 0 0 13 7 - 20
Kent State 7 3 3 0 13 - 26

1Q: 10:45 KENT - Randall Gillespie 1 run.
1Q: 10:45 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 00:00 KENT - Leonard Shultz 35 field goal.
3Q: 08:07 KENT - Leonard Shultz 22 field goal.
4Q: 12:20 WMIC - Vince Sell 9 pass from Kim Cobb.
4Q: 12:20 WMIC - Oliver Weaver extra point.
4Q: 07:49 WMIC - Oliver Weaver 33 field goal.
4Q: 00:37 WMIC - Oliver Weaver 49 field goal.
OT: 13:32 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 13 run.
OT: 13:32 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
OT: 13:29 WMIC - Vince Sell 10 pass from Kim Cobb.
OT: 13:29 WMIC - Oliver Weaver extra point.
OT: 13:38 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 7 run.


Boy, did we give the fans their money's worth today!

This was a very well-played football game for four quarters, and then some. Neither team made many mistakes, and both teams made some great plays, both on offense and defense.

Oliver Weaver, a WMU senior who has been of the best kickers in our conference for three years, hit a long field goal in the clutch to send the game into overtime. Our defense did its job on their last possession--we stopped them and forced them to try a 49-yarder--but Weaver drilled it and kept their hopes alive.

We kept things simple during overtime, giving the ball to Blaine Kooistra and daring the Broncos to stop him. He scored on our first possession, and WMU came back and scored to send the game to a second overtime period.

This time, Hunter Mitchell and Deron Jamison sacked their QB and forced Weaver to try another long field goal. He missed this one wide right, and we got the ball with a chance to win the game. Kooistra did the rest.

Kooistra rushed for 210 more yards on 31 carries, and scored both our touchdowns in overtime. I know he's a freshman, and I know he plays in a non-BCS conference, but I think he deserves to be mentioned among the top running backs in the nation.

Our strong defensive effort was, once again. led by Adrian Castillo. He accumulated 11 tackles, two for losses, from his free safety position, and twice intercepted passes deep in our territory to keep WMU off the scoreboard. Like Kooistra, he deserves a lot more attention than he's getting. I hope people remember him when they select their All-American teams.

We really needed this win to keep our hopes of post-season football alive. Marshall and Central Florida are leading the MAC North race, and we've got a date with the Thundering Herd coming up next.

Recruiting Update
This wasn't a great week for us recruiting-wise. We didn't sign anyone, and several of our targets chose other schools. Les Posavec, our #1 choice at WR, signed with Iowa. Guard Dan Nussbaum accepted an offer from Texas Tech. Both Les and Dan signed with big-time programs in their home states, so I suppose we couldn't compete.

Losing out on center J.J. Perry hurt a lot more. We thought we had a good shot at J.J.; he's an Ohio boy who said he wanted to stay close to home, and we were the only Ohio school recruiting him heavily. He ended up signing with Boston College.

On a brighter note, we're still in the running for some excellent players. All-State RB Ralph Monroe from Attica, OH is a good friend and a former high school teammate of Conrad Piper, our redshirt freshman guard. That might give us the edge we need to land him.

We're also hoping to hear good news from Neal Hopkins, a linebacker from Illinois who rivals.com says is the top outside linebacker in the nation. Signing Neal would be a HUGE coup for us. We'd have to lure him away from schools like Illinois, Notre Dame, and USC, so wish us luck.

Kent State's record: 4-2, 2-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2006
#50 Kent State (4-2, 2-2) @ #31 Marshall (5-1, 3-0)
TV4



Kent State 3 0 10 0 - 13
Marshall 6 21 7 3 - 37

1Q: 10:57 KENT - Leonard Shultz 33 field goal.
1Q: 09:23 MRSH - Sammy Huffman 6 pass from Donnell Southrey.
1Q: 09:23 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt extra point failed.
2Q: 14:54 MRSH - Todd Demyan 5 pass from Donnell Southrey.
2Q: 14:54 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt extra point.
2Q: 08:29 MRSH - Joe Ioane 15 pass from Donnell Southrey.
2Q: 08:29 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt extra point.
2Q: 01:24 MRSH - Jared Barrett 9 run.
2Q: 01:24 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt extra point.
3Q: 11:00 KENT - Leonard Shultz 44 field goal.
3Q: 05:32 MRSH - Jared Barrett 5 run.
3Q: 05:32 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt extra point.
3Q: 00:28 KENT - Shaun Guidry 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 00:28 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 02:09 MRSH - Ryan Van Pelt 43 field goal.


Sometimes, a football team loses a game because the team they're playing is better than they are. This is what happened to us this week. We weren't expected to go into Marshall's backyard and beat them, and we didn't. That doesn't mean we played badly; it means they played extremely well.

Right now, their roster is more talented than ours is. Hopefully, we'll continue to gain ground on the best teams in our conference, but we aren't there quite yet.

Marshall stopped our running game, holding Blaine Kooistra to 25 yards on nine carries. They forced us to throw more than we wanted to, and they stopped us then, too; Deon Scribner went 15-37 with two interceptions. They sacked Deon six times, too.

We continued our disturbing pattern of losing wide receivers to injury. This time it was Albert Guenther, who led our team with 22 receptions through six games. Albert tore a calf muscle, and will almost certainly be out for the remainder of the season.

On a more positive note, OLB Wayne Merrill is back on the field. His broken foot is still bothering him, and he's not nearly 100%, but he's demonstrating a lot of toughness. He made seven tackles today; as usual, Adrian Castillo led the team with 12.

Kooistra ended the game with exactly 1000 yards rushing for the season. He's the third back in Division I to reach that milestone.

Recruiting Update
We were thrilled to learn that RB Ralph Monroe will be coming to Kent State next year! He's the most highly touted recruit to sign with us since Adrian Castillo; Ralph is the #257 player in the nation, the #22 RB, and the #8 player at any position in the state of Ohio. He's a huge signing for us.

We're also still in the running for Neal Hopkins, and we found out that Brandon Blackburn, the #5 offensive tackle in the nation, has cut his list of possible schools to three...and we're still on the list. Brandon, who is from Kings Mountain, NC, will be choosing between us, Virginia Tech, and Georgia.

Kent State's record: 4-3, 2-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2006
#60 Kent State (4-3, 2-3) @ #76 Mansfield (3-3)



Kent State 14 14 14 0 - 42
Mansfield 0 7 7 7 - 21

1Q: 12:37 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 43 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 12:37 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 01:18 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 25 run.
1Q: 01:18 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 12:21 MANS - Kevin Popp 9 run.
2Q: 12:21 MANS - Harvey Koehler extra point.
2Q: 08:46 KENT - Shaun Guidry 3 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 08:46 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 03:49 KENT - Spencer Alston 11 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 03:49 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 04:03 MANS - Teddy Fowlkes 10 pass from Kevin Popp.
3Q: 04:03 MANS - Harvey Koehler extra point.
3Q: 01:29 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 39 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 01:29 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 00:46 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 19 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 00:46 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 13:16 MANS - Neal Schulz 10 pass from Kevin Popp.
4Q: 13:16 MANS - Harvey Koehler extra point.


Welcome to the NCAA, Deon Scribner!

At the beginning of the season, all of us--including Deon--thought he'd spend the season backing up Josh Roaf at quarterback. In fact, since Deon and Josh are both redshirt freshmen, it was conceivable that Deon might never get a chance to start at QB for us.

Josh's suspension gave Deon his opportunity, and he's experienced his share of growing pains. Today, our patience with him paid off, as he threw five TD passes to lead us to a nice non-conference win at Mansfield.

Deon connected with Jackie Bosworth for three scores; Jackie was even less a part of our plans when the season began (we'd planned to redshirt him, until most of our wideouts got hurt). Tight end Shaun Guidry and fullback/tight end/H-back Spencer Alston caught the other two Scribner TD tosses.

Our running game bounced back too, as Blaine Kooistra romped for 181 yards on 28 carries.

We intercepted three passes and recovered two Mansfield fumbles, as part of an overall defensive effort that pleased our staff greatly. Adrian Castillo got one of the three picks, and he nearly brought it back for a touchdown.

However, this day belonged to Deon, whose coolness under pressure earned him a new team nickname: Freon Deon.

We have three games left on our schedule, all MAC contests. Our last opponent will be Central Florida, who is in a great fight with Marshall for the MAC North lead.

Recruiting Update
The newest member of the 2007 KSU recruiting class committed today: QB Junior Sheehan of Rush City, Minnesota. Junior has a howitzer for an arm, and he's athletic enough to move around in the pocket and make plays. He's also a superb student, with a perfect 4.00 high school GPA and an SAT score of 1570. Junior has a terrific attitude and has all the markings of a great team leader.


Kent State's record: 5-3, 2-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2006
#94 Miami of Ohio (2-5, 2-3) #49 Kent State (5-3, 2-3)


Miami of Ohio 7 3 3 7 - 20
Kent State 6 15 7 7 - 35

1Q: 07:26 MIAO - Irving Roeder 2 pass from Claude Tetreault.
1Q: 07:26 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
1Q: 02:25 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 28 run.
1Q: 02:25 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point failed.
2Q: 08:45 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 1 run.
2Q: 08:45 KENT - Deon Scribner pass to Ethan Osborne for conversion
2Q: 01:41 MIAO - Harry Bliss 19 field goal.
2Q: 01:33 KENT - Ethan Osborne 99 kickoff return.
2Q: 01:33 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 11:30 MIAO - Harry Bliss 34 field goal.
3Q: 03:32 KENT - Shaun Guidry 15 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 03:32 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 06:28 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 30 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 06:28 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 03:50 MIAO - Randy McIntyre 13 pass from Marlon Fulton.
4Q: 03:50 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.



This was a very satisfying win. Miami hasn't turned out to be quite as good as people thought they would be this year, but it's still very rewarding to pick up a victory in a conference game and please a big home crowd.

The maturation of Freon Deon Scribner continued, as he kept a steady hand at the controls of our offense and completed 13 of 21 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions. We had to play without another WR, Albert Guenther, who tore a calf muscle this week and will almost certainly be out for the remainder of the season. He was our leading receiver, with 22 catches for the year, and we'll miss him.

WR Ethan Osborne electrified the crowd by taking a kickoff back 99 yards for a score. Ozzie will also get additional playing time with Guenther's injury.

However, the key to our victory, once again, was Blaine Kooistra.

Blaine has carried the ball at least 20 times in five games, and we've won all five of them. This week, he toted the mail 26 times, good for 168 yards and two TDs. Blaine is now the leading rusher in Division I, with 1349 total yards. His 149.8 yards/game.

Understandably, Kooistra has become a fan favorite. There was a group of guys in the student section holding up a big "KOOISTRA FOR HEISMAN" sign, complete with a picture of the Heisman Trophy on which they'd Photoshopped Blaine's face. I was told they're some of Blaine's fraternity brothers.

A girl held up a sign that read "BLAINE KOOISTRA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" I don't know how Blaine's girlfriend, Arlene, felt about that. Maybe Arlene was the one holding the sign.

Our other "rock star," Adrian Castillo, didn't disappoint, either. He was his usual ball-hawking self, making 13 tackles and picking off two more passes.

And, it was great to see OLB Wayne Merrill back on the field. He wasn't 100 percent, as his broken foot is still not completely healed, but our medical staff cleared him and he was chomping at the bit to get back.

In fact, our entire defense played very well. We sacked Miami QBs seven times, with DE Hunter Mitchell (2.5 sacks) and OLB Tim Gomez (2.0 sacks) the main contributors.

Recruting Update
Is it a coincidence that, as we're playing better football, more high school players are committing to our program?

Five more future Golden Flashes came on board this week:

G Edgar Rivera, Merrillville, IN
DT Vinny Vance, Decatur, IL
OLB Cole Wistrom, Middletown, IN
CB Will Pierce, Chesapeake, VA
S Neil Farr, Mount Orab, OHPierce is the most highly touted of the group; he's listed as the nation's #17 cornerback, the #310 player overall, and was an All-State pick. Wistrom made All-State too, and rivals.com lists Rivera as the best guard in Indiana.

We think Vance and Farr have a chance to be real sleepers. Vinny is very raw, but we think the national "experts" have underrated him. Neil is from the southern part of the state, and he's a product of a very good high school program.

We're a little concerned about some news we received about Neal Hopkins, the stud OLB we're recruiting. Neal has been a Notre Dame fan since he was a kid, and the Fighting Irish have contacted him. They haven't made him an offer yet, but he's planning a visit there. We just landed Cole Wistrom, so if Hopkins slips away, the blow will be cushioned somewhat. I'm afraid that's what's going to happen.

On the other hand, OT Brandon Blackburn cut his list of schools to three, and we made the cut. Brandon, who is from Kings Mountain, NC, will choose between Kent State, Georgia, and Virginia Tech.

Bring on Akron!

Kent State's record: 6-3, 3-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2006
#46 Kent State (6-3, 3-3) at #99 Akron (2-7, 2-5)



Kent State 7 7 7 10 - 31
Akron 7 3 3 3 - 16

1Q: 11:58 AKRN - Stephen Ellison 4 run.
1Q: 11:58 AKRN - Monty Bilek extra point.
1Q: 09:13 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 9 run.
1Q: 09:13 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 11:54 AKRN - Monty Bilek 37 field goal.
2Q: 09:18 KENT - Randall Gillespie 3 run.
2Q: 09:18 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 12:57 KENT - Randall Gillespie 12 run.
3Q: 12:57 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 04:33 AKRN - Monty Bilek 27 field goal.
4Q: 10:07 KENT - Randall Gillespie 48 run.
4Q: 10:07 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 07:02 AKRN - Monty Bilek 31 field goal.
4Q: 01:24 KENT - Leonard Shultz 40 field goal.


I wonder how many people, other than those within the program or the most rabid Kent State fans, remember the fact that we recruited not one, but two promising running backs my first year at KSU?

Blaine Kooistra's explosive debut has pushed Randall Gillespie into the shadows. It was Gillespie who, as a true freshman, filled in ably for Jake Barton whenever we needed him to. This year, we've shifted Randall to fullback, and he's given us everything we've asked for, all season long.

We've always known Randall was talented, and this week he reminded everyone else of that fact, too.

Gillespie busted loose for 122 yards and three touchdowns as we knocked off rival Akron, despite gaining fewer yards and making fewer first downs. Kooistra added 85 more yards and a touchdown as sloppy field conditions caused us to depend heavily on our ground game.

Wayne Merrill showed very little sign of his foot injury, racking up 10 initial hits and 12 total tackles. And, once again, Adrian Castillo was in the midst of the action with 16 stops, 11 unassisted.

Our victory was our seventh of the season, one more than our 2005 team achieved. We face a very, very good Central Florida team in our last game. Although UCF has already clinched the MAC North title, I don't expect them to do anything differently against us.

Even if we don't win next week--and most people don't think we will--I'm very proud of what this team has achieved. It's overcome injury and adversity that cost us the services of several players I was counting on to be key contributors.

Recruiting Update
(Note/OOC: I should have mentioned earlier that KSU has only 13 available scholarships this year. )

This might one day be remembered as one of the biggest weeks in KSU football history. For the first time in my three years here, Kent State got a commitment from one of the top 100 high school players in the country...and then it got a second one!

The first to let us know he'd chosen Kent State was OLB Neal Hawkins. The village of Beecher, Illinois is home to about 2000 people, and I think every one of them must have been in the Beecher High School gymnasium to watch Neal announce his decision. When he put a blue-and-gold Kent State hat on his head, I think the folks in Beecher could probably hear the KSU faithful cheer.

Hawkins is, according to rivals.com, the #30 high school player in the country, the #2 player in the state of Illinois, and the best outside linebacker in the country. He plays a position at which we have two very good young players already--Ross Bowen and Wayne Merrill--so we'll think about shifting one of the three to the middle so we can get all three players on the field at once.

The next piece of good news came out of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, where OT Brandon Blackburn announced his intention to come to Kent State. Brandon is even more highly regarded by the "experts;" rivals.com calls him the #24 recruit in the nation. He's ranked fifth among a terrific crop of young offensive tackles, and he was an easy choice for the North Carolina All-State team.

A 6'5", 290-pound athlete, Brandon excels as a run blocker and a pass protector, and he comes from a high school program that prepares its players well for the demands of college football. Many young linemen redshirt a year to develop, but it's possible that Brandon will be able to step right onto the field as a true freshman.

The signing of three other players was, understandably and unfortunately, almost forgotten as Golden Flash Nation celebrated the news about Hopkins and Blackburn. However, we think all three of them will be very good college football players. They are:

FB Jeff O'Neill, Circleville, OH
C Jerald Kinney, Three Lakes, WI
DT Julio Robinson, Naples, MEO'Neill is the first natural fullback we've been able to recruit here. He's a tough runner who can also catch the ball. Both Kinney and Robinson were All-State performers.

Jerald is a particularly intriguing player. He's from a tiny town near the Wisconsin-Michigan border, and attends a school with about 350 students, grade 7-12. He may have some catching up to do before he's ready to knock heads with Division One defensive linemen, but he's a smart young man with a good attitude, and we think he'll make it.

Kent State's record: 7-3, 4-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2006
#15 Central Florida (9-1, 6-1) at #41 Kent State (7-3, 4-3)
TV4



Central Florida 0 0 7 0 - 7
Kent State 6 0 0 6 - 12

1Q: 14:48 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 32 run.
1Q: 14:48 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point failed.
3Q: 10:31 CFLA - Henry Reader 23 run.
3Q: 10:31 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
4Q: 00:36 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 4 run.
4Q: 00:36 KENT - Blaine Kooistra run for conversion failed.


What. A. Game.

Before the biggest crowd (27,800) to see the Golden Flashes play at Dix Stadium in my three seasons there, we upset the best team the MAC has seen in years.

The weather was chilly and stormy, and lots of fans would probably conclude "No wonder those Florida kids couldn't get going. They're not used to playing in that kind of weather." In fact, UCF's offense makes ours look like Air O'Farrell. Only two Division One teams ran the ball more often than Central Florida, and they threw fewer passes than all but 12 teams. So it's not like they would have been throwing the ball all over the yard anyway.

Like ours, the Golden Knights' running game features two good backs, who between them rushed for over 2000 yards this year. We held their #1 man, Henry Reader, to 50 yards, while their second back, Vinny Harvey, gained 74.

Meanwhile, Blaine Kooistra carried 31 times for 204 yards, and Randall Gillespie added 44. Advantage, KSU.

I've never heard Dix Stadium as loud as it was when Kooistra scored the game-winning touchdown with 36 seconds left. Blaine's TD capped a terrific 75-yard drive that featured a clutch 28-yard pass from Deon Scribner to Darrin Wampus. Deon's performance was another highlight, as he guided an offense that didn't turn the ball over once.

Veteran O-linemen Edgar Bennefield and Phillip Harrison both played extremely well, and both Edgar and Phillip made key blocks during the game-winning drive. Phillip sprung Blaine loose on the simple counter play that we scored on to win the game.

However, in a 12-7 game, both team's defenses had to have played well. And, when our D steps up, it's usually Adrian Castillo who sets the tone. That was again the case today. AC set a new career high with 22 tackles, including 19 initial hits.

You read that right: 22 tackles. If he's not the best safety in the nation, I'd like to see who's better.

UCF had already clinched the MAC North championship, so they'll be playing either Toledo or Northern Illinois for the automatic bid to the Raisin Bowl. I wonder if our 8-3 record will be attractive enough to draw an at-large bid somewhere?

It would be a wonderful way for a very successful season to end.

Recruiting Update
Ironically, the first high school player to visit us was the 13th and final player to commit this year. Tight end Tommy Nikolaiszyn from Brooklyn, Ohio signed with us this week. I told you a little about Tommy when he visited, but one thing I neglected to mention is that we're taking a bit of a chance with him academically. The current KSU player whose academic credentials match Tommy's the best is offensive lineman Tommie Wallack, and Wallack is sitting out the year on an academic suspension.

I hope Tommy's fate is better than Tommie's.

Kent State's record: 8-3, 5-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Late Season 2006

Central Florida defeated Toledo, 22-11 to win the Mid-American Conference championship. The Golden Knights will now play Nebraska in the Raisin Bowl.

Another MAC team earned a bowl bid...but it's Toledo, not us. They accepted an invitation to the Cherry Bowl, where they'll take on Pitt.

Sure, they were the MAC South champions, but are they a better team than we are? I don't think so. Their record was 6-5; ours was 8-3. Our final computer ranking was #39; theirs was #56.

The MAC North, with Central Florida and Marshall, had two other teams that I believe were every bit as good as Toledo. No knock on Toledo, whom we didn't play this year, but UCF and Marshall were both very strong.

I really wanted to see our guys' hard work rewarded with a bowl bid. I suppose the bowl committees were more impressed with a team that played in its conference championship game over one who, despite having a better record, didn't make it that far.

[Big Six]

Postseason, Part 1


MAC North Overall Record Conference Record
W L T PF PA W L T PF PA
Central Florida 10 3 0 358 213 6 2 0 216 103
Marshall 8 3 0 336 219 6 2 0 246 153
Kent State 8 3 0 329 261 5 3 0 207 212
Buffalo 6 5 0 320 276 4 4 0 239 177
Miami of Ohio 3 8 0 270 367 3 5 0 222 256
Ohio 3 8 0 200 352 3 5 0 175 227
Akron 2 9 0 184 379 2 6 0 132 251



Central Florida was pounded by Nebraska, 42-3, in the Raisin Bowl.
Toledo won a wild 57-51 shootout with Pitt in the Cherry Bowl. I'm sure many sports fans believed they were looking at a non-conference BASKETBALL score when they saw this score.
Texas returned to the national championship game for the second consecutive year. The #1 Longhorns took on #2 Michigan, and once again Texas came up short. The final score: Michigan 27-15.
The Heisman Trophy was awarded to a UCLA player for the second straight year. This time, it went to senior QB Kennedy Rose, who threw for 3660 yards and 37 TD. Last year's recipient, WR Conrad Knaulls, was on the receiving end of 65 Rose passes, good for 1001 yards and 14 TD.Here are the statistics for the 2006 Kent State Golden Flashes. Graduating seniors are highlighted in blue.



PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT RATE
Scribner 225 120 53.9 1652 14 12 124.8
Roaf 44 29 65.9 414 1 1 147.8
TEAM 272 151 55.5 2116 16 14

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Kooistra 261 1641 6.2 17
Gillespie 118 513 4.3 7
Scribner 50 -102 -2.0 0
TEAM 459 2088 4.5 22

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Kooistra 24 207 8.6 2
Guenther 22 420 18.0 2
Bosworth 21 366 17.4 5
Guidry 19 213 11.2 4
Wampus 15 231 15.4 1
Osborne 14 268 19.1 1
Gillespie 14 133 9.5 0
Alston 8 76 9.5 0
Wagner 5 82 16.4 0
TEAM 151 2116 14.0 16

BLOCKING KRB KRO BL% SkA OFF%
Gourdine 45 113 39.8 5 31.8
Benefield 33 81 40.7 6 19.7
Cunningham 26 59 44.0 5 15.3
Harrison 25 74 33.7 8 18.1
Boggs 20 58 34.4 2 14.0
Wheeler 3 8 37.5 0 12.5

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Shultz 10 15 44 37 39 67

DEFENSE
Castillo 105 37 0.0 17 9 10
Newsome 57 16 3.5 10 1 8
Gomez 43 14 4.0 5 0 2
Nobles 38 7 0.0 3 4 2
Mitchell 35 12 7.5 10 0 0
Merrill 34 11 0.0 2 0 2
Drake 34 14 3.0 12 0 1
Babin 28 6 1.5 1 5 3
Ellard 20 2 0.0 1 1 1
Contois 17 12 0.0 0 0 3
Caskey 17 11 2.0 3 0 0
Rhodes 16 0 0.0 0 0 1
McCareins 15 6 3.0 5 0 2
Heller 13 6 4.0 5 0 0
Warren 12 5 0.0 0 0 0
Cristal 12 5 4.0 5 0 1
TEAM 587 172 35.0 87 21 38

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In40
Sawyer 50 1733 34.6 51 6


That's right; this year's team had only five scholarship seniors. That's why I only had 13 scholarships to offer this year.

[bbgunn]

Looks like Kent State is destined for some good things. Keep it going!

[Big Six]

Looks like Kent State is destined for some good things. Keep it going!

I can definitely say I'm going to stick with this dynasty a while. I'm enjoying it--I think I've set the difficulty at the perfect level for my own understanding of the game and the program I'm running.

Take recruiting, for instance. If I choose my targets carefully and make the right moves, I feel like I have a pretty good shot at signing the player. I got two very prestigious recruits this time around, but they both wanted things Kent State could offer.

I can't sign five of the top 20 players in the country, but the "real" Kent State coach can't do that, either.

Thanks for your comment, bbgunn. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2006, Part 2

For the second straight year, the Mid-American Conference MVP was Marshall's fine quarterback, Donnell Southrey. Southrey, a junior, had an even better year in 2006, throwing for almos 2500 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The MAC Offensive Player of the Year was a redshirt freshman running back who exploded onto the scene with over 1600 yards rushing...but it WASN'T Blaine Kooistra! Over the last few weeks of the season, Oliver DeIulio of Bowling Green went on a crazy run of dominance that saw him gain nearly 900 yards in four games. He ended up edging Blaine out for this award, and also beat him out for First Team All-MAC honors.
As expected, Adrian Castillo was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. AC led the nation in tackles and tied for the lead in interceptions.
Castillo also became the first Kent State player to be named a first team All-American. He and Central Florida OT Buddy Casey, who made the second team, were the conference's only All-Americans.
Castillo and guard Seth Gourdine made the MAC All-Conference first team.
Four Golden Flashes were named to the All-MAC second team: RB Blaine Kooistra, TE Shaun Guidry, OT Phillip Harrison, and DE Hunter Mitchell.
Kooistra and LB Darnell Warren both made the National Academic Team. Both are completing their sophomore year academically; both are Jurisprudence majors. Kooistra carries a 3.94 GPA, while Warren has a perfect 4.0.
Blaine and Darnell are two of 12 Kent State players with GPAs of at least 3.80. The team GPA was 3.03, the second highest among Division I football programs.
Largely due to the efforts of student athletes like these, Kent State's overall academic reputation has risen enough that KSU is now ranked #105. That's not great, but it's moving in the right direction.
Only two Kent State players have cumulative GPAs lower than 2.00. They are both walkons who rarely play.
The entire program is proud of Randall Gillespie, who pulled his GPA all the way up to a 2.64. However, Randall's transcript is far from awe-inspiring; a Geography major, Randall has chosen elective courses like Fire Walking, Bartending, Telemarketing, and Tabloid Journalism.
The team's happiest player is kicker Leonard Shultz (94). Its most miserable is Wayne Merrill.

[Izulde]

Kooistra got robbed!

By the way, are you planning on importing to FOF? I'd be very curious to see how Callisto and Koos do in the NFL.

[Big Six]

Kooistra got robbed!

By the way, are you planning on importing to FOF? I'd be very curious to see how Callisto and Koos do in the NFL.

I agree with you, but I'm naturally biased. At the same time, I'm sure if I were coaching Bowling Green, I'd think DeIulio was the better choice.

DeIulio came out of high school in Lebanon, VA ranked as the #12 RB and #87 player in the nation. Unlike Kooistra, who could be a Rhodes Scholar, DeIulio has about as much brains as a blocking sled (Intelligence 0, as in zero). I remember not recruiting him because I didn't think he had the brains to remain eligible to play college football, much less fit the profile of the player I want to represent KSU.

I've saved the draft classes, but I haven't started a parallel FOF league yet. The presence of Castillo, who looks like a sure-fire NFL player, and Kooistra, who might end up making it, makes it much more likely that I'll get the parallel league up and running.

Thanks for the comment, Izulde. It's really great to see more people stopping by and posting.

[Big Six]

I might have to start posting my recruiting class report as soon as the class is completed, rather than waiting for the offseason, because I seem to be pretty bad at remembering to get the information about the recruits before I end the season.

Anyway, before we move on to 2007, here's the 13-member Kent State recruiting class of 2006-2007.


PLAYER POS HT WT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Brandon Blackburn T 6-5 299 Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain
Neil Farr S 5-8 194 Mount Orab, OH/Western Brown
Neal Hopkins OLB 5-11 233 Beecher, IL/Beecher
Jerald Kinney C 6-2 242 Three Lakes, WI/Three Lakes
Ralph Monroe RB 5-11 191 Attica, OH/Seneca East
Tommy Nikolaiszyn TE 6-4 231 Brooklyn, OH/Brooklyn
Jeff O'Neill FB 6-1 227 Circleville, OH/Logan Elm
Will Pierce CB 5-11 181 Chesapeake, VA/Indian River
Edgar Rivera G 6-0 269 Merrillville, IN/Merrillville
Julio Robinson DT 6-3 254 Naples, ME/Lake Region
Junior Sheehan QB 6-0 186 Rush City, MN/Rush City
Vinny Vance DT 6-7 282 Decatur, IL/Eisenhower
Colin Wistrom OLB 6-0 226 Middletown, IN/Shenandoah

PLAYER NRK POS ST ASP INT MAJOR
Brandon Blackburn 24 5 3 80 88 Business
Neil Farr --- 88 55 72 62 Social Work
Neal Hopkins 30 1 2 72 54 Business
Jerald Kinney 698 32 16 69 53 Education
Ralph Monroe 228 22 8 88 74 Education
Tommy Nikolaiszyn --- 78 59 36 35 Geology
Jeff O'Neill --- 89 86 60 45 Music
Will Pierce 301 17 11 85 82 Education
Edgar Rivera 757 74 18 64 67 Random Number Theory
Julio Robinson --- 73 9 94 76 Communications
Junior Sheehan 319 34 5 100 99 Jurisprudence
Vinny Vance --- 85 75 89 80 Architecture
Colin Wistrom --- 75 34 100 93 Genetics


NRK = ranking among the nation's top 1000 players
POS = ranking among the nation's top 100 players at his position
ST = ranking among the top 100 players in his state

Since I can't see a player's GPA or SAT score after his recruit year ends, I've given his Aspiration and Intelligence score so you can see what kind of student he is.

Kent State's recruiting class is ranked #54 in the nation, by far the best ranking we've had in my three years here. Central Florida had a tremendous recruting year; their class is ranked #15. Northern Illinois, at #47, is the only other MAC school with a more highly regarded class, while Marshall (#57) and Miami of Ohio (#59) also have classes that are comparable to ours.

[Big Six]

Here's a look at how the KSU program's final grades from Professor Laertes have compared over the past three years. I've also included the team's record and final computer ranking.



YEAR W-L RNK PER ACA REC TV TCK DON SCORE
2006 8-3 32 78 40 95 56 44 52 59
2005 6-5 63 70 37 76 70 35 77 59
2004 5-6 79 69 37 95 69 28 41 53


PER = Team Performance Rating
ACA = Academic Rating
REC = Recruiting Rating
TV = Television Revenue Rating
TCK = Attendance Rating
DON = Alumni Donations Rating
SCORE = Final Grade

The fickle alumni and the TV networks are the ones who bit us in the butt this year. Still, I'm pleased.

Note: I updated the "Posteason 2006 Part 1 post" to include the MAC North standings.

[Big Six]

2006-2007 Offseason News


Our offensive coordinator, Kendall Ohalete, unexpectedly retired at the age of 52. We found another coordinator with a knowledge of the Wing T offense, Tim Sampson. Ironically, Coach Sampson is the same age Coach Ohalete was. My only concern with Tim is his Fair ability to develop running backs. Otherwise, he's a very solid coach. (Note: I have the AI set to sign my assistants for me; maybe I'll need to re-think that from now on.)
Three players have left the program since the season ended. Quarterback Josh Roaf left in the wake of his suspension for breaking team rules. Guard Tommie Wallack's academic issues caused him to make the decision to leave, too. Defensive end Hunter Mitchell was suspended by the NCAA for accepting money from a booster. I cut Mitchell from the team.
Incidentally, the departure of Roaf, Wallack, and Mitchell, all of whom were awful students, allowed the team GPA to rise to 3.24 by the end of the academic year. I'm very proud to say that Kent State's players recorded the highest team GPA of any Division One school in the nation!

[Big Six]

Preseason 2007

Here is the Kent State schedule for 2007. Each opponent's preseason computer ranking is listed, too.
Home games are listed in ALL CAPS.
Mid-American Conference games are highlighted in blue.



Week 2 DAYTON 69
Week 3 LIMA 109
Week 4 at Northwestern 116
Week 5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 57
Week 6 MIAMI OF OHIO 81
Week 7 at Ohio 91
Week 8 at Western Michigan 98
Week 10 CENTRAL FLORIDA 43
Week 11 at Marshall 49
Week 12 BUFFALO 90
Week 13 at Akron 114


We open the season at #52 in the composite computer rankings. For the third consecutive year, our ranking has been higher than it was the year before.

It looks like our home opener against Dayton might be a good, competitive game. Dayton was the runner-up in the Buckeye Conference in 2006, and although we beat them pretty soundly last year, they look like they're better this time around.

We face another Buckeye Conference opponent, Lima, in Week 2, and we finish our non-conference slate with a trip to Northwestern. We'll be favored against Lima and, possibly, against Northwestern as well, but it will be tough for us to beat a Big Ten team on the road.

Our conference opener against Northern Illinois should be a tremendous game. We'll be looking to even things up after the Huskies beat us at their place in '06. Next up is Miami, whom we beat on the road last year. I expect another hard-fought, close game from them.

It's hard to say what might happen when we travel to Ohio and Western Michigan. The computers say we should be able to handle them, but it's never easy to win a conference game on the road.

Hopefully we'll still be in the race for a MAC North title, and if we are, the game against Central Florida will be huge. The Marshall game could also have championship ramifications, and I honestly hope our chances to win the division don't hinge on beating them at their place.

We finish up with games against Buffalo at home and against Akron on the road, which should both be winnable games.

Last year, I predicted we'd go 7-4, and we were one game better.

Optimistic prediction: 10-1, with a 7-1 conference record and a MAC North title.
Realistically optimistic prediction: 8-3, with a 6-2 MAC record and a second place finish in the division.
Pessimistic prediction: 6-5, with a 4-4 MAC record.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2007

Our look at the 2007 Kent State Golden Flashes begins with the offense. Here are the starters and key reserves on that side of the ball:


POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 15 Deon Scribner 5-11 211 So 24/60 West Lafayette, IN/William Henry Harrison
RB 25 Blaine Kooistra 6-0 206 So 44/64 Indianapolis, IN/Arsenal Technical
FB 30 Jeff O'Neill 6-1 227 Fr 20/56 Circleville, OH/Logan Elm
TE 88 Rusty Flynn 6-2 252 Fr 35/76 Proctorville, OH/Fairland
FL 5 Carlton Loosman 6-0 182 Fr 24/59 Dayton, OH/Northridge
SE 87 Albert Guenther 6-0 192 So 25/62 Concord, NC/Concord
LT 70 Phillip Harrison 6-4 307 Sr 37/51 Akron, OH/Manchester
LG 62 Conrad Piper 6-2 273 Fr 32/80 Attica, OH/Seneca East
C 57 Colin Cunningham 6-5 298 So 30/59 Goshen, OH/Goshen
RG 66 Seth Gourdine 6-3 295 So 37/60 Crown City, OH/South Gallia
RT 76 Brandon Blackburn 6-5 299 Fr 30/73 Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain
K 8 Dwight Ashworth 5-7 162 Fr 14/44 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East

QB 10 Junior Sheehan 6-0 186 Fr 9/71 Rush City, MN/Rush City
RB 23 Randall Gillespie 6-0 198 Jr 23/44 Gahanna, IL/Lincoln
TE 81 Shaun Guidry 6-5 263 Jr 42/42 Warren, OH/Howland
WR 86 Everett Hanson 5-9 174 Jr 30/30 Elnora, IN/North Daviess
WR 89 Ethan Osborne 6-1 191 Sr 24/24 Russell, PA/Eisenhower
T 50 Tyrus Boggs 6-5 297 So 34/66 Youngstown, OH/East
G 73 Edgar Bennefield 6-5 303 Sr 31/59 Martinsville, IN/Martinsville



Scribner's performance as the starting QB was one of the best surprises of the '06 season. Sheehan will be the backup, and looks like he could be a star one day. Kooistra was as aood as any back in the nation, displaying toughness, durability, and versatility. O'Neill gives us our first natural FB, and will start as a true freshman, but Gillespie will also get plenty of opportunity to play.

Flynn's impressive upside lands him the starting TE job, but Guidry, who's started for two years, will also see plenty of time. Guenther, who impressed as a true frosh last year, will start alongside Loosman at WR but, for once, we have some depth here.

Harrison, a four-year starter at LT, leads an O-line that is, on paper, the most talented we've had. Piper has the potential to be a real stud. Cunningham and Gourdine return to the starting lineup; Gourdine was our most productive O-lineman last year. Prized recruit Blackburn will start as a true freshman. Both Boggs and Bennefield are former starters, and they give us insurance in case one of the starters gets hurt.

[bbgunn]

Haha... I like those optimistic and pessimistic predictions. That's really cool.

[Big Six]

Haha... I like those optimistic and pessimistic predictions. That's really cool.

I enjoy making the predictions, too. This year, several of the teams we're playing seem to be so closely matched with us in ability that the games are especially tough to predict.

The one game that I'm predicting Kent State will lose in every possible scenario is the Marshall game. I've never beaten Marshall, and the Thundering Herd have trampled us flat a couple of times.

For that matter, we're 0-3 against Ohio, too.

I hope you keep following the story, bbgunn--and thanks for the comments. I enjoy reading comments left in my threads and replying to them.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2007

Now it's time to look at the 2007 Kent State defense. Let's meet the KSU defensive starters and key reserves:



POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 75 Corwin Heller 6-0 256 Jr 19/43 Navarre, OH/Fairless
LT 97 Brandon Caskey 6-3 319 Jr 28/53 Toledo, OH/Waite
RT 91 Ethan Drake 6-1 258 So 13/43 Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
RE 77 Quinn Cristal 6-4 256 So 23/51 Chicago, IL/Von Steuben Metro Science
LLB 54 Ross Bowen 6-0 227 Jr 30/86 Allison Park, PA/Hampton
MLB 47 Neal Hopkins 5-11 233 Fr 30/99 Beecher, IL/Beecher
RLB 55 Wayne Merrill 6-1 212 Jr 28/65 North Lima, OH/South Range
CB1 32 Will Pierce 5-11 181 Fr 44/48 Chesapeake, VA/Indian River
CB2 36 Mitch Clark 6-0 210 Jr 29/55 Frankfort, OH/Adena
FS 9 Adrian Castillo 6-1 209 Jr 57/67 Cleveland, OH/Valley Forge
SS 33 Neil Farr 5-8 194 Fr 19/48 Mount Orab, OH/Western Brown
P 17 Pat Sawyer 6-5 222 Jr 74/74 Saint Clairsville, OH/Saint Clairsville

DE 92 Leon McWilliams 6-5 266 So 20/27 Perry, OH/Perry
DT 51 Deron Jamison 6-3 275 Sr 8/28 Rockford, IL/Auburn
OLB 99 Tim Gomez 5-11 215 Sr 21/35 Chicago, IL/Kelly
ILB 49 Vince Geary 6-4 231 Jr 26/26 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush
ILB 34 Darnell Warren 6-1 251 So 21/21 Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy
ILB 46 Darrin Dunlap 5-10 232 Fr 16/52 Cleveland, OH/East Technical
CB 31 Robbie Nobles 6-0 189 So 16/36 Roy, UT/Roy
CB 28 Bruce Horton 5-10 171 Fr 31/54 Neenah, WI/Neenah
S 35 William Shipman 6-2 206 Sr 22/25 Wilmington, IL/Wilmington



Our ability to evaluate defensive players is so Poor that it's sometimes tough to tell how good, or lousy, we really are.

It looks like our defensive line is nothing special, at least not yet. Caskey is a mammoth presence in the middle, and Heller has shown promise as a pass rusher. Drake and Cristal have some potential, and McWilliams is a decent depth player. We'll miss Hunter Mitchell, who gave up his chance to play his senior season by taking money from a booster.

Bowen's sophomore season was ruined by injury, and he's hoping to bounce back strong. Merrill, too, missed a lot of action; like Bowen, he's very eager to prove he's all the way back. Hopkins is a natural outside 'backer, but we're shifting him to the middle so we can get him on the field. If all three of these guys live up to their potential, we'll see them all in the NFL one day. Gomez, Geary, and Warren are all battle-tested reserves, and Dunlap looks like he could be a good player, too.

Clark decided to take his punishment for last year's misbehavior like a man, and he returns to the starting lineup at one corner. Pierce, like Hopkins a true freshman, won the job at the other corner, but Nobles and Horton are also very good and give us nice depth and versatility here. We could use the nickel and dime packages a little more this season, against teams that like to sling the ball around.

However, the heart and soul of our defense is Castillo, who is one of the most exciting and versatile players in college football. Whenever AC is near the ball, as a tackler, pass defender, or return man, good things happen for us. His new partner will be Farr, another true freshman. Senior Shipman is our special teams captain.

[Travis]

Good luck this season. Always awesome to see which couple of defensive players become dominant players in early seasons like this before you're able to stock more talent across the board. Been a lot of fun reading so far.

[Big Six]

Good luck this season. Always awesome to see which couple of defensive players become dominant players in early seasons like this before you're able to stock more talent across the board. Been a lot of fun reading so far.

That's a very good assessment of where Kent State is right now. Adrian Castillo was a member of my first recruiting class there, and he's turned out to be a monster.

Ross Bowen was a star recruit as well, and it's a shame he lost a full season to an injury. Now, we've got Neal Hopkins, who was a true blue-chipper; it will be interesting to see if he turns out to be as good a player as AC has been.

I'll be looking to upgrade the talent on our defensive line during this recruiting season.

Thanks for the comment,Travis. :)

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2007
#26 Dayton (1-0) at #68 Kent State (0-0)
TV5



Dayton 7 0 7 24 - 38
Kent State 7 7 13 0 - 27

1Q: 02:01 DAYT - Carlton Jefferson 2 run.
1Q: 02:01 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke extra point.
1Q: 01:51 KENT - Adrian Castillo 107 kickoff return.
1Q: 01:51 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 01:31 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 4 run.
2Q: 01:31 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 11:33 KENT - Randall Gillespie 21 run.
3Q: 11:33 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point failed.
3Q: 10:30 KENT - Adrian Castillo 77 punt return.
3Q: 10:30 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 03:52 DAYT - Jack Garcia 3 run.
3Q: 03:52 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke extra point.
4Q: 09:47 DAYT - Jack Garcia 4 pass from Riddick Bush.
4Q: 09:47 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke extra point.
4Q: 04:59 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke 22 field goal.
4Q: 00:26 DAYT - Jared Davidson 2 run.
4Q: 00:26 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke extra point.
4Q: 00:09 DAYT - Joseph Burks 58 interception return.
4Q: 00:09 DAYT - Lincoln Kassulke extra point.


Well, that's not exactly the way we wanted our season to begin.

This game wasn't as close as the score might indicate. Dayton is a very good football team--they beat Wake Forest on the road last week--and they manhandled us on both sides of the ball.

The Dayton defense swarmed Blaine Kooistra every time he touched the ball, and helf him to 26 yards rushing. Randall Gillespie picked up some of the slack with 74 yards on 11 carries, but as we've seen before, if a team stops Kooistra they've got a good chance to beat us.

Our true freshman OT, Brandon Blackburn, got schooled today (no key run blocks in four opportunities, one sack allowed), which surprised me a little. I guess it shouldn't; most linemen his age get redshirted.

We had a nice crowd at Dix Stadium on a rainy, miserable day, and I wish we'd have given them a better show. Adrian Castillo electrified the crowd with his long kick return touchdowns. When he wasn't running kicks back to the house, he was tackling everything in sight; he was in on 16 stops.

MLB Neal Hopkins (13 tackles, one sack ) made an impact in his first collegiate game, and Ross Bowen (12 tackles) looked good in his first game action in a year.

Still, I hope this isn't an indication of what kind of year we're going to have. Our inability to control the line of scrimmage bothers me.

Recruiting Update
We're two weeks into the new recruiting season, and we're making our initial contacts and offers. We need to concentrate on the defensive side of the ball, particularly the defensive line.

However, we are taking a shot at the #1 player in the country this year! Frank Miller is a linebacker from Sanford, Maine. He's exactly what every coach in the country is looking for--a tremendous player with a great attitude and the ability to excel in the classroom, too. We've already offered him a scholarship, and I've been out to Maine to visit him, and I think he's even better than his scouting reports indicate.

Realistically, athletes like Frank Miller don't play college football at Kent State. Still, he shows up as 'blue' on our recruit update, so we're going to pursue him all the way.

Kent State's record: 0-1.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2007
#123 Lima (0-2) at #78 Kent State (0-1)


Lima 0 0 0 10 - 10
Kent State 0 3 7 7 - 17

2Q: 05:48 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 20 field goal.
3Q: 07:02 KENT - Robbie Nobles 96 interception return.
3Q: 07:02 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 09:26 LIMA - Marlon Larkin 30 field goal.
4Q: 09:17 KENT - Will Pierce 91 kickoff return.
4Q: 09:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 07:28 LIMA - Horace Thill 21 pass from Bubba Tanuvasa.
4Q: 07:28 LIMA - Marlon Larkin extra point.


We moved the ball a lot better against Lima than we did against Dayton. We still had problems putting it into the end zone, but at least our offense showed some life.

Blaine Kooistra got back on track (30 carries, 188 yards), with a lot of help from a much better performance from our O-line. I decided to give our other young tackle, Tyrus Boggs, a lot of playing time, and he responded very well; he led the team with 4 key run blocks. Brandon Blackburn got the job done too, with 3 KRBs in 6 opportunities. With senior Phillip Harrison in the mix, we now have three tackles playing fairly well.

The injury bug bit us pretty hard, though. Kicker Dwight Ashworth will almost certainly be out for the year with a knee injury, and WR Carlton Loosman certainly will be. He needs reconstructive knee surgery. Leonard Shultz will assume the placekicking duties once again, and Jackie Bosworth will take over Loosman's starting WR position.

Deon Scribner has completed over 60 percent of his passes in our first two games, but he's yet to break out with a big game. We're hoping he can deliver a signature performance soon.

Did you notice we had TWO more long returns for touchdowns? All three players who have taken one to the house are DBs. This week, Robbie Nobles had a pick six, and Will Pierce brought a kickoff back all the way.

Recruiting Update
No real news yet. We're still building our contact list and inviting players to campus. I'm getting some positive vibes from Adrian Hill, a cornerback out of West Virginia who is the #27 player at his position in the country. Adrian is also a very good student who scored 1430 on his SAT.

Kent State's record: 1-1.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2007
# 78 Kent State (1-1) at #113 Northwestern (0-2)



Kent State 0 0 0 0 - 0
Northwestern 3 14 17 0 - 34

1Q: 00:16 NORW - Dixon Lester 44 field goal.
2Q: 03:41 NORW - Neal Peterson 34 pass from Lamont Nielson.
2Q: 03:41 NORW - Dixon Lester extra point.
2Q: 00:00 NORW - Dwayne Newman 71 run.
2Q: 00:00 NORW - Dixon Lester extra point.
3Q: 08:45 NORW - Neal Peterson 7 pass from Lamont Nielson.
3Q: 08:45 NORW - Dixon Lester extra point.
3Q: 07:16 NORW - Thurman Kaplan 58 run.
3Q: 07:16 NORW - Dixon Lester extra point.
3Q: 00:14 NORW - Dixon Lester 31 field goal.


We struggled again this week, and as result, we got shut out by Northwestern. I thought we might have a good chance to win this one, but we suffered from the same problems that plagued us during our first two games. We're having a tough time putting the ball in the end zone, and our defense is letting teams run the ball down our throat.

Deon Scribner (8-23, 154 yards, 2 INT) is really struggling. He can't find his rhythm, and teams are loading up the box against us and daring Blaine Kooistra to get past them. He ran hard today, gaining 81 yards on 19 carries, but otherwise, our offense didn't get anything going. We haven't scored a touchdown in nine quarters, except on returns.

LB Neal Hopkins continued to look more comfortable this week, making 15 tackles. We wish more of those ballcarriers were getting knocked down at the line of scrimmage, but we're really struggling at the point of attack.

We begin our MAC season with a big game against Northern Illinois at home. I hope we can work a few more of the kinks out before then.

Recruiting Update
We have two players visiting us this week:

FB Paul Conway
C Alan ShannonConway is a tough kid out of Cleveland. Shannon is an area kid who has a great motor. Neither one of them are making the experts drool, but we think both of them--especially Shannon--are better than the scouting reports say they are.

Kent State's record: 1-2.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2007
#112 Northern Illinois (0-2) at #82 Kent State (1-2)



Northern Illinois 3 14 7 7 - 31
Kent State 0 0 6 0 - 6

1Q: 05:14 NILL - Roger Karamazov 39 field goal.
2Q: 07:09 NILL - Jackie Binkow 6 run.
2Q: 07:09 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.
2Q: 01:01 NILL - Jackie Binkow 2 run.
2Q: 01:01 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.
3Q: 06:52 KENT - Deon Scribner 2 run.
3Q: 06:52 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point failed.
3Q: 01:13 NILL - J.J. Glenn 1 run.
3Q: 01:13 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.
4Q: 09:27 NILL - Tommy Kirk 8 pass from Frankie Webb.
4Q: 09:27 NILL - Roger Karamazov extra point.



Well, at least we scored a touchdown.

We ran the ball a lot better, with Blaine Kooistra picking up 158 yards on 28 carries. Last year, as soon as you read a stat like that, you correctly concluded the Golden Flashes had put another mark in the win column. This year, you apparently can't draw that conclusion.

This week, it was our inability to defend against the pass that killed us. Frankie Webb, the Huskies' senior quarterback, completed 27 of 45 passes for 282 yards and kept the sticks moving all day. They'd usually get the ball in close, switch to the running game, and ram the ball into the end zone.

On a more positive note, both of our highly touted true freshmen played well again. Brandon Blackburn had three more KRBs in four opportunities, and Neal Hopkins chased the ball from sideline to sideline and made 15 tackles.

I'm beginning to wonder if my "pessimistic" prediction (6-5) was way, way too "optimistic."

Recruiting Update
No news to speak of. Frank Miller is visiting Michigan and Miami of Florida this week, and a number of other highly prestigious programs have contacted him, too. We'll see if we can hold off the big dogs a little while longer.

Kent State's record: 1-3, 0-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2007
#28 Miami of Ohio (3-0, 2-0) at #97 Kent State (1-3, 0-1)
TV5



Miami of Ohio 0 0 0 0 - 0
Kent State 0 3 0 21 - 24

2Q: 02:01 KENT - Leonard Shultz 37 field goal.
4Q: 14:54 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 11 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 14:54 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 05:27 KENT - Albert Guenther 35 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 05:27 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 02:16 KENT - Randall Gillespie 8 run.
4Q: 02:16 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.


I know the season's only half over, but it seemed as if it hung in the balance as we took on Miami this week. We came through with a big, big win, in which we reversed--at least for the time being--several of the trends that had been dragging us down lately.

Our defense rose up and played its best game in a long time. We throttled Miami's running game, put lots of pressure on their QB, and held the Redhawks to 120 total yards. All three of our starting linebackers got a sack, and DE Quinn Cristal got two. Quinn also pressured their QB four more times.

Offensively, several of our playmakers did just that--they made plays. Blaine Kooistra ran hard against a defense that was obviously geared to stop him, gaining 106 tough yards on 28 carries. Randall Gillespie spelled him effectively, with 61 yards on 10 carries.

Deon Scribner looked like Freon Deon once again (13-22, 204 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT). He's developing a good rapport with Albert Guenther (5 catches, 83 yards), and he's making good decisions about when to flip the ball out to Kooistra in the flat.

It's only one game, but it's a whole lot easier to look forward to the rest of the season after a strong performance like this one.

Recruting Update
We're still awaiting our first signing, but it's getting close to the time when the nation's top high school players make their choices. That means we'll probably find out about a few of the guys we've taken long shots at, including Frank Miller.

Frank has chosen the five schools he's visiting, and we're on his list! The other four schools who are still in the running for him are Michigan, Miami of Florida, Texas, and Penn State. Frank tells us he's very interested in Texas. Another very good player, CB Derrick Harrison, will be visiting us this week as well.

We had success signing an elite LB prospect last year when we landed Neal Hopkins. Could we pull off the same kind of move again? We're obviously the underdog in this fight, but at least we're still in the fight.

Kent State's record: 2-3, 1-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2007
#83 Kent State, (2-3, 1-1) at #96 Ohio (1-3, 1-1)



Kent State 10 0 0 7 - 17
Ohio 7 10 3 0 - 20

1Q: 11:07 KENT - Everett Hanson 30 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 11:07 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 06:06 OHIO - Sherman Dodge 6 run.
1Q: 06:06 OHIO - Neil Meadows extra point.
1Q: 01:23 KENT - Leonard Shultz 40 field goal.
2Q: 11:16 OHIO - Keith Ewiak 4 pass from Robert Wisne.
2Q: 11:16 OHIO - Neil Meadows extra point.
2Q: 05:40 OHIO - Neil Meadows 21 field goal.
3Q: 06:46 OHIO - Neil Meadows 36 field goal.
4Q: 03:15 KENT - Everett Hanson 13 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 03:15 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.


Don't get me wrong; I'd love to win every single football game we play. However, sometimes things happen to a college football program that takes a lot of the sting out of losing a game.

That's exactly what happened at Kent State this week.

We went out to Athens and lost a good, close football game to Ohio, 20-17. Both teams played better than our records would indicate, and the best players on the field made lots of big plays.

Free safety Adrian Castillo certainly qualifies as one of our best players, probably the best of all. After several games in which he didn't make as huge an impact as he usually does, he busted loose this week with 20 tackles. Neal Hopkins, who is living up to the hype he received as the nation's top LB prospect, was in on 17 stops.

Our most talented offensive linemen, guard Seth Gourdine and tackle Brandon Blackburn, both delivered key blocks on more than half the plays we ran their way. Blaine Kooistra gained 99 yards on 19 carries against a defense that impressed me greatly.

However, it's the news from the recruiting front that has Golden Flash Nation celebrating this week...

Recruiting Update
WE DID IT! This week Frank Miller, the top high school senior football player in the United States of America, announced his intention to play his college ball at Kent State University.

"The New Linebacker U?" read the headline on ESPN.com's story today, which pointed out that, for the second consecutive year, the top high school linebacker in the nation has chosen Kent State.

Frank's natural position is outside linebacker, but he's big enough to possibly move inside. We're already discussing a move to a 3-4 base defense, which would enable us to get Ross Bowen, Wayne Merrill, Neal Hopkins, and Miller on the field at the same time. :D

We lost out on two other players we were recruiting heavily. FB Paul Conway committed to Zanesville, and CB Derrick Harrison is going to Canton. Paul and Derrick are certainly good players, but they're not Frank Miller.

With the buzz surrounding our program, it's probably not an accident that eleven more players announced today they will be making official visits to Kent State:

RB Ernie Lesch
DE Ricardo Hodges
DE Van Tremblay
RB Xavier Burton
DT Adrian Mulhollon
ILB Kerry Austin
DE Lamont Beam
CB Kendrick Moon
ILB Marty Houston
C Calvin HornerLesch, Hodges, Tremblay, and Burton are all among the top 100 players in the nation. There are four defensive linemen in the group, and hopefully we'll land at least one of them.

I hope I haven't gotten too greedy and spent too much time on big-time recruits, rather than working the guys from the #300-500 range who are much more likely to sign with us. Miller was the rare exception: a stud who showed up as "blue" on our recruit listing. The other guys I just mentioned are "red".

Right now, I'm probably the happiest 2-4 coach in the country.

Kent State's record: 2-4, 1-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2007
# 85 Kent State (2-4, 1-2) at #120 Western Michigan (0-5, 0-2)



Kent State 9 6 7 7 - 29
Western Michigan 0 3 7 0 - 10

1Q: 10:39 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 3 run.
1Q: 10:39 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point failed.
1Q: 03:07 KENT - Leonard Shultz 27 field goal.
2Q: 14:09 KENT - Leonard Shultz 34 field goal.
2Q: 07:02 WMIC - Oliver Weaver 25 field goal.
2Q: 00:00 KENT - Leonard Shultz 43 field goal.
3Q: 09:42 WMIC - Bernie Fredrickson 8 pass from Kim Cobb.
3Q: 09:42 WMIC - Oliver Weaver extra point.
3Q: 02:17 KENT - Everett Hanson 33 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 02:17 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 02:46 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 run.
4Q: 02:46 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.


Doesn't it seem like we've played a lot of teams who were winless going into their game with us? Earlier this season, we would probably have found a way to lose this game, but now, it seems like we've finally turned the corner.

Our ground game worked well today. Blaine Kooistra was a real workhorse today, carrying the ball 37 times for 136 yards. His performance wasn't pretty--he didn't average 4 yards a carry--but he kept the chains moving and scored two touchdowns himself.

Deon Scribner hooked up with Everett Hanson on a nice scoring play, hitting Hanson in stride on a post route. And both our guards, Conrad Piper and Seth Gourdine, played extremely well. Our freshman fullback, Jeff O'Neill, is developing into a very good lead blocker, which is one more reason why our running game has improved since the beginning of the year.

Once again, our defense played well, too. The cool thing about this game was the fact that none of our defensive players had a monster game, but the entire unit played well together. We held WMU to 25 yards rushing and 193 total yards.

We have two very tough games coming up, against Central Florida and Marshall. Fortunately we have a bye week to prepare for them.

Recruiting Update
For the second straight week, we've landed one of the nation's top players!

Ernie Lesch, from Teaneck, New Jersey, is regarded as the top running back prospect in the nation. Bob McKie, the assistant who was our key recruiting contact with Ernie, rates him a perfect 100; I wasn't nearly that impressed, but he's still an extremely talented football player.

Ernie is a big back--223 pounds--and he almost never goes down on first contact. We can afford to be patient with him, since Kooistra is only a sophomore and we have Ralph Monroe redshirting this year. If Ernie is as good as people say, however, it will be impossible to keep him off the field.

We received commitments from two other players this week, too:

CB Adrian Hill, Farmington, WV
ILB Marty Houston, Ellwood City, PAHill is an All-State player, and we think Houston is underrated.

Also, we learned this week that a very good DE prospect, Max Rockwood, will be making an official visit to KSU. I don't know how I missed Max earlier--he seems like a great fit for us, both athletically and academically. I hope we haven't jumped on board too late; he's looking with interest at Syracuse, which is close to home, and at Boston College.

I'm still flying high from our victory, and also from the news about Miller and, now, Lesch. :D

Kent State's record: 3-4, 2-2 in MAC play.

[Izulde]

A 3-4 defense eh? That should be a lot of fun to watch.

[Big Six]

A 3-4 defense eh? That should be a lot of fun to watch.

I've been tempted to switch to the 3-4 this year, and probably would have already if the Golden Flashes' defense hadn't started to play better. Thurman Talley would be the fourth LB, and Brandon Caskey would be the nose tackle.

I'll see what kind of player Frank Miller is when he arrives on campus next year. If he's as good as predicted, I'll give the 3-4 a try.

Thanks for the comment, Izulde. :)

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2007

Off week.

Recruiting Update
This week, I saw the downside of the strategy of pursuing top-flight recruits. While we did manage to land Frank Miller and Ernie Lesch, the rest of our big-time targets committed to other schools. Xavier Burton, Ricardo Hodges, Van Tremblay, Adrian Mulhollon, Lamont Beam, and Kendrick Moon, all Top 200-calibre players or better, all passed on KSU scholarship offers.

Would I have been better off targeting players who aren't as talented, but who might have been more likely to sign with us? I guess I'll never know.

DE Max Rockwood and ILB Kelly Austin are the most highly-touted recruits still considering us. Max is listed at #176 on the rivals.com Top 1000 list, and Kelly is #205.

We did sign another player this week: C Calvin Horner. He's the #100 player at his position in the country, but we think he's better than the experts do.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2007
#31 Central Florida (6-2, 4-1_ at #84 Kent State (3-4, 2-2)
TV5

Central Florida 7 0 3 3 - 13
Kent State 7 7 0 10 - 24

1Q: 10:27 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 3 run.
1Q: 10:27 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 05:26 CFLA - Sedrick Loville 14 pass from Marvin Wilkins.
1Q: 05:26 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
2Q: 14:51 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 16 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 14:51 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 09:03 CFLA - Lance Kirk 43 field goal.
4Q: 05:00 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 4 run.
4Q: 05:00 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 03:44 CFLA - Lance Kirk 50 field goal.
4Q: 02:43 KENT - Leonard Shultz 57 field goal.


This week we achieved as satisfying a victory as any I've enjoyed here at Kent State. Against a quality football team, we executed very well both on offense and defense, refusing to let the rainy, windy conditions affect us.

Blaine Kooistra stepped up the way star players do, scoring all three of our touchdowns--two on runs, one on a pass from Deon Scribner. Blaine's yardage total wasn't exceptional--82 yards on 19 carries--but he's dealing with offenses that are geared to stop him every week.

We found some more carries for Randall Gillespie this week, and he responded very well--88 yards in 11 rushes, making him the game's leading rusher. He set up Kooistra's first touchdown with a 33-yard romp.

Guard Seth Gourdine is making a claim for All-MAC honors once again. Today he had six KRBs in eight opportunities.

Freon Deon went 18-30, and even more importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. He's playing the same kind of football he did late last year, which is a very good sign. The starting QB position will be his going into next year, but he knows he'll have to work hard to hold off Junior Sheehan. Speaking of Sheehan, he's completed all four of the passes he's thrown this year. I would have loved to have redshirted him, but we have absolutely no depth at QB behind Scribner.

Leonard Shultz drilled a long field goal to complete our scoring. He had the wind at his back, but 57 yards is still a heck of a kick.

Wally Higgs, CFU's talented RB, gained 80 yards against us; he's a big-time player, and I think we did well to keep him 40 yards under his average. Even more importantly, we kept him out of the end zone.

And, once again, Adrian Castillo was awesome when we needed him to be. Central Florida players will be seeing his blue and gold #9 in their nightmares, after he busted them up for 20 tackles, four for losses. Unlike many DBs, when AC makes a hit, he usually sticks the guy at or near the line of scrimmage. OLB Ross Bowen had a very good game on defense, too, with 12 tackles, and DE Leon McWilliams had a sack and four hurries.

It's gratifying to see our guys turn their season around with a game that will probably be remembered as the signature win of our season.

Recruiting Update
We went into the recruiting season knowing we had to bring in some talented defensive linemen, and this week we landed a very good one. DE Max Rockwood comes from Long Island; he's a huge kid with a wingspan like a pterodactyl, and he loves to step up and stick ballcarriers. Max was an All-State player in New York this year, and rivals.com lists him as the #19 DE in the nation this year.

Since many of our original targets are no longer available, we've recently begun recruiting a second wave of players. Several of them are visiting us this week:

QB Alfred Eastman
RB Leland Dail
FB Mark Walters
WR Jack Dunlap
DT Percy FordHonestly, none of the five projects to be an impact player for us, but you never know what you'll get until you get them on campus and they put the pads on.

Kent State's record: 4-4, 3-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2007
#66 Kent State (4-4, 3-2) at #36 Marshall (6-2, 3-2)
TV5



Kent State 7 0 0 14 - 21
Marshall 7 10 14 0 - 31

1Q: 11:57 KENT - Albert Guenther 37 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 11:57 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
1Q: 00:44 MRSH - Mike Corbett 10 pass from Donnell Southrey.
1Q: 00:44 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
2Q: 11:06 MRSH - Irv Coles 10 pass from Donnell Southrey.
2Q: 11:06 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
2Q: 07:20 MRSH - Robert England 41 field goal.
3Q: 09:37 MRSH - Jared Barrett 7 pass from Donnell Southrey.
3Q: 09:37 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
3Q: 01:53 MRSH - Mike Corbett 11 pass from Donnell Southrey.
3Q: 01:53 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
4Q: 13:27 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 1 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 13:27 KENT - Deon Scribner pass to Jackie Bosworth for conversion
4Q: 08:47 KENT - Will Pierce 60 interception return.
4Q: 08:47 KENT - Deon Scribner pass for conversion failed.


This has been such a crazy year! We went into this game with a shot at the MAC North championship. Central Florida and Miami were tied for first at 4-2, with Marshall and Kent State a half-game back at 3-2. It makes our slow start even more frustrating to think that we could have taken control of the division race if we'd played better.

At any rate, we would still have needed to win this game, and although we didn't play too badly, Marshall played that much better. They're more talented than we are right now, and it showed.

They completely shut down our running game, holding Blaine Kooistra to minus-5 yards on 14 carries; the worst game of his short, but excellent, career. The Thundering Herd intercepted Deon Scribner four times and held him to 14 completions in 35 attempts.

Meanwhile, their outstanding quarterback, Donnell Southrey, killed us. He completed 26 of 45 passes for four touchdowns, and RB Jared Barrett rushed for 114 yards.

Plain and simple, we got beat. That happens sometimes, especially when you play good football teams.

Recruiting Update
Two of our newest recruiting targets quickly agreed to become part of the KSU football family, and another promising young linebacker informed us of his desire to help build the Kent State tradition at his position.

Welcome to Golden Flash Nation:

QB Alfred Eastman
WR Jack Dunlap
ILB Kelly AustinEastman is a dual-threat quarterback out of Geneva, NY, who impressed us with his brains and a good attitude. He reminds us of Riddick Bush, who's had a very good career at Dayton.

Dunlap is a pocket-sized receiver with excellent speed who could make an immediate impact as a kick returner. He's from Barnesville, Ohio, in the southeastern corner of the state.

Austin is the top player in Maryland at his position, an All-State selection, and ranks #11 nationwide among ILBs. He has a non-stop motor and a nose for the ball, and unlike most of the excellent LBs we've signed, he's most comfortable playing inside.

Kent State's record: 4-5, 3-3 in MAC play.

Austin

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2007
#75 Buffalo (4-4, 2-4) at #80 Kent State (4-5, 3-3)


Buffalo 0 0 7 7 - 14
Kent State 0 0 7 10 - 17


3Q: 11:42 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 29 run.
3Q: 11:42 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 05:10 BUFF - Ernest Diaz 4 run.
3Q: 05:10 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
4Q: 14:52 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 3 run.
4Q: 14:52 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 05:18 BUFF - Moe Downs 3 pass from Hugh Burroughs.
4Q: 05:18 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
4Q: 00:00 KENT - Leonard Shultz 34 field goal.


This week, we treated a good-sized home crowd to an old-fashioned, grind-it-out football game and, best of all, we won. It was Senior Day at Kent State, so it was great to send some of our guys out with a victory in their last home game.

We only have one senior who starts regularly--OT Phillip Harrison--but we started another senior on our O-line, Edgar Bennefield. Edgar started for us for two years, and he's been a great leader. He deserved a chance to start today, and he proved it by delivering four key run blocks.

Blaine Kooistra was the game's MVP, rushing for 106 yards on 29 carries. Again, it wasn't pretty, but he got the job done. Blaine finished the game with 980 yards rushing for the season, so he's a very good bet to pass the 1000-yard barrier next week. His sophomore season hasn't been quite as dominant as his freshman season was, but he's still the key to our offense.

Speaking of dominant freshmen, Oliver DeIulio of Bowling Green has had another huge year, averaging over 160 rushing yards a game.

Deon Scribner played well, too. He completed 13 of 22 passes, and threw one pick that didn't end up hurting us, because our defense got the ball right back. Jackie Bosworth led our receivers with four grabs for 82 yards.

And, as usual, Adrian Castillo was the leader of our defensive corps with 16 tackles. We had to make do without Wayne Merrill at linebacker, as he was recovering from a bad case of tonsillitis. Neal Hopkins shifted from the middle to the outside, and Thurman Talley started at MLB.

Recruiting Update
Three more solid players committed to Kent State this week. None of them have big-time national reputations, but we think they'll all be good football players. They are:

RB Leland Dall
C Alan Shannon
DT Percy FordDall is a sleeper; he also has been known to have a little bit of an attitude problem. He is, however, a very good student, and we think he simply needs to grow up some. While we don't project him as a feature back, we think he can make a real difference on special teams.

Shannon is an old-school O-lineman who likes run blocking best, and he's good at it. He was interested in us early, and after we didn't hear much from him, we wondered if we were still in the running. He finally narrowed down his choices to us, Zanesville, and Marshall, and he picked us.

And Ford fills a need for us at defensive tackle; while he may never develop into a stud, he's smart, he has a good attitude, and he'll probably be very coachable.

We now have 12 commitments, and that means we have four remaining scholarships. Five players are visiting us this week:

QB Tim Froese
G Jon Blaylock
T Mitchell Shockey
DT Chris Ryan
P Everett HundleyOf this group, Froese looks like the most talented player.

We have a shot at finishing the season with a winning record if we beat Akron this week. That's not the position I thought we'd be in at the beginning of the season, but it's frankly a better position than I thought we'd be in a few weeks ago.

Kent State's record: 5-5, 4-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2007
#71 Kent State (5-5, 4-3) at #102 Akron (3-7, 3-4)



Kent State 7 7 7 10 - 31
Akron 0 3 0 0 - 3

1Q: 10:20 KENT - Everett Hanson 14 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 10:20 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
2Q: 12:55 AKRN - Monty Bilek 34 field goal.
2Q: 07:06 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 4 run.
2Q: 07:06 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
3Q: 06:35 KENT - Randall Gillespie 1 run.
3Q: 06:35 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.
4Q: 07:16 KENT - Leonard Shultz 29 field goal.
4Q: 06:04 KENT - Adrian Castillo 79 interception return.
4Q: 06:04 KENT - Leonard Shultz extra point.



We closed out our season in style with a big win at Akron. Our victory gave us a winning record (6-5) for the season, which was a goal we were determined to achieve. Over the last seven games, we went 5-2, which is really more in line with what I thought we'd do this year.

Our offensive line took over the line of scrimmage, led by G Conrad Piper (7 KRB/14 opportunities), C Colin Cunningham (4/7) and T Brandon Blackburn (4/7). When the big guys play that well, the backs will have productive days, too. Blaine Kooistra (29-136) and Randall Gillespie (11-79) both enjoyed good days, and Kooistra vaulted over the 1000-yard barrier with ease.

Deon Scribner went 16-28 for 238 and a TD, a nice throw-and-catch with senior Everett Hanson. And, in keeping with what seems to be the theme of the season, we got another long return for a TD, this time an Adrian Castillo pick six.

It wasn't the season we wanted, but our players showed a lot of tenacity as they fought back from a horrible start.

Recruiting Update
We completed our recruiting class with the signing of four more players:

QB Tim Froese
G Jon Blaylock
P Everett Hundley
T Mitchell ShockeyWe would have loved to sign a couple more defensive linemen, but this wasn't a very good year for D-linemen in this part of the country. In fact, I wasn't too impressed with the defensive line prospects anywhere, and we lost out on most of the guys we pursued first.

However, we're very happy with the guys we just signed. Froese is a pro-style QB from the West Coast, a big, strong guy with a powerful arm. Blaylock is a very intelligent player from the southern part of Ohio who excels in pass protection. Hundley should be able to step right in when Pat Sawyer graduates. Shockey is HUGE--6'9", and nearly 300 pounds--and he's very raw, but we think he's got some real potential.

My pessimistic prediction turned out to be exactly right. The good news: we have almost all our key players returning, so we should be better in 2008.

Kent State's record: 6-5, 5-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2007


Central Florida walloped the MAC North champion, Bowling Green, 35-0, to win the conference championship. UCF will accept the conference's automatic bid to the Raisin Bowl in Fresno, where they'll take on Colorado.
Even though Bowling Green lost, they still came out all right. They accepted an invitation to play Kansas State in the Holiday Bowl. Incidentally, the payoff for the Holiday Bowl ($930,000) is much greater than the take from the Raisin Bowl ($620,000).
Neither Mid-American Conference team won its bowl game. Colorado beat UCF, 26-13, in the Raisin Bowl, and Kansas State took down Bowling Green, 27-14, in the Holiday Bowl. Considering both Colorado and Kansas State were heavy favorites, those outcomes weren't too surprising.
#4 Texas A&M defeated #1 Michigan, 38-14, to win the national championship,
Freshman QB Jumbo Chandler of Purdue was voted the 2007 Player of the Year. He was the #5 recruit coming out of high school last year, and he lived up to the hype, completing almost 66 percent of his passes for nearly 3300 yards and 30 touchdowns. Chandler led Purdue to a 10-2 record.

[bbgunn]

Congrats on the winning season!

[Big Six]

Congrats on the winning season!

Thanks! The team pulled it together after a horrendous start, and our 5-3 MAC record was actually the same as it was last season. Here are the MAC North standings for 2007:



MAC North Overall Record Conference Record
W L T PF PA W L T PF PA
Central Florida 9 4 0 360 260 6 2 0 236 166
Marshall 8 3 0 282 206 5 3 0 182 178
Kent State 6 5 0 213 204 5 3 0 169 122
Miami of Ohio 7 4 0 371 224 5 3 0 257 132
Akron 3 8 0 175 309 3 5 0 127 191
Buffalo 4 7 0 231 319 2 6 0 161 237
Ohio 2 9 0 176 359 2 6 0 111 234


Look at how well our defense played during the conference season! We weren't any match for teams like UCF or Miami offensively, but we were, by far, the best defensive team in either division of the conference.

Thanks for the comment, bbgunn. I'm looking forward to the best year yet for the Golden Flashes in 2008.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2007

Here are the statistics for the 2007 Kent State Golden Flashes. Senior players and their stats are highlighted in blue.



PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT RATE
Scribner 265 135 50.9 1814 9 12 110.5
Sheehan 3 3 100.0 36 0 0 200.8
TEAM 268 138 51.5 1850 9 12

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Kooistra 260 1116 4.2 8
Gillespie 89 452 5.0 3
Sheehan 2 21 10.5 0
Scribner 45 -42 -0.9 1
TEAM 413 1606 3.9 12

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Guenther 36 572 15.8 2
Kooistra 28 211 7.5 2
Hanson 22 402 18.2 4
Bosworth 21 324 15.4 1
Flynn 10 101 10.1 0
Osborne 6 69 11.5 0
Guidry 5 87 17.4 0
Gillespie 4 25 6.2 0
TEAM 138 1650 13.4 9

BLOCKING KRB KRO BL% SKA OFF%
Gourdine 32 86 37.2 4 25.8
Piper 26 87 29.8 3 23.1
Blackburn 23 60 38.3 5 16.0
Cunningham 14 48 29.1 3 13.4
Benefield 7 11 63.6 0 22.0
O'Neill 7 24 29.1 3 6.8
Harrison 6 23 26.0 3 10.3
Boggs 6 24 25.0 0 15.0

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Shultz 8 12 57 17 19 41
Ashworth 1 2 20 5 6 8
TEAM 9 14 57 22 25 49

DEFENSE TCK AST SCK TFL INT DEF
Castillo 101 26 0.0 13 3 11
Hopkins 74 29 5.0 18 1 3
Bowen 68 32 5.0 18 0 5
Merrill 37 13 1.0 6 0 0
Farr 35 11 0.0 7 0 0
Clark 27 8 0.0 2 2 4
Horton 25 11 0.0 3 1 5
Pierce 25 5 0.0 2 2 5
Cristal 22 12 6.0 6 0 0
Caskey 21 8 2.0 5 0 0
Rhodes 16 3 0.5 2 0 0
Van Pelt 15 3 1.5 5 0 0
Talley 15 4 1.0 3 0 0
Nobles 11 1 0.0 2 2 1
TOTAL 615 189 30.0 106 11 36

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In20
Sawyer 61 2163 35.4 57 15


As you can see, most of the key contributors to this year's team will be back for 2008. :D

[Big Six]

Postseason 2007

Bowling Green's star sophomore RB, Oliver DeIulio, swept the MAC's Conference MVP and Top Offensive Player awards. Oliver gained 1789 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in 13 games. He also caught 38 passes.
Our own Adrian Castillo was a worthy recipient of his second straight MAC Top Defensive Player award.
The conference's Top Offensive Freshman was WR Seth Levine of Central Florida. Levine caught 41 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns.
I wasn't surprised to learn that KSU's Neal Hopkins was named the MAC Top Defensive Freshman.
Castillo added another trophy to his growing collection when he was named a first team All-American for the second consecutive year. Two other MAC players--center Ricardo Flynn of Bowling Green and cornerback Rondell Bailey of Central Michigan were also named first team All-Americans.
Blaine Kooistra earned a second straight nomination for the National Academic Team. He was joined by G Conrad Piper. Kooistra, a Jurisprudence major, carries a cumulative GPA of 3.73. He made his first grade lower than a B last year: a C+ in Art III. Piper, also an aspiring attorney, carries a 3.47 GPA.
Two KSU freshmen were chosen for the National Freshman Team: OT Brandon Blackburn and LB Neal Hopkins.
This year, only two Golden Flashes made the All-MAC first team: Castillo and G Seth Gourdine. For both Adrian and Seth, it was their second consecutive selection.
Neal Hopkins was the only KSU player to be named to the All-MAC second team. Kooistra got beat out by Central Florida's Wally Higgs, a redshirt freshman who rushed for 1684 yards in 13 games.
Fourteen Kent State players have cumulative GPAs of 3.70 or higher. The team's overall GPA of 3.05 was the second best in the nation, trailing only Rice (3.09). The program's overall academic ranking rose to #94.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2007

Our final grades are in, and we didn't do so well this year:



Ranking 62
Performance 22
Academics 53
Recruiting 90
TV Revenue 13
Ticket Sales 39
Donations 42
Overall Score 38


I guess dropping from 8-3 to 6-5 would cause your Performance rating to drop...but all the way to 22? Sheesh. I'm not sure exactly how that score is derived; same with TV Revenue.

Our overall score is, by far, the worst of my four years at KSU. I hope that's not a sign that my job could be in jeopardy.

Looks like I might need a big 2008. Well, here goes...

[Big Six]

Preseason 2008

Here is our 2008 schedule. Home games are listed in ALL CAPS. Mid-American Conference games are highlighted in blue.



Week 1 at West Virginia 34
Week 3 DUKE 79
Week 4 DAYTON 50
Week 5 at Toledo 72
Week 6 at Central Florida 36
Week 7 MIAMI OF OHIO 60
Week 8 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 73
Week 9 at Buffalo 87
Week 10 OHIO 115
Week 12 at Marshall 43
Week 13 AKRON 98


Our non-conference schedule contains three challenging games. A win at West Virginia would be huge, and Dayton and Duke will both provide us with strong tests at home. If we're 2-1 going into the Toledo game, I'll be pleased. On the other hand, it's possible that we could be 0-3.

By the time our MAC season begins, we'll know if Toledo will be as good as their preseason ranking indicates. If they are, we'll have our hands full. We know Central Florida will bring their A game; they always do. Then, we have another pair of home games against talented opponents. Again, we could emerge from that four-game stretch with four losses, or possibly three or four wins.

On paper, the games at Buffalo and at home against Ohio two of the three easiest games on our schedule. Right now, the Ohio game is the one I would predict most confidently that we'll win. However, I'm still 0-4 against the Bobcats in my career, so I can't be TOO confident.

Then we have the trip to Marshall, which I hope has championship implications. However, my teams have never beaten the Thundering Herd, so I sure can't count on a victory in that one. We close the season at home against Akron, the only team we've beaten four times in my KSU career.

These predictions are really shots in the dark this year. We're bringing almost everyone back this year, so we should be good, but so are the teams on our schedule.

Optimistic prediction: We go undefeated at home, upset either UCF or Marshall on the road, and finish 9-2, 7-1 in the MAC. We then win the MAC championship game and secure our first 10-win season.

Pessimistic prediction: We win only one of our three non-conference games, drop our first two MAC road games, and only defend our house against one of the next two opponents. Then we right the ship somewhat, even though we get ripped at Marshall, and finish 4-7, with a 3-5 MAC record.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2008
Let's meet the 2008 Kent State offense. Here are the starters and key reserves; you'll recognize most of the names, because last year's team didn't feature many seniors.


POS NO PLAYER CL HT WT CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 15 Deon Scribner Jr 5-11 217 29/59 West Lafayette, IN/William Henry Harrison
RB 25 Blaine Kooistra Jr 6-0 208 56/64 Indianapolis, IN/Arsenal Technical
FB 30 Jeff O'Neill So 6-1 236 30/56 Circleville, OH/Logan Elm
TE 88 Rusty Flynn So 6-2 260 58/76 Proctorville, OH/Fairland
FL 87 Albert Guenther Jr 6-0 200 40/62 Concord, NC/Concord
SE 82 Jackie Bosworth Jr 5-9 167 29/51 Belvidere, IL/Belvidere
LT 78 Brandon Blackburn So 6-5 311 49/73 Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain
LG 62 Conrad Piper So 6-2 283 55/80 Attica, OH/Seneca East
C 50 Jerald Kinney Fr 6-2 256 41/84 Three Lakes, WI/Three Lakes
RG 66 Seth Gourdine Jr 6-3 301 47/60 Crown City, OH/South Gallia
RT 60 Tyrus Boggs Jr 6-5 303 40/66 Youngstown, OH/East
K 8 Dwight Ashworth So 5-7 168 16/44 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East

QB 10 Junior Sheehan So 6-0 194 16/71 Rush City, MN/Rush City
RB 29 Ralph Monroe Fr 5-11 198 44/100 Attica, OH/Seneca East
RB 23 Randall Gillespie Sr 6-0 204 27/44 Gahanna, IL/Lincoln
RB 24 Ernie Lesch Fr 6-0 237 46/69 Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck
TE 81 Shaun Guidry Sr 6-5 266 47/47 Warren, OH/Howland
WR 86 Everett Hanson Sr 5-9 177 32/32 Elnora, IN/North Daviess
WR 5 Carlton Looman So 6-0 189 25/59 Dayton, OH/Northridge
C 57 Colin Cunningham Jr 6-5 305 44/59 Goshen, OH/Goshen
G 74 Kenneth Calixto So 6-5 304 22/47 North Royalton, OH/North Royalton
T 63 Roosevelt Godfrey So 6-6 339 12/46 Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge



Scribner hasn't been a model of consistency, but when he's Freon Deon, he's certainly good enough to help us win. We might let him run the ball a little more this year. Sheehan is waiting in the wings.

Believe it or not, Kooistra has to work to keep his job; look at Monroe's upside and you'll see why. Plus, Lesch is pretty darn good, too. Gillespie, who's a good guy and a hard worker, will get a few touches. O'Neill's blocking gives him lots of value at fullback.

Flynn is a monster at TE, and we'll find a way to get the ball to him more often. Guidry is a valuable player as well. We've had really lousy luck keeping WRs healthy, which means we've never had a chance to see what ANY of these guys would do over a full season.

Kinney's huge potential gives him a very narrow edge over Cunningham at center. Colin's lackluster play in '07 made the decision easier. Gourdine is a two-time All-MAC first teamer at guard, and Piper might be even better. Needless to say, I'm going to keep tabs on the senior players at Seneca East High School from now on. Blackburn, oddly enough, has almost no endurance (2), but otherwise, he's progressing well. Boggs is a tough kid who will be just fine. I really like Calixto, who bleeds Kent State blue. Godfrey doesn't miss many meals; he's the biggest dude on an O-line that features a bunch of 300-pounders.

I'd be surprised if the KSU offense isn't much more electric than it was last year.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2008
Now, let's look at the Kent State defense. We're switching to a base 3-4 defense this year, and we're anxious to see how well the change will play out.

Here are the starters and key reserves:



POS NO PLAYER CL HT WT CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 71 Max Rockwood Fr 6-7 266 15/90 Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence
NT 97 Brandon Caskey Jr 6-3 327 34/53 Toledo, OH/Waite
RE 77 Quinn Cristal Jr 6-4 266 31/51 Chicago, IL/Von Steuben Metro Science
LOLB 54 Ross Bowen Sr 6-0 232 42/86 Allison Park, PA/Hampton
LILB 47 Neal Hopkins So 5-11 240 48/99 Beecher, IL/Beecher
RILB 31 Frank Miller Fr 6-3 239 37/86 Sanford, ME/Sanford
ROLB 55 Wayne Merrill Sr 6-1 217 31/65 North Lima, OH/South Range
CB1 32 Will Pierce So 5-11 186 58/58 Chesapeake, VA/Indian River
CB2 36 Mitch Clark Sr 6-0 215 36/55 Frankfort, OH/Adena
FS 9 Adrian Castillo Sr 6-1 209 74/74 Cleveland, OH/Valley Forge
SS 33 Neil Farr So 5-8 200 30/48 Mount Orab, OH/Western Brown
P 17 Pat Sawyer Sr 6-5 222 72/72 Saint Clairsville, OH/Saint Clairsville

LE 75 Corwin Heller Sr 6-0 264 17/43 Navarre, OH/Fairless
DT 91 Ethan Drake Jr 6-1 268 11/43 Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
DL 76 Harvey Van Pelt So 6-3 287 14/44 Youngstown, OH/Chaney
LB 49 Vince Geary Sr 6-4 236 27/27 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush
LB 53 Thurman Talley So 6-3 243 19/56 Hamtramck, MI/Hamtramck
LB 34 Darnell Warren Jr 6-1 258 26/26 Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy
LB 44 Colin Wistrom Fr 6-0 234 25/58 Middletown, IN/Shenandoah
CB 28 Bruce Horton So 5-10 175 36/54 Neenah, WI/Neenah
CB 4 Robbie Nobles Jr 6-0 196 17/36 Roy, UT/Roy


I'd love to be able to redshirt blue-chipper Rockwood, but Leon McWilliams' inability to pass his classes ruined that plan. The King of Leon will sit out a year while he gets his academic house in order. Cristal has been solid, and Heller, a gritty walkon, will back up both ends. Caskey, whose appetite rivals that of Roosevelt Godfrey, provides a massive presence at nose tackle.

It's a shame Bowen basically lost a full season to injury. I'm sure it held back his development; he's still a very good player, but he might have been more than that. Merrill, on the other side, is good against the run and in zone coverage. Hopkins looks to build on a successful freshman campaign, and Miller's bars indicate he should be a force, if not this year, then soon. The reserve 'backers can all play, making the linebacking corps perhaps the deepest and most skilled unit on the team.

Castillo is poised for another superlative year, and could end his KSU career as a three-time first team All-American. Pierce has developed into a shutdown corner. Clark, Horton, and Nobles give us three more decent corners. Nobles, in particular, plays above his scouted level. Farr has a body like Kirby Puckett's, and hits like him, too.

Sawyer is one of the nation's better punting specialists. I forgot to mention Dwight Ashworth, our kicker, in my feature about the offense. He's hoping to recover from an injury that cost him most of last season.

The linebacking corps looks good, and Castillo is the kind of player whom opposing teams must account for on every down. With AC leading the way, we have the makings of a fine defensive unit.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2008
#63 Kent State at #34 West Virginia
TV3


Kent State 14 7 7 0 22 - 50
West Virginia 7 7 0 14 19 - 47

1Q: 14:15 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 78 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 14:15 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 07:27 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 1 run.
1Q: 07:27 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 01:38 WVIR - Everett Freed 21 pass from Clyde Poteet.
1Q: 01:38 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
2Q: 07:17 KENT - Neil Farr 98 interception return.
2Q: 07:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 01:57 WVIR - Donnell Sturgell 8 run.
2Q: 01:57 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
3Q: 06:28 KENT - Albert Guenther 19 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 06:28 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 09:48 WVIR - Everett Freed 9 pass from Clyde Poteet.
4Q: 09:48 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
4Q: 01:06 WVIR - Don Jenkins 35 pass from Clyde Poteet.
4Q: 01:06 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
OT: 12:23 WVIR - Austin Wescott 25 field goal.
OT: 13:36 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.
OT: 14:14 KENT - Albert Guenther 22 pass from Deon Scribner.
OT: 14:14 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
OT: 12:46 WVIR - Everett Freed 13 pass from Clyde Poteet.
OT: 12:46 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
OT: 12:42 WVIR - Austin Wescott 25 field goal.
OT: 13:20 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 39 field goal.
OT: 12:56 KENT - Deon Scribner 9 run.
OT: 12:56 KENT - Deon Scribner pass for conversion failed.
OT: 14:52 WVIR - Glenn Zgonina 25 run.
OT: 14:52 WVIR - Donnell Sturgell run for conversion failed.
OT: 12:39 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 25 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 15 Deon Scribner



Before a larger audience than any to watch Kent State football in my four-plus years here--both live and on TV--we pulled off the biggest victory we've achieved together. It took four full quarters and five overtime rounds, but we made a great defensive stand and gave Dwight Ashworth the opportunity to kick the short field goal that sewed up a 50-47 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

We nearly won the game in regulation, taking a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Deon Scribner threw two TD passes, one a thrilling 78-yarder to Jackie Bosworth. Neil Farr picked off a pass and raced 98 yards to paydirt.

But, as good teams will do, especially at home, West Virginia rose to the challenge and tied the game. Quarterback Clyde Poteet, who's as tough as the West Virginia hills, engineered two magnificent scoring drives.

Through the first four overtime rounds, we traded scores with the Mountaineers--field goal for field goal, touchdown for touchdown. Then, in the fifth round, West Virginia took the ball and advanced it to our 11-yard line. On third and five, DE Quinn Cristal broke through and sacked Poteet for a six-yard loss. We pressured kicker Austin Wescott, and his 34-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

We took possession, and Scribner completed a pass to TE Rusty Flynn for 17 yards as the crowd roared. The WVU defense then braced itself and stopped Scribner and Blaine Kooistra at the line of scrimmage on successive plays, and then Scribner threw incomplete. On fourth down, I sent Ashworth out to kick a field goal, and his 25-yarder split the uprights.

We expected West Virginia to play tough defense against the run, and they did. Kooistra gained 55 yards on 21 carries, and Ralph Monroe added 23 more in 13 attempts.

Our defense played a little than the score indicates. Adrian Castillo, as usual, led the way with 17 tackles, but he got outstanding support from linebackers Neal Hopkins (15 tackles, one sack). Ross Bowen (14 tackles), and Frank Miller (12 tackles in his first collegiate game.)

However, the day belonged to senior QB Freon Deon Scribner, who played the best game of his collegiate career. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three scores.

Recruiting Update
We made our initial recruiting contacts this week. Our prime target is DE Drew Doyle, a Pennsylvania kid who is the #9 player in the nation. I figured if we landed Frank Miller, we had a shot at anyone. (He's a blue recruit, so it's not THAT much of a stretch.) We're also looking at another DE, Tommie Wilcox, an in-state player whose national reputation isn't as good, but whom we think might be every bit as good as Doyle.

Kent State's record: 1-0.

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2008

Bye week. We continued our recruiting efforts, concentrating largely on targets in our home state of Ohio. It's a little too early to get visit requests, though.

We're preparing for our home opener against Duke, still riding the momentum of our big win at West Virginia.

[bbgunn]

Wow, what an overtime!

[Big Six]

Wow, what an overtime!

You aren't kidding! I thought it might be over when WVU's running back, Glenn Zgonina, took the ball on the first play of the fourth overtime and ran it straight into the end zone. Then our defense stopped the conversion attempt and kept us alive, and we made that huge stop and forced the field goal in the next round.

I hope this victory sets the tone for the whole season. :)

Thanks for the comment, bbgunn. :)

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2008
#72 Duke (1-1) at #20 Kent State (1-0)
TV5


Duke 7 7 3 0 - 17
Kent State 0 10 7 7 - 24

1Q: 04:59 DUKE - Lamont Watson 2 run.
1Q: 04:59 DUKE - Jerald Copeland extra point.
2Q: 10:34 KENT - Albert Guenther 79 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 10:34 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 05:33 DUKE - B.J. Compton 3 pass from Earl Wilkerson.
2Q: 05:33 DUKE - Jerald Copeland extra point.
2Q: 00:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.
3Q: 10:24 DUKE - Jerald Copeland 35 field goal.
3Q: 03:42 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 1 run.
3Q: 03:42 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 00:45 KENT - Jeff O'Neill 22 fumble return.
4Q: 00:45 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 47 Neal Hopkins


At one point, it looked like we might be playing our second consecutive overtime game. Then, we got a huge, huge play from our punt team, and we pulled out a thrilling victory before a big Dix Stadium crowd.

With 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 17. We faced fourth-and-4 from our own 43. Duke's Michael Hammons fielded Pat Sawyer's punt, took three steps, and was blasted by Jerald Kinney. The ball popped loose, Jeff O'Neill scooped it up, and he raced 22 yards for the game-winning score.

We were lucky, because Duke had outplayed us all day long. Our running game wasn't nearly as sharp as it had been against West Virginia, for one thing. Blaine Kooistra scored a touchdown on a one-yard plunge but, unfortunately, most of his 20 other carries didn't yield much more yardage. Blaine finished the day with 31 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Ralph Monroe carried seven times for 55 yards. We'll definitely let Ralph have a few more touches next week against Dayton.

Neal Hopkins' 13 tackles, interception, and sack earned him MVP honors, but Adrian Castillo (19 hits) might have easily won the award, too. And Frank Miller, who was in on 17 tackles in the second game of his Kent State career, deserves some props for his performance.

We're 2-0, with a tough test against Toledo coming up next week.

Recruiting Update
Still not much to report here. It's funny; for three straight years now, no players who grew up idolizing the Golden Flashes have been found in the recruit pool, leaving second team guard Kenneth Calixto as the only lifelong KSU fan on our roster.

Kent State's record: 2-0.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2008
#45 Dayton (1-1) at #23 Kent State (2-0)
TV3


Dayton 0 7 0 0 - 7
Kent State 10 7 3 14 - 34

1Q: 05:32 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
1Q: 00:50 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 19 run.
1Q: 00:50 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 04:20 DAYT - Graham Fournier 12 run.
2Q: 04:20 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
2Q: 04:13 KENT - Will Pierce 94 kickoff return.
2Q: 04:13 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 08:11 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.
4Q: 12:42 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 12:42 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 09:30 KENT - Ralph Monroe 10 run.
4Q: 09:30 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


We played as well this week--offensively, defensively, and on special teams--as we have since I've been at Kent State. That enabled us to win a decisive victory over a good Dayton team.

Ralph Monroe responded well to the challenge of his first collegiate start: 24 carries, 110 yards. Blaine Kooistra bounced back with 72 more in 10 attempts, and Deon Scribner added 45 in 12 rushes. Kenneth Calixto started at guard in place of Conrad Piper, who hyperextended a knee against Duke and wasn't quite ready.

Scribner threw three picks, which was really the only thing I would have changed about our offensive performance. When Deon wasn't throwing interceptions, he was hooking up with our wideouts for big gains. Albert Guenther led the team with 102 yards on three catches.

Defensively, we were superb. We were able to get lots of guys into the game, so none of our defensive players amassed huge stats, but we held Dayton to 257 yards, 13 first downs, and only seven points. And we got another special teams TD, this time on a kickoff return by Will Pierce.

Unfortunately, we've probably seen the last of TE Rusty Flynn for the year. Rusty tore up his knee, and will need surgery. Fortunately, we have a very good player, senior Shaun Guidry, ready to step in. Shaun has been a starter in the past, and we know he'll do a good job.

Now we're 3-0, heading into the MAC season and a very tough game against Toledo. I think the computer rankings make us look a little better than we are--I find it tough to believe we're really the 23rd best team in the country--but I know we're good.

Recruiting Update
We have our initial list of targets fairly complete. As usual, we're going after a lot of the most talented players in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, and reaching for a few guys from out of the region whom we believe would be good fits for our program. Nobody has announced his intention to visit yet, but we figure that will start to happen in a couple of weeks.

Kent State's record: 3-0.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2008
#12 Kent State (3-0) at #26 Toledo (2-0)
TV4


Kent State 0 0 3 0 - 3
Toledo 7 7 0 0 - 14

1Q: 05:35 TOLE - Rico Peters 29 pass from Stan Horn.
1Q: 05:35 TOLE - Clay Richardson extra point.
2Q: 07:04 TOLE - Rico Peters 19 pass from Stan Horn.
2Q: 07:04 TOLE - Clay Richardson extra point.
3Q: 06:15 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 41 field goal.



I think our offense forgot to make the trip up to Toledo this week. Our defense played very well once again, but our inability to put points on the board hurt us.

Toledo shut down our ground game, which had been so productive the week before against Dayton. Neither Ralph Monroe nor Blaine Kooistra could average three yards per carry. With the exception of one 65-yard pass play from Deon Scribner to Albert Guenther, we didn't move the ball effectively through the air, either.

We got a huge game out of true freshman DE Max Rockwood, who tied a team record with four sacks. (Don Mok is the other Golden Flash to rack up four sacks in a game; he accomplished the feat against Ball State in 2005.) And our punter, Pat Sawyer, averaged 41.0 yards on five kicks, making our defense's job a little easier.

While it was great to go 3-0 in non-conference play, I hate to begin the MAC season with a loss. Hopefully our offense will re-emerge against Central Florida next week.

Recruiting Update

Still no real news, except for the fact that a quarterback we were recruiting, Andrew Hayes of Calhoun, Georgia, signed with his homestate Dawgs.

OK, I admit it. I was recruiting Hayes because Calhoun is just south of the town where I grew up. Gordon Central High, the school Hayes attends, is smaller than mine, so we didn't play them, but I knew plenty of guys who played there. It would have been cool to have signed him.

Kent State's record: 3-1, 0-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2008
#29 Kent State (3-1, 0-1) at #35 Central Florida (3-1, 1-0)
TV5


Kent State 0 7 3 0 - 10
Central Florida 0 10 9 14 - 33

2Q: 07:19 CFLA - Lance Kirk 33 field goal.
2Q: 03:08 CFLA - Seth Levine 1 run.
2Q: 03:08 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
2Q: 01:58 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 74 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 01:58 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 09:42 CFLA - Lance Kirk 34 field goal.
3Q: 06:08 CFLA - Wally Higgs 7 run.
3Q: 06:08 CFLA - Wally Higgs run for conversion failed.
3Q: 00:31 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 28 field goal.
4Q: 08:23 CFLA - Wally Higgs 11 run.
4Q: 08:23 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.
4Q: 04:47 CFLA - Wally Higgs 8 run.
4Q: 04:47 CFLA - Lance Kirk extra point.



For a quarter, we stood toe to toe with Central Florida and held our own, but a football game is four quarters long. CFU did a better job of responding to that reality, and now we're 0-2 in the conference.

When you're outgained 206-22 on the ground, you usually don't win, unless your passing game is especially dynamic. Ours usually isn't, and while Deon Scribner had a very good day at QB (11-17, 231 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), we don't typically beat teams through the air.

Ralph Monroe was our leading rusher with 20 yards on 11 carries. Blaine Kooistra had 12 attempts and gained 14 yards. We're averaging 2.9 yards per carry for the year, and I don't want to see how crappy that stat would be if we take out the Dayton game. We haven't used highly-regarded freshman Ernie Lesch yet, which still gives us the chance to redshirt him...but if Blaine and Ralph don't get it going soon, I might give Ernie an opportunity to see if he can do a better job.

We had Conrad Piper back at guard, but we miss Rusty Flynn's blocking ability tat tight end. I'm not calling as many outside runs as I was when Flynn, a steamroller of a blocker, was on the field.

When you let your opponents convert 12 of 15 third downs, you allow them to keep the chains moving, and that usually leads to points. Adrian Castillo had a typical Castillo game with 17 tackles, and the linebackers were all active, racking up anywhere between 8 and 12 stops of their own. Max Rockwood was productive, too; he had seven tackles from his defensive end position, and only one was a sack.

Central Florida just beat us, plain and simple. I knew they'd be very good--they always are--but after we started 3-0, I let myself believe we might go down there and whip them.

Didn't happen.

Recruiting News
We didn't pursue as many longshots as we did last year, but we did go after a few. Several of them made their decisions this week, and unfortunately, none of them picked us.

We lost out on two good cornerbacks. John Coles picked Florida State, which didn't surprise us much. Kenny Henry, from the Cincinnati suburbs, chose Miami of Ohio, and that hurt. We thought we had a good shot at Kenny, and to lose him to a conference rival...we hate that.

I'd feel better if a few of our prospects would schedule a visit with us. Many of them have lined up a visit with one or two schools, so we're still in the running. Expect some real activity on this front very soon.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 0-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2008
#24 Miami of Ohio (5-0, 2-0) at #51 Kent State (3-2, 0-2)
TV5


Miami of Ohio 14 0 7 7 - 28
Kent State 0 14 14 10 - 38

1Q: 06:21 MIAO - Lorenzo Jefferson 8 pass from Claude Tetreault.
1Q: 06:21 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
1Q: 03:51 MIAO - Vincent Dunlap 75 interception return.
1Q: 03:51 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
2Q: 08:59 KENT - Everett Hanson 33 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 08:59 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 05:19 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 run.
2Q: 05:19 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 06:15 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 06:15 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 02:21 KENT - Ralph Monroe 8 run.
3Q: 02:21 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 01:04 MIAO - Kennedy Henson 70 pass from Claude Tetreault.
3Q: 01:04 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
4Q: 09:34 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 16 run.
4Q: 09:34 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 07:00 MIAO - Kennedy Henson 19 pass from Claude Tetreault.
4Q: 07:00 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
4Q: 00:04 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 24 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe



There was definitely a big-game feel on campus this week. Our rivalry with Miami has intensified considerably since I've been at Kent State. We are conference rivals; we recruit a lot of the same players; many of our students thought about attending schools there, and vice versa. And, with the Redhawks undefeated and riding high, there seemed to be a sense of urgency surrounding the game. We needed a victory--needed it badly--to get back into the MAC North race.

Fortunately, we rediscovered the formula for offensive success that we use when we're playing our best: establish the ground game, and use it to set up timely passes. With Blaine Kooistra nursing a twisted ankle, we relied heavily on Ralph Monroe, and he delivered: 33 carries, 165 yards, and three touchdowns. Kooistra gritted his teeth and contributed 53 more yards on 11 carries. We ran the ball 55 times, gained 227 yards, and controlled the tempo of the game.

Conrad Piper, Jerald Kinney, and Seth Gourdine, the heart of our O-line, contributed 17 key run blocks between them, and tackle Brandon Blackburn added three more.

We wanted to keep the ball out of the hands of Claude Tetrault, Miami's dangerous quarterback, and we did so very effectively. Tetrault threw three touchdown passes, but by then, we had a good lead, and it didn't matter so much.

Recruiting Update
There's usually a HUGE explosion of recruiting activity going into Week 8, and this year was no exception.

We signed our first recruit this week! He's All-State guard James Hudson, out of Carey, Ohio. A big, strong farm boy, James will probably need a lot of work when he arrives at KSU (his high school's Athletic Prep score is 13), but we think he ought to be a very good player for us before he's through. He visited us and immediately accepted his scholarship offer.

We also have visits lined up from no fewer than 14 other players:

QB Percy Langfahl
WR Mark Houston
C Todd Voigt
T Rich Todd
T Mel Weibel
K Charlie Givens
DE Drew Doyle
OLB Cornelius Banks
OLB Marshall Corley
CB Clyde Westbrook
CB Darren Cornbower
S Seth Krohn
S Johnnie AndersonDoyle stands alone as the most highly touted recruit we're still pursuing. Besides Kent State, Drew is visiting Penn State, Nebraska, Florida, and Miami of Florida. The improving quality of our business school will help, but most experts think Drew, a Pennsylvania boy, will one day be a Nittany Lion.

Kent State's record: 4-2, 1-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2008
#120 Central Michigan (0-5, 0-3) at #39 Kent State (4-2, 1-2)


Central Michigan 0 14 0 0 - 14
Kent State 0 10 9 14 - 33

2Q: 14:29 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 25 field goal.
2Q: 08:16 KENT - Albert Guenther 4 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 08:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 04:49 CMIC - Oscar George 15 run.
2Q: 04:49 CMIC - Max Whitfield extra point.
2Q: 01:07 CMIC - Xavier Turner 18 pass from Luke Baskin.
2Q: 01:07 CMIC - Max Whitfield extra point.
3Q: 10:57 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 42 field goal.
3Q: 04:01 KENT - Carlton Looman 9 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 04:01 KENT - Deon Scribner pass for conversion failed.
4Q: 13:01 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 5 run.
4Q: 13:01 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 03:21 KENT - Ralph Monroe 20 run.
4Q: 03:21 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


It was unseasonably cold this week, but that didn't stop us from doing what we needed to do against a winless Central Michigan team. Ralph Monroe was again the star, gaining 135 yards on 32 carries and keying our victory.

Seth Gourdine is playing the way a two-time All-MAC lineman should play (five more KRBs), and is putting himself in position to earn his third straight All-Conference award. Seth is a junior; how cool would it be for him to be an All-MAC first teamer for four years?

When Blaine Kooistra fully recovers from his ankle injury, I'll get him more touches than he's had lately. Once our feature back, Blaine is handling his new role as a supporting actor very well. I think of us as having a #1 and a #1-A back when both Ralph and Blaine are hale and hearty.

We probably lost WR Jackie Bosworth for the season to a torn Achilles tendon. I have no idea why we lose so many wideouts to injury! Our offensive coordinator, Tim Sampson, is Decent at injury avoidance, and it doesn't seem like we have more injuries than normal at other positions.

Jackie has caught 12 passes this year for 269 yards...a sweet 22.4 average. As good as that figure is, it doesn't lead our team. Albert Guenther has 565 receiving yards on 22 catches; that's 25.4 yards per catch.

Another fine performance by our defense was keyed by Frank Miller, who made eleven tackles and intercepted a pass.

Unfortunately, I had to suspend freshman WR Jack Dunlap for violating team rules. Dunlap is redshirting this year, and it's been my experience that when I crack down on a guy, he often leaves the program (see Roaf, Josh). Dunlap might never see the field for us, and that would be a shame. I hope he sticks around and mends his ways.

Recruiting Update
We had a really, really lousy week. We went 0-6, losing out on the three defensive players I was most excited about.

After I saw the list of schools who made Drew Doyle's final cut, I didn't feel too optimistic and, as I thought he would, he chose Penn State. So did Cornelius Banks, who chose the "real Linebacker U." over our "up-and-coming" version.

We also lost out on CB Clyde Westbrook, who's from the same North Carolina high school that produced our Brandon Blackburn. He decided to stay in-state and sign with the Tar Heels.

The other fish who got away were QB Percy Langfahl (Texas A&M), DT Ben Ponds (Baylor) and C Trent Voigt (Dayton). Losing Voigt hurts the most in some ways, because he's an in-state player and we lost him to a Buckeye Conference team.

Kent State's record: 5-2, 2-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2008

In my frustration over seeing the lousy results of last week's recruiting, I forgot to mention the good news, such as it was.

Five more players will be visiting us:

G Dominic Kidwell
DE Tommie Wilcox
DT Steven Short
DT Brad Belzer
S Wade GoodstrikerThey've all received scholarship offers from us. All of them are visiting four other schools, with the exception of Short, who has only Kent State on his list so far. The fact that Steven's high school has an Athletic Preparation score of 5 might have something to do with that. He's talented, but very, very raw.

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2008
#33 Kent State (5-2, 2-2) at #86 Buffalo (2-4, 1-2)


Kent State 0 7 7 3 - 17
Buffalo 7 13 3 0 - 23

1Q: 09:20 BUFF - Jumpy Rathbone 6 pass from Hugh Burroughs.
1Q: 09:20 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
2Q: 14:25 KENT - Ralph Monroe 5 run.
2Q: 14:25 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 10:11 BUFF - Jumpy Rathbone 9 pass from Hugh Burroughs.
2Q: 10:11 BUFF - Ike Harrison extra point.
2Q: 03:44 BUFF - Ike Harrison 35 field goal.
2Q: 00:03 BUFF - Ike Harrison 43 field goal.
3Q: 06:00 BUFF - Ike Harrison 20 field goal.
3Q: 01:27 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 16 run.
3Q: 01:27 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 11:25 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 21 field goal



Never underestimate the power of a wide receiver named Jumpy.

We somehow managed to lose Jumpy Rathbone, a Buffalo WR who stands 6'4" and weighs 240 pounds, on two plays in the red zone, and we paid for our mistake twice. That, and the marksmanship of their placekicker made the difference in a close loss to the Bulls at their place.

We were forced to make a change at quarterback this week. Deon Scribner has a herniated disk in his back, an ailment that might end his season and, since he's a senior, his collegiate career as well. Junior Sheehan, whom we think will be a very good quarterback for us, stepped in for his first KSU start and handled the job well.

Buffalo did a very good job of controlling the ball and keeping our defense on the field. It's really hard to score if you don't have the ball, and we didn't have it much this week: only 25 minutes' worth.

Ralph Monroe (18 carries, 109 yards) and Blaine Kooistra (6 carries, 39 yards) were productive when they could get their hands on the ball, and Sheehan (7-13, no interceptions) managed the game very well for a guy who hasn't played much.

I never like to lose, and I'm sure not happy with the fact that we're 2-3 in the conference now. At the same time, however, there are losses that you look at and say, "OK, we played pretty well. Our opponent simply played a little better." Two or three plays made the difference this week, and it's not like we got the tar beat out of us.

Recruiting Update
We did get the tar beat out of us recruiting-wise this week...AGAIN. First, the good news. We signed our second this week: safety Johnnie Anderson of Valparaiso, Indiana.

I'm excited to land Johnnie. He's a ballhawk who picked off 12 passes as a high school senior. He's also a big, physical safety: 6'1" and 185 pounds already. Johnnie wants to be a dentist one day, and he's been known to loosen a few teeth when he levels a ballcarrier. He's ranked #43 in the nation at his position, and we think he might be better than that. Iowa State was the school that was next-highest on his list.

On the other hand, we lost six other guys we'd offered. Worse, we lost TWO more players to Dayton: K Charlie Givens and S Seth Krohn. Signing Anderson makes the loss of Krohn less of a blow (we like Anderson better), and our need for a kicker is less urgent than it could be because Dwight Ashworth is still only a sophomore. Still, I don't like watching Dayton win one recruiting battle after another against us.

We learned this week that a very good defensive end, Bert Nelson, will be visiting us. Nelson is the #3 DE in Michigan, and right now, we're in a one-on-one recruiting battle with Miami of Ohio for him.

Kent State's record: 5-3, 2-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2008
#90 Ohio (3-4, 3-1) at #45 Kent State (5-3, 2-3)


Ohio 3 0 0 0 - 3
Kent State 14 13 14 14 - 55

1Q: 08:48 OHIO - Neil Meadows 21 field goal.
1Q: 06:51 KENT - Junior Sheehan 20 run.
1Q: 06:51 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 00:33 KENT - Jeff O'Neill 2 run.
1Q: 00:33 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 03:42 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
2Q: 02:43 KENT - Ralph Monroe 14 run.
2Q: 02:43 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 00:00 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 49 field goal.
3Q: 07:42 KENT - Albert Guenther 15 pass from Junior Sheehan.
3Q: 07:42 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 02:26 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 3 run.
3Q: 02:26 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 14:50 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 7 run.
4Q: 14:50 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 03:02 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 run.
4Q: 03:02 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 62 Conrad Piper


I was surprised by the magnitude of the pounding we put on Ohio today. They were 3-1 in the league, which put them ahead of us in the division standings.

When you win a game like this one, lots of guys get on the field, and that's a good thing. For example, we got three quarterbacks some playing time. Freshman Tim Froese and walkon Sean Downs went 6-6 between them. And, obviously, Junior Sheehan got the offense going great guns before he came out of the game.

Ralph Monroe had another 100-yard plus game (23-121), but Blaine Kooistra struggled a little bit (16-41). Albert Guenther gained 102 yards on five catches.

Conrad Piper, who pushed guys around all day long and recorded six KRBs in eight chances before taking the rest of the day off, was a worthy MVP, but all ten O-linemen who played more than a couple of plays got at least one KRB.

Seventeen players recorded at least one tackle on defense, and two who didn't broke up a pass.

It's nice to win one like this every once in a while. We didn't run up the score on Ohio; our second and third teamers simply had a very good day, too.

Recruiting Update
We signed two more players this week, including one we're really thrilled to get on board.

I honestly thought we were out of the running for Wade Goodstriker, an All-State safety from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He looked like he was on his way to Marshall; he planned his visit there early on, and when we called him, he repeatedly mentioned his interest in their program.

Something happened, though, and now he's on his way to Kent State. Wade is the #10 safety in the nation, according to rivals.com, and the #195 player overall. He has a tremendous attitude, and on paper, he reminds me quite a bit of a guy named Adrian Castillo who's had a pretty good career for us.

We also signed DT Brad Belzer out of western New York. He doesn't have a glowing reputation nationally, but we like him a lot. He's very solid at the point of attack, and he comes from a program that's prepared him well to play at this level.

We missed out on four players, but only one signed with another MAC team: OT Mel Weibel, who's off to Marshall. I suppose we traded him for Goodstriker.


Three more players, all linemen, are visiting next week:

C Tim Uerling
G Glen Perkins
DE Donald KimrinUerling and Perkins are from Wisconsin, and Kimrin is an All-Stater from Illinois.


Kent State's record: 6-3, 3-3 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2008

A well-earned bye week.

Recruiting Update
Two of our targets signed this week, and one signed with us. Welcome to Kent State, Tim Uerling.

Unlike our other center from the Badger State, Jerald Kinney, Tim's a city boy from Milwaukee. He's a very good run blocker who should fit in well with our scheme.

Guard Glen Perkins chose to accept an appointment to the Air Force Academy. It's hard to say anything but "congratulations, and good luck" to a young man who wants to become an officer in our armed forces.

Uerling's decision leaves us with ten of this year's 15 scholarships available. We've given offers to 12 players, four of whom have added us to the list of schools they're visiting:

QB Drew Stamper
QB Vernon McIntyre
TE Larry Conners
DT O.J. Van Pelt

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2008
#35 Kent State (6-3, 3-3) at #54 Marshall (5-4, 4-2)


Kent State 0 0 0 0 - 0
Marshall 0 7 0 14 - 21

2Q: 10:29 MRSH - Isaac Boyer 10 run.
2Q: 10:29 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
4Q: 03:24 MRSH - Rodney Curtis 7 pass from Perry O'Leary.
4Q: 03:24 MRSH - Robert England extra point.
4Q: 01:51 MRSH - Joe Ioane 3 pass from Perry O'Leary.
4Q: 01:51 MRSH - Robert England extra point.




We went into this game in fourth place in the MAC North, trailing Miami and Central Florida (each 6-1) and Marshall (4-2). Incidentally, Miami is 9-1 overall now, and they're ranked #14 in the coaches' poll. Their only loss was against us.

The weather was rainy, nasty, and cold, and we slogged through a disappointing loss that probably ended our chances for an at-large bowl bid. Marshall did a much better job of holding on to the ball than we did; we each threw one pick, but we lost two fumbles and they didn't lose any. That made the difference this week.

We outgained Marshall, 273-270, and controlled the ball for almost 37 minutes. Ralph Monroe led us with 91 yards rushing and with 64 yards receiving, but he coughed up the ball on the Marshall 18 and the Thundering Herd drove down the field and scored.

Junior Sheehan threw for 199 yards, but he also turned the slippery ball over twice. Frank Miller, Adrian Castillo, and Ross Bowen all made eight tackles, but too often they should have been on the sideline watching their offensive teammates rather than sticking Marshall ballcarriers and passcatchers. Castillo did take the ball back once, picking off a Perry O'Leary pass.

Recruiting Update

In a week when we could use some good news, we got some very good news on the recruiting front. We went 2-3 this week, landing a quarterback and a defensive end.

The QB is Drew Stamper, the state of Ohio's #5 player at his position. I think he's better than the assistants who scouted him do, and he's got a very good attitude. You can't have enough guys like Drew on your team.

The DE is Bert Nelson, the Michigan product we were competing with Miami to sign. Michigan State made a late pass at him, but we managed to close the deal. Bert is small for a defensive end--219 pounds right now--but he's a tenacious pass rusher. Even if he's really not as good as our scouts say (they rate him at an 84), he could still become an impact player.

Nine players now have standing scholarship offers from us, and seven spots are available in our recruiting class. One more player, FB Dwayne Linkous, a big, tough Pennsylvania kid, is visiting us this week.

Kent State's record: 6-4, 3-4 in MAC play.

[Izulde]

You just can't seem to beat Marshall whatever you do. Creates a nice rivalry storyline, though. :D

[Big Six]

You just can't seem to beat Marshall whatever you do. Creates a nice rivalry storyline, though. :D


You noticed that, did you? :) I thought they were ripe for a beating this time, but nope.

Now I pay close attention when we're recruiting the same players. I'm starting to hate losing guys to the Herd.

Thanks, as always, for the comment.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2008
#122 Akron (1-8, 1-6) at #44 Kent State (6-4, 3-4)


Akron 0 0 0 0 - 0
Kent State 14 14 6 0 - 34

Weather: 36 degrees, snow.

1Q: 14:52 KENT - Adrian Castillo 98 kickoff return.
1Q: 14:52 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 08:43 KENT - Albert Guenther 25 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 08:43 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 14:50 KENT - Ralph Monroe 43 run.
2Q: 14:50 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 08:48 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 run.
2Q: 08:48 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 05:37 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.
3Q: 00:08 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 38 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe



On a wintry day at Kent State's Dix Stadium, senior free safety Adrian Castillo went back to receive the opening kickoff. He fielded the kick and, with snow swirling around him, returned it 98 yards for a touchdown as the crowd roared. We took a quick lead and never looked back, winning our final game of the 2008 season over Akron.

Ralph Monroe, who gained 97 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, was named the game's MVP, but Castillo, who put on his blue-and-gold #9 Kent State jersey for the final time today, was truly the hero of the day. He made 14 tackles and intercepted a pass, leading a defensive effort that held the Zips to eight first downs, 121 total yards and, of course, a shutout.

Deon Scribner was cleared to play today, and while he looked a little rusty in his return to action after missing time with a herniated disk, it was great to see him back on the field. In snowy conditions, he wisely chose to dump the ball off to Monroe on many occasions, and Ralph caught 7 passes for 72 yards.

I'm pleased that we evened our conference record at 4-4, but I had hoped for better. Losing three key offensive players--QB Scribner, WR Jackie Bosworth, and TE Rusty Flynn--for large portions of the season didn't help.

I'm a bit frustrated by the fact that our offense has never seemed to jell. I've always liked the Wing T, but perhaps it's time to think about a switch for next year...or possibly it's time to bring in someone new to run it. That's something I'll contemplate this offseason.

However, right now I'd rather look back at the career of one of the best players I've ever seen, Adrian Castillo. He will almost certainly end his career with more unassisted tackles than any player in history: 388 initial hits. Add in his 122 assists, and his 510 total tackles average out to about 11.5 stops per game.

AC has also made his mark as a return man, taking two punts and three kickoffs to the house during his career, and also returned one of his 16 interceptions for a score. He contributed 2726 all-purpose yards, second only to Blaine Kooistra over the time I've been at Kent State.

Congratulations, Adrian, and congratulations to the rest of the seniors who will be leaving the program this year. You're the first class of players I recruited or, in the case of redshirt seniors, who never played for any other coach. Thank you for representing us with class.


Recruiting Update
We also had a good week recruiting-wise. We went 4-6, adding the following players to our recruiting class:

QB Vernon McIntyre
TE Larry Conners
DE Tommie Wilcox
DT Steven ShortMcIntyre is a very intriguing prospect. He's an athletic quarterback who likes to run and is good at it, but he's far from one-dimensional. Vernon has been well-coached and has natural leadership skills. He's from Warren, about 40 miles from here.

Conners, the #31 TE in the nation, has a knack for making clutch catches and also played some defense. We need tight ends, however, so we'll leave Larry on offense. He's from a tiny town in New York, up near the Canadian border.

Wilcox was on our recruiting radar right away, An All-State DE from Marion, Tommie racked up 15.5 sacks in nine games, so we have a pretty good idea about his ability to harass a quarterback. He's the #26 DE in the nation, and the #200 player overall.

Short, another small-town guy from northeastern Pennsylvania, has a great motor and good size (6'5", 258). He might never be a star, but I have a feeling he'll set a great example for his teammates by working his hardest to develop his potential.

Now we have 11 of 15 scholarships filled, and four players still are considering their offers from us.

Kent State's record: 7-4, 4-4 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Conference Championship Week, 2008

This year, the Mid-American Conference championship game drew more national attention than it usually does. Two nationally-ranked teams, each with 10-1 records, met to decide who would receive the conference's automatic bid to the Raisin Bowl.

The game turned out to be rather unexciting. #14 Miami of Ohio routed #12 Bowling Green, 52-14.

Bowling Green promptly accepted an invitation to play Tulane (8-3) in the California Bowl, and a third MAC team--Central Florida (8-3) --will be bowl-bound as well. They'll face 7-4 Auburn in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

Recruiting Update
This year, we ended our recruiting season on a high note. Four players signed this week, completing our 15-man class:

FB Larry Gilroy
WR Mark Houston
K Brant Blaylock
DE Donald KimrinGilroy was the most recent addition to our pool of recruits. An outstanding student from a Cleveland high school without a great football reputation, Larry impressed us with his attitude and his coachability. We had an idea that Dwayne Linkous might sign with Notre Dame, and he did, but our staff honestly likes Gilroy almost as much.

We've been pursuing Houston all year, and finally lured him away from Miami of Ohio :D. Mark is a huge target--already 6'4", and 211 pounds--and he's as good as you think at catching the ball in traffic. We were even more determined to bring him to our program after Jumpy Rathbone, who's built like Mark is, killed us in the Buffalo game. Mark is the #46 wideout in the class, and he's from Newark, Ohio.

Blaylock, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, had his heart set on playing for UConn. The Huskies never recruited him, however, and we're happy to have him. Rivals.com lists him as the #43 kicker in the country.

We brought in quite a haul of DEs this year, but we needed them. Kimrin is a classic example of a player whose measurables don't tell the whole story. A 6'0", 208-pound defensive end shouldn't be able to hold his own at the Division I level. Donald is a suburban kid, and a lot of times, people unfortunately wonder if they'll be hungry enough to excel. He made All-State in Illinois, and he earns high marks for his attitude.

[Izulde]

You *have* to export this class to FOF. Adrian Castillo needs to go through the draft process. :D

[Big Six]

You *have* to export this class to FOF. Adrian Castillo needs to go through the draft process. :D

That, my friend, is an absolute given. AC is the first of several Kent Staters who ought to have a chance to play on Sundays. In Adrian's case, it's more than a chance; it's a certainty. I'd say at least one of the O-linemen and probably two or three of the linebackers could get drafted, and perhaps CB Will Pierce, too.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2008

First, let's look at the Mid-American Conference North Division standings:


MAC NORTH OVERALL STANDINGS
W L T PCT PF PA W L T PF PA
Miami of Ohio 12 1 0 .923 475 236 7 1 0 286 153
Central Florida 9 3 0 .750 392 188 6 2 0 269 117
Marshall 7 4 0 .636 251 234 6 2 0 215 164
Kent State 7 4 0 .636 298 207 4 4 0 190 136
Ohio 4 7 0 .363 202 345 4 4 0 155 255
Buffalo 5 6 0 .454 229 294 4 4 0 156 171
Akron 2 9 0 .181 203 428 1 7 0 136 339


Miami, UCF, and Marshall appear to have established themselves as the heavyweights in the division. Our task is to find a way to break their stranglehold on the division standings.

My teams are 4-1 against Miami in five years; their only loss in 2008 was to Kent State. I'm 3-2 against UCF. Against Akron, our biggest rival, I'm 5-0.

However, I'm 1-4 against Ohio and, as you probably already know, I'm still looking for my first win over Marshall.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2008


Player of the Year: UCLA QB Walter Davidson. A sophomore, Davidson threw for an NCAA-record 4458 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Davidson was also named Top Offensive Player.
Top Defensive Player: Junior linebacker Winston Floyd of Troy. He racked up 133 tackles, 26 assists, and 29 TFL.
First Team All-Americans from Kent State: None.
Second Team All-American from Kent State: S Adrian Castillo. AC ends his career as one of the most celebrated athletes in Kent State history, and is arguably Kent State's greatest player ever.*
National Freshman Team: LB Frank Miller.
National Senior Team: S Adrian Castillo.
First Team All-MAC: S Adrian Castillo. He's a three-time All-MAC selection.
Second Team All-MAC: G Conrad Piper and T Brandon Blackburn. Their O-linemate, Seth Gourdine, missed earning all-conference honors for the first time in his career.
Mid-American Conference Academic Team: RB Blaine Kooistra (3.61, Jurisprudence) and G Conrad Piper (3.51, Jurisprudence). Blaine is a three-time honoree, and Conrad is a two-time selection.
Final team performance ranking: #37. Our second best ever; we were #32 in 2006.
Final team academic ranking: #90. Our best ever!
Final team recruiting ranking: #62. Second-best all time for us, but SIXTH best in the MAC. Both Miami (#12) and Marshall (#16) had Top 20 classes. We won't gain much ground on them this way.
Attendance: 86.5% of capacity. Our high mark in this category was last year's 89.8%.Here's our final grades from Professor Laertes:


Team Performance 76
Academic Performance 55
Recruiting Performance 64
Television Revenue 75
Alumni Donations 61
Attendance/Stadium 40
Final Grade 62

[Big Six]

Postseason 2008

Let's take a look at Kent State's statistics for the 2008 season Graduating seniors are highlighted in blue.


PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT RATE
Scribner 166 94 56.6 1534 11 12 141.6
Sheehan 62 36 51.6 459 1 1 117.2
TEAM 235 132 56.1 2067 12 12

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Monroe 238 968 4.1 9
Kooistra 115 375 3.3 8
Guenther 7 51 7.2 0
Scribner 61 23 0.4 1
Lesch 12 13 1.0 0
TEAM 470 1396 3.0 20

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Guenther 33 747 22.6 6
Monroe 24 259 10.7 2
Hanson 18 237 13.1 1
Bosworth 12 289 22.4 2
Looman 12 151 12.5 1
Guidry 11 107 9.7 0
Kooistra 9 100 11.1 0
TEAM 132 2067 15.6 12

BLOCKING KRB OPP PCT SKA OFF%
Kinney 30 86 34.8 3 21.0
Piper 28 82 34.1 3 23.2
Gourdine 25 68 36.7 5 19.5
Blackburn 23 70 32.8 4 16.9
Boggs 16 47 34.0 7 11.5
O'Neill 7 32 21.8 1 8.0
Guidry 5 13 38.4 0 4.5

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Ashworth 16 22 49 34 34 82

DEFENSE TCK AST SACK TFL INT DEF
Castillo 98 23 0.0 12 3 5
Miller 66 36 0.0 11 2 2
Bowen 55 16 4.0 11 0 1
Hopkins 55 24 3.0 9 1 7
Farr 37 16 0.0 6 1 5
Horton 35 4 0.0 3 1 6
Cristal 30 13 8.5 14 0 0
Clark 28 5 0.0 0 1 0
Pierce 26 8 0.0 2 0 11
Merrill 19 15 0.0 3 1 3
Caskey 16 5 4.0 7 0 0
Nobles 14 8 0.0 0 2 0
Rockwood 13 8 6.0 7 0 0
Heller 9 4 5.0 5 0 0
TEAM 593 199 34.0 99 12 50

[Big Six]

Kent State's 2008-2009 recruiting class doesn't boast a super recruit like Frank Miller, Ernie Lesch, Neal Hopkins, or Brandon Blackburn. No KSU newcomer ranked among the top 100 recruits on rivals.com's list...but then again, neither did Adrian Castillo.

I think this is a very solid class, with a number of players who can help us win in the seasons to come.


PLAYER POS HT WT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Vernon McIntyre QB 5-11 184 Warren, OH/Champion
Drew Stamper QB 6-1 202 Cincinnati, OH/Anderson
Larry Gilroy FB 5-10 203 Cleveland, OH/James Ford Rhodes
Larry Conners TE 6-3 231 LaFargeville, NY/Central
Mark Houston WR 6-4 211 Newark, OH/Newark
Tim Uerling C 6-1 245 Milwaukee, WI/Madison
James Hudson G 6-4 279 Carey, OH/Carey
Brent Blaylock K 6-1 176 Pittsfield, MA/Pittsfield
Bert Nelson DE 6-2 219 De Witt, MI/De Witt
Tommie Wilcox DE 6-5 249 Marion, OH/River Valley
Donald Kimrin DE 6-0 208 Belleville, IL/East
Steven Short DT 6-5 258 Russell, PA/Eisenhower
Brad Belzer DT 6-1 252 West Seneca, NY/West
Wade Goodstriker S 6-1 194 Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso
Johnnie Anderson S 5-8 177 Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll

PLAYER NRK POS ST PST GPA SAT MAJOR
Vernon McIntyre --- --- 79 5 3.47 1190 Computer Science
Drew Stamper --- --- 85 6 3.09 1090 Genetics
Larry Gilroy --- 73 89 4 3.94 1380 Political Science
Larry Conners 861 31 61 3 2.89 1050 Accounting
Mark Houston 573 46 20 3 3.73 1410 Political Science
Tim Uerling 981 55 16 3 2.65 1080 Trigonometry
James Hudson 385 42 11 2 3.28 1230 Jurisprudence
Brent Blaylock --- 43 20 3 2.80 1140 Algebra
Bert Nelson 365 50 11 3 3.29 1370 French
Tommie Wilcox 200 26 5 1 3.68 1340 Physics
Donald Kimrin 524 67 19 2 4.00 1390 Differential Equations
Steven Short --- 74 63 6 3.19 1130 French
Brad Belzer --- 83 -- 5 2.65 1100 Hotel Management
Wade Goodstriker 195 10 3 1 3.16 1290 Education
Johnnie Anderson 840 43 16 2 3.10 1190 Geometry

[Big Six]

Preseason 2009

A new season is upon us, and I hope it will the best one yet.

I was frustrated by our stagnating offense last year, so I decided to make a few changes. I'm looking for a more balanced attack, so I hired a new offensive coordinator who will put a pro-style offense in place.

His name is Scott Lowe, and he's a veteran coach who has been running the Pro formation with his teams for ten years. Coach Lowe is a particularly inventive play-caller (Excellent), and he's Excellent at rehabilitating injured athletes and getting them back into action.

He is Lousy at developing receivers, but he's at least Fair with every other offensive position group, and is Excellent with running backs. Coach Lowe is about as good a coordinator as a school outside the BCS conferences can realistically hope to hire.

Here's the schedule we'll face this year, along with each team's preseason ranking. We open the season ranked #43, which is the best we've had since I arrived.


Week 2 WEST VIRGINIA 52
Week 3 at Cleveland 60
Week 4 DAYTON 71
Week 5 TOLEDO 68
Week 6 BUFFALO 86
Week 7 at Ohio 96
Week 8 at Central Michigan 99
Week 9 at Marshall 45
Week 11 MIAMI OF OHIO 44
Week 12 at Akron 116
Week 13 CENTRAL FLORIDA 27


I'm sure West Virginia will be gunning for us, eager to avenge last year's overtime loss to us at their place. That game could, honestly, go either way. The game at Cleveland will be tough, too, and Dayton is no pushover. Still, I'm going to be fairly confident, and realistically predict that we'll be 2-1 going into the conference season.

I'm also going to predict two wins in our next three games, especially if we can break the hoodoo that Ohio seems to have on us.

We'll need to beat Central Michigan on the road to establish our credentials as a championship contender. Then comes Marshall, who will be favored to win their sixth straight against us.

I'm expecting a capacity crowd for the Miami game, and I'd love to see us land a regional TV gig, too. I'm going to be bold and predict a KSU victory, because we've had almost as much success with them as Marshall has had with us. I'll also predict a win at Akron, but I'm not going to be quite so confident about our trip to UCF.

Optimistic prediction: 9-2, 6-2 in the MAC, and our first bowl bid.
Pessimistic prediction: 4-7, 3-5 in the MAC.

[bbgunn]

I think that Marshall game will be tough, being the end of a three-game road stretch. But the Golden Flashes can beat everyone else. UCF is at home. I say 10-1, 7-1.

[Big Six]

I think that Marshall game will be tough, being the end of a three-game road stretch. But the Golden Flashes can beat everyone else. UCF is at home. I say 10-1, 7-1.

That would be way, way cool. I took a quick look at some of our opponents' rosters, and it looks like we're just about as talented as either Marshall or UCF. Marshall's starting QB, Perry O'Leary, will sit out this season because of academic difficulties, and the Herd doesn't have a proven man in reserve.

If we catch a break agaisnt Marshall this year, and defend our house against UCF, we could possibly--POSSIBLY--go 11-0.

Thanks, as always, for the comment. :)

[Big Six]

Preseason 2009
NFL News

For the first time since I arrived at Kent State in 2004, we have good news to report from the NFL draft.

Three Kent State players were chosen in this year's draft!

Nobody was surprised when safety Adrian Castillo was chosen on the first day. The three-time All-American was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the fifth pick in the second round.
Linebacker Ross Bowen was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round. He's a longshot to make the roster, but at least he has a chance to prove there's a place for him in pro football.
Linebacker Wayne Merrill was also a fifth round pick, going to the Oakland Raiders. Merrill, like Bowen, faces long odds, but perhaps he'll impress the Raiders staff enough to stick--or play well enough that another team will take a chance on him.Good luck to Adrian, Ross, and Wayne as they begin their NFL careers. We'll be following their fates closely from now on.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2009

It's time for our annual look at the key players for the Kent State Golden Flashes, beginning with the offense:


POS NO PLAYER HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 15 Deon Scribner 5-11 221 Sr 36/59 West Lafayette, IN/William Henry Harrison
RB 29 Ralph Monroe 5-11 206 So 60/100 Attica, OH/Seneca East
FB 30 Jeff O'Neill 6-1 242 Jr 39/56 Circleville, OH/Logan Elm
TE 88 Rusty Flynn 6-2 261 Sr 63/76 Proctorville, OH/Fairland
FL 87 Albert Guenther 6-0 204 Sr 59/62 Concord, NC/Concord
SE 82 Jackie Bosworth 5-9 203 Sr 38/51 Belvidere, IL/Belvidere
LT 78 Brandon Blackburn 6-5 314 Jr 71/73 Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain
LG 62 Conrad Piper 6-2 286 Jr 69/80 Attica, OH/Seneca East
C 50 Jerald Kinney 6-2 263 So 68/84 Three Lakes, WI/Three Lakes
RG 66 Seth Gourdine 6-3 305 Sr 46/59 Crown City, OH/South Gallia
RT 60 Tyrus Boggs 6-5 307 Sr 52/66 Youngstown, OH/East
K 8 Dwight Ashworth 5-7 176 Jr 27/44 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East

QB 10 Junior Sheehan 6-0 201 Jr 16/71 Rush City, MN/Rush City
RB 25 Blaine Kooistra 6-0 209 Sr 60/64 Indianapolis, IN/Arsenal Technical
RB 24 Ernie Lesch 6-0 241 So 53/69 Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck
TE 85 Larry Conners 6-3 237 Fr 18/86 LaFargeville, NY/Central
WR 5 Carlton Looman 6-0 194 Jr 28/59 Dayton, OH/Northridge
WR 84 Jack Dunlap 5-9 170 Fr 14/43 Barnesville, OH/Barnesville
OL 57 Colin Cunningham 6-5 309 Sr 44/59 Goshen, OH/Goshen
T 63 Roosevelt Godfrey 6-6 352 Sr 17/45 Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge
G 74 Kenneth Calixto 6-5 313 Jr 27/47 North Royalton, OH/North Royalton


We'll have to see how well Scribner makes the switch to a pro-style offense. Sheehan is waiting in the wings in case Deon struggles.

We're still loaded at RB, with Monroe holding the edge over Kooistra and Lesch based on last season's performance. However, Blaine has proven he can do the job, too...remember 2007? O'Neill is a fine lead blocker who has skills as a ball carrier or pass receiver, too.
Flynn looks to be ready to take the field again, after a horrendous knee injury ruined his 2008 season. He's a contender for post-season honors, and a possible future NFL player. Look at Conners' potential...wow. He's got more upside than I thought when I recruited him, and his bars look promising, too.

Guenther is poised for an outstanding season; he should thrive in our more wide-open attack. Hopefully Bos can get through a season without hurting himself. We don't have much depth at WR, so I'll hopefully include a good wideout in our recruiting class.

With all five starters returning--three of whom have earned post-season awards--we should have a very good offensive line. Blackburn, Piper, and Kinney have all improved tremendously since this time last year, and Gourdine and Boggs are solid, too. Cunningham can play all three positions, and started at center for two years. Godfrey and Calixto have also filled in satisfactorily when needed.

Ashworth is developing into one of the conference's best placekickers.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2009

For the first time in four years, the Kent State defense will take the field without its unquestioned leader, Adrian Castillo, who is now playing on Sundays. There are several playmakers still around, however, and hopefully they'll maintain the standard their predecessors have recently established.


POS NO PLAYER HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 71 Max Rockwood 6-7 276 So 32/90 Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence
NT 97 Brandon Caskey 6-3 333 Sr 34/53 Toledo, OH/Waite
RE 77 Quinn Cristal 6-4 271 Sr 48/51 Chicago, IL/Von Steuben Metro Science
LOLB 31 Frank Miller 6-3 245 So 52/86 Sanford, ME/Sanford
LILB 99 Kelly Austin 6-2 227 Fr 48/71 Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass
RILB 53 Thurman Talley 6-3 249 Jr 31/56 Hamtramck, MI/Hamtramck
ROLB 47 Neal Hawkins 5-11 244 Jr 59/99 Beecher, IL/Beecher
CB1 32 Will Pierce 5-11 187 Jr 70/70 Chesapeake, VA/Indian River
CB2 28 Bruce Horton 5-10 178 Jr 37/54 Neenah, WI/Neenah
FS 20 Wade Goodstriker 5-8 189 Fr 29/100 Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll
SS 33 Neil Farr 5-8 204 Jr 39/48 Mount Orab, IN/Western Brown
P 11 Everett Hundley 6-0 192 Fr 28/77 Utica, MI/Utica

DE 92 Leon McWilliams 6-5 283 Jr 33/33 Perry, OH/Perry
DT 91 Ethan Drake 6-1 278 Sr 25/43 Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
DT 76 Harvey Van Pelt 6-3 296 Jr 20/44 Youngstown, OH/Chaney
LB 44 Colin Wistrom 6-0 241 So 30/58 Middletown, IN/Shenandoah
LB 34 Darnell Warren 6-1 263 Sr 29/29 Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy
LB 46 Darrin Dunlap 5-10 243 Jr 23/52 Cleveland, OH/East Technical
LB 37 Marty Houston 6-1 229 Fr 17/73 Ellwood City, PA/Lincoln
CB 21 Adrian Hill 5-10 187 Fr 22/89 Farmington, WV/North Marion
CB 4 Robbie Nobles 6-0 202 Sr 19/36 Roy, UT/Roy
S 40 Johnnie Anderson 6-1 203 Fr 23/47 Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso


Rockwood and Cristal give us two big, tough defensive ends. Rockwood has the potential to be a beast. McWilliams got his grades up, and he'll give us a solid three-man rotation. Cristal and Caskey have both started since their freshman years.

Miller and Hawkins return to their natural positions on the outside; both of them have played well enough to justify the reputations they brought with them from high school. Talley and Austin step into the middle, giving us four good starting LBs, and we have a nice mix of veterans and young players backing them up.

Pierce has evolved into a true shutdown corner. Horton is as good a #2 cornerback as there is in the conference, and Nobles is a proven player, too. Hill could redshirt; his potential is even better than we predicted. Could Goodstriker one day be as good as Castillo? Farr returns for his third year as the starting strong safety.

Hundley has big shoes to fill, replacing the graduating Pat Sawyer.

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2009
#47 West Virginia at #63 Kent State
TV4



West Virginia 7 3 15 7 - 32
Kent State 14 14 0 7 - 35

1Q: 12:52 KENT - Albert Guenther 28 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 12:52 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 08:30 KENT - Carlton Looman 5 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 08:30 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 02:08 WVIR - Randy Nichols 3 pass from Benjamin Thelwell.
1Q: 02:08 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
2Q: 07:24 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 07:24 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 03:21 WVIR - Austin Wescott 30 field goal.
2Q: 00:41 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 run.
2Q: 00:41 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 11:39 WVIR - Kurt Caraba 72 pass from Benjamin Thelwell.
3Q: 11:39 WVIR - Benjamin Thelwell pass to Kurt Caraba for conversion
3Q: 06:06 WVIR - Scottie Sullivan 11 run.
3Q: 06:06 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
4Q: 11:09 WVIR - Glenn Zgonina 5 run.
4Q: 11:09 WVIR - Austin Wescott extra point.
4Q: 06:59 KENT - Carlton Looman 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 06:59 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 15 Deon Scribner


What a game! We were actually favored to win this game, but you can't ever let yourself get too confident about your chances to beat a big-time team, even at your place. We stood toe-to-toe with West Virginia for four quarters, fought off their second half charge, and scored a fourth quarter TD to pull out a big win.

Our more wide-open offense was very effective today. Deon Scribner enjoyed a career day, throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns, going 23-36. Carlton Looman was on the receiving end of two Scribner TDs, including the decisive one, and Albert Guenther led the team with 123 receiving yards. Both Carlton and Albert caught five passes.

On defense, we got a fine debut game from S Wade Goodstriker, who made nine tackles and intercepted a pass. Wade makes no secret of the fact that he models his game after that of Adrian Castillo, who will open the season with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup safety and special teams player. We allowed the Mountaineers too many yards on offense, especially on the ground, but we'll hopefully tighten up some as the season progresses.

Recruiting Update
We're looking to bring in a well-rounded recruiting class this year; we don't really need to stock up on any one area this time around. We're always on the lookout for good offensive linemen, and among our early targets are three O-linemen from our region: Andy Nybo, Jamie Agranoff, and Tony Smith.

The #2 ranked player in the nation shows up as GREEN on our list! He's Jamie McGregor, a running back from Eugene, Oregon. Clemson has also taken an early interest in Jamie, and I'm sure there will be more schools pursuing him soon.

It looks like I might be making a trip out to the West Coast this fall. :D

Kent State's record: 1-0.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2009
#39 Kent State (1-0) at #102 Cleveland (0-1)
TV5


Kent State 0 0 3 6 - 9
Cleveland 3 17 0 17 - 37

1Q: 01:36 CLEV - Max Foster 41 field goal.
2Q: 10:14 CLEV - Jackie Garner 1 run.
2Q: 10:14 CLEV - Max Foster extra point.
2Q: 05:17 CLEV - Max Foster 36 field goal.
2Q: 01:02 CLEV - Bill Stauffer 19 pass from Brad Brewer.
2Q: 01:02 CLEV - Max Foster extra point.
3Q: 09:39 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 23 field goal.
4Q: 13:53 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 21 field goal.
4Q: 06:48 CLEV - Max Foster 37 field goal.
4Q: 04:55 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 45 field goal.
4Q: 01:32 CLEV - Jon Kirby 15 pass from Brad Brewer.
4Q: 01:32 CLEV - Max Foster extra point.
4Q: 01:24 CLEV - Marvin Stoops 54 interception return.
4Q: 01:24 CLEV - Max Foster extra point.




Wow, talk about a turnaround. I wonder which Kent State team--the one who beat West Virginia, or the one who went to Cleveland and got its butt kicked--is the real one?

We didn't move the ball as well on the ground; Ralph Monroe led us with 78 yards on 18 carries. Our passing game was awful; Deon Scribner went 12-28 with three picks. Dwight Ashworth was our offensive star, kicking three field goals. Deon has been diagnosed with severe depression, making his status doubtful for next week.

Even worse, we lost tight end Rusty Flynn again. He suffered a high ankle sprain that won't heal for 14 weeks. I wonder if he's out for the year again? Rusty only played in two games for us last year, and I hope we're not looking at yet another lost season.

We let Jackie Garner run all over us: 31 carries, 187 yards. We recruited Jackie pretty hard two years ago, and now he's come back to get us good.

I made the decision to start Kelly Austin at linebacker despite a knee sprain, and he played tough: 12 tackles, two for losses. He was the bright spot for a defense that's allowed almost 70 points in two games.

Recruiting Update
Miami (the one in Florida, not our conference opponent), Texas, and UCLA have joined us in pursuit of Jamie McGregor. We've decided to join the battle for Nathan Hoover, a Florida star who is the nation's best safety. We're hoping our success in preparing Adrian Castillo for the next level will appeal to Nathan, who also scored over 1500 on his SAT.

We're also in a great contest with several other in-state schools for the services of Warren Stiles, a WR from the little southeastern Ohio town of Scio. As usual, we're recruiting many of the same players the other MAC schools are after, so expect a lot of pitched battles. I'll update you as the players we've targeted begin to pick schools to visit.

Kent State's record: 1-1.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2009
#64 Dayton (1-1) at #78 Kent State (1-1)


Dayton 7 10 7 7 - 31
Kent State 7 7 7 0 - 21

1Q: 12:03 DAYT - Roger Phan 24 pass from Edgar Dawson.
1Q: 12:03 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
1Q: 05:10 KENT - Ralph Monroe 1 run.
1Q: 05:10 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 09:26 DAYT - Jared Davidson 16 run.
2Q: 09:26 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
2Q: 03:40 KENT - Ralph Monroe 4 run.
2Q: 03:40 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 01:16 DAYT - Shane Prestbye 32 field goal.
3Q: 09:16 KENT - Ralph Monroe 1 run.
3Q: 09:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 03:31 DAYT - Carlton Jefferson 5 run.
3Q: 03:31 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
4Q: 11:28 DAYT - Mario Blackburn 19 pass from Edgar Dawson.
4Q: 11:28 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.


If we don't turn things around quickly, this is going to be a very long, very unpleasant surprise of a season. We're not managing to stop anyone from scoring, so our offense is carrying a huge burden.

Ralph Monroe scored three touchdowns, but he gained only 40 yards on 17 carries. Eight times he was stuffed for losses. Deon Scribner felt good enough to play, but played poorly--seven completions in 23 attempts, with two interceptions. I've already decided I'll let Junior Sheehan start at QB next week, so Deon can take a break from football while he deals with his depression.

Jackie Bosworth demonstrated his ability to gain yardage after the catch, picking up 102 yards on four receptions.

The Dayton offensive line pushed us around all day; two of their linemen combined to throw 16 key run blocks. Kelly Austin, Wade Goodstriker, and Ralph Miller all made at least 12 tackles, but too often, they were making them several yards downfield. Quinn Cristal played extremely well (3 sacks), but we allowed well over 400 yards, 26 first downs, and 31 more points.

Recruiting Update
No real news this week. It's probably a good thing; the way things went, any news we got would have been bad.

Kent State's record: 1-2.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2009
#76 Toledo (1-2) at #87 Kent State (1-2)


Toledo 3 0 3 14 - 20
Kent State 7 7 0 14 - 28

1Q: 07:40 TOLE - Clay Richardson 30 field goal.
1Q: 05:27 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 run.
1Q: 05:27 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 00:47 KENT - Ralph Monroe 17 run.
2Q: 00:47 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 09:34 TOLE - Clay Richardson 43 field goal.
4Q: 12:24 TOLE - Ernie Zwillinger 91 interception return.
4Q: 12:24 TOLE - Stan Horn pass for conversion failed.
4Q: 10:27 KENT - Albert Guenther 49 pass from Junior Sheehan.
4Q: 10:27 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 02:26 KENT - Ralph Monroe 1 run.
4Q: 02:26 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 00:45 TOLE - Roger Norris 56 pass from Stan Horn.
4Q: 00:45 TOLE - Stan Horn pass to Ty Kustok for conversion.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


We rediscovered our running game this week, and our defense played a much better game. As a result, we put one into the win column. And, even more importantly, we got off to a 1-0 start in conference play.

OT Brandon Blackburn missed the game with a separated shoulder, and big Roosevelt Godfrey started in his place. The line jelled well enough for Ralph Monroe to rush for a season-high 174 yards. Blaine Kooistra added 60 more on 11 carries.

QB Junior Sheehan struggled, turning the ball over five times (one fumble, four interceptions). One of the interceptions was returned a long way for a touchdown.

He did hook up with Albert Guenther on a 49-yard TD. I was really hoping Junior would have a big game today. He's been very inconsistent when he's had a chance to play, and we had such high hopes for him when we recruited him. There's a chance he might never be a full-time starter for us--he'll have to beat out Tim Froese next year--and that's not what we would have anticipated four years ago.

Our defense was energized by the ferociousness of our pass rush. We sacked the Buffalo QB six times, and almost every one of our defensive linemen got into the act. Quinn Cristal and Leon McWilliams teamed up on one sack. Quinn got one himself. So did Max Rockwood, Brandon Caskey, and reserve DT Julio Robinson.

Our nickel corner, Adrian Hill, played very well, too, making seven tackles and breaking up a pass.

With the exception of Sheehan's rough game, we played much, much better this week. Maybe we're about to turn the corner.

Recruiting Update
Still no news yet. We've made contact with many of the better players in Ohio now; we don't plan to be left hanging if our most highly regarded targets go somewhere else.

Kent State's record: 2-2, 1-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2009
#43 Buffalo (2-1, 1-0) at #66 Kent State (2-2, 1-0)
TV5


Buffalo 0 10 0 0 - 10
Kent State 0 13 7 15 - 35

2Q: 14:07 BUFF - Lincoln Craighead 25 field goal.
2Q: 14:01 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 80 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 14:01 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 10:29 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 28 field goal.
2Q: 08:49 BUFF - Ernest Diaz 2 run.
2Q: 08:49 BUFF - Lincoln Craighead extra point.
2Q: 03:22 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
3Q: 13:19 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 6 run.
3Q: 13:19 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 14:52 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 44 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 14:52 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point failed.
4Q: 09:38 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 31 field goal.
4Q: 07:24 KENT - Albert Guenther 45 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 07:24 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point failed.

Game MVP: KENT 82 Jackie Bosworth



I've always wondered what Jackie Bosworth could do if he managed to stay healthy. Today, we got a glimpse of what the possibilities can be.

Jackie caught nine passes for a Mid-American Conference record 238 yards and two touchdowns as we delighted a big home crowd with a win over Buffalo.

Bosworth got things started on our first play from scrimmage, when he caught a bomb from Deon Scribner and ran into the end zone for an 80-yard score. He later scored on a 44-yard play, and Scribner connected with Albert Guenther for a 45-yard TD strike as well.

Scribner's week off seemed to have improved his spirits greatly, and he returned to action with one of his best games ever: 17-30, 355 yards, three TD.

With Scribner posing a constant threat through the air, the Buffalo defense had to account for him; that made it easier for us to gain yards on the ground, too. Ralph Monroe and Blaine Kooistra had almost symmetrical stat lines--both carried 11 times and gained 72 yards. Blaine ran for a touchdown, and Ralph caught three passes.

The defense really stepped up, too. Ralph Miller led the way, with eight tackles and two sacks, but we got contributions from nearly everybody. Robbie Nobles made a huge play early in the second half when he came on a corner blitz and drilled Buffalo's quarterback, Shawn Harzstark, and knocked the ball loose. Thurman Talley fell on it, and three plays later, Kooistra scored his touchdown.

We also kept last year's nemesis, Jumpy Rathbone, under wraps. He caught two passes for five yards, and didn't get near the end zone except when he ran out of the tunnel onto the field.

Recruiting Update
The first player from this year's recruiting class to visit campus will arrive next week. He's cornerback Buddy Chepaitis, from Vermillion, Ohio. Buddy is the #35 corner in the country, and is ranked #2 at his position in the state. Despite a 5'11", 172-pound frame, he loves to stick opposing ball carriers, and he's already picked off 13 passes in his team's first six games. Buddy wants to play his college ball in his home state, and he's also considering Cleveland, Bowling Green, Zanesville, and Miami.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 2-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2009
#52 Kent State (3-2, 2-0) at #83 Ohio (2-2, 1-0)


Kent State 0 0 14 14 - 28
Ohio 10 7 7 0 - 24

1Q: 06:51 OHIO - Neil Meadows 35 field goal.
1Q: 00:08 OHIO - Dennis Tubbs 3 pass from Lawrence Wescott.
1Q: 00:08 OHIO - Neil Meadows extra point.
2Q: 12:01 OHIO - Edwin Kinney 5 pass from Lawrence Wescott.
2Q: 12:01 OHIO - Neil Meadows extra point.
3Q: 12:17 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 run.
3Q: 12:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 05:55 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 run.
3Q: 05:55 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 00:41 OHIO - Donald Garrison 9 pass from Lawrence Wescott.
3Q: 00:41 OHIO - Neil Meadows extra point.
4Q: 12:22 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 29 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 12:22 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 06:51 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 run.
4Q: 06:51 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 20 Wade Goodstriker




Before last year, I was 0-4 against Ohio. Last fall, we surprised everyone--including myself--with a huge 55-3 victory that I hoped would break the spell that the Bobcats seemed to have cast over us.

This year's game was much, much closer, but thanks to a fantastic second-half comeback, we ran our Mid-American Conference record to 3-0 with a 28-24 win. We're now tied with Central Florida for first in the MAC North.

(Am I the only one who thinks it's really weird that a team from Florida is in the MAC North, while there are teams from Michigan in the MAC South?)

Neither team could generate much offense on a chilly, rainy day, but we did just enough to win. With Blaine Kooistra nursing a sore knee, we shifted more of the load onto Ralph Monroe's shoulders, and he rushed 22 times for 99 yards. Deon Scribner completed passes to seven different receivers, and hooked up with Jackie Bosworth for another score.

OT Ty Boggs is probably out for the year with a horrendous concussion. Fortunately, Brandon Blackburn was healthy enough to play, so he returned to his usual spot at left tackle and we shifted Rosie Godfrey to the right side. Colin Cunningham , our utility lineman, played quite a bit there, too, so we feel like we'll be OK without Boggs.

Our starting free safety made 15 tackles, intercepted a pass, and earned game MVP honors. If you've been following Kent State football for a few years, that scenario probably seems fairly familiar to you...but this time, the man of the hour was true freshman Wade Goodstriker.

There's one thing that concerns me about our bend-but-don't-break defense. Only four teams have allowed more yards rushing than we have: an even 1000 in six games. Opposing backs gain 100 yards or more on a frightening basis. Against really good teams, this will probably hurt us.

However, we're winning again, so I suppose I shouldn't worry...not too much.

Recruiting Update
It's time for the mid-season deluge of visits, and this year there will be no fewer than 15 players converging on Kent State:

QB Chris O'Neal
TE Darren Lathon
WR Warren Stiles
WR Marvin Sheldon
WR Harris Blake
G Kelly Gabrielson
T Andy Nybo
T Tony Smith
DE Curtis Peterson
DE Ryan Brock
DT Herman Wynn
ILB Gilbert Davis
OLB Derrick Arton
CB Bert Bensen
S Corwin FarmerFarmer, the #9 prospect in the country, is the most highly regarded player in the group, with Peterson (#11) just behind him. Our courtship of RB Jamie McGregor ended this week, as Jamie picked five big-time programs from the West Coast to visit. S Nathan Hoover also decided to take his game to a more prestigious location; he'll suit up for his home-state Gators next fall.

Kent State's record: 4-2, 3-0 in MAC play.

[Izulde]

Fantastic start to the MAC season! No doubt that's doing Adrian Castillo proud in San Fran.

[bbgunn]

Great MAC start, but goodbye to my predicted 10-1 record. :(

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2009
#38 Kent State (4-2, 3-0) at #102 Central Michigan (1-4, 0-2)


Kent State 7 17 21 0 - 45
Central Michigan 0 0 0 3 - 3

1Q: 06:00 KENT - Ralph Monroe 1 run.
1Q: 06:00 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 10:06 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 40 field goal.
2Q: 07:15 KENT - Ralph Monroe 6 run.
2Q: 07:15 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 04:36 KENT - Ralph Monroe 24 run.
2Q: 04:36 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 13:21 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 2 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 13:21 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 06:58 KENT - Deon Scribner 10 run.
3Q: 06:58 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 00:40 KENT - Carlton Looman 27 pass from Junior Sheehan.
3Q: 00:40 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 04:17 CMIC - Al Vinatieri 36 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 82 Jackie Bosworth



Going into the season, many people identified this stretch of three road games as a crucial stretch. If we played well, we would potentially set ourselves up as contenders for a bowl bid. So far, that's exactly what we've done. It was great to go up to Central Michigan, play well, win, and get a lot of our players onto the field. What's more, we've taken over sole possession of first place in the MAC North.

Three quarterbacks saw significant amounts of action this week, and all played well. Deon Scribner went 10-15 for 175 yards and a TD, and he also scored himself on a 10-yard scramble. Junior Sheehan was 4-8 for 54 yards and a score. Redshirt freshman Alfred Eastman was even sharper, completing four of six passes for 77 yards in his first collegiate game. Together, the three passers finished the day 18-29 for 308 yards and three scores, and none of them threw an interception. I'll take that kind of performance anytime.

Their favorite target, Jackie Bosworth, was again voted game MVP on the strength of his seven catches for 92 yards and a TD.

Ralph Monroe looked a bit run down today (20 carries, 76 yards), but until Blaine Kooistra's knee heals completely, we don't dare use him too extensively. Blaine rushed six times for 44 yards, so he's effective in smaller doses.

The defense pitched a shutout until late in the fourth quarter, at which point our starters had been out of the game for a while. We held CMU to 215 total yards and ten first downs, while we piled up 435 and 27. Central Michigan converted only three of 14 third down opportunities, so we made good plays when it mattered.

The worst news came from the injury report. Brandon Blackburn, who just got back into the lineup, bruised his ribs and will probably miss at least one game. That means we'll go into the Marshall game next week with reserves starting at both OT positions. Senior Colin Cunningham, a natural center who started there for us for two years, will man the left side, while Roosevelt Godfrey will return to the lineup at right tackle.

Incidentally, the Thundering Herd aren't quite as formidable as they have been in years past. They lost this week for the fourth straight time--this time to Eastern Michigan--and are 0-3 in the conference. We have our best chance yet to get off the schneid against them.

Recruiting Update
We signed our first recruit of the year, and he's a very good one.

Chris O'Neal is the #5 quarterback in the nation. according to rivals.com. Chris comes out of a Fort Wayne, Indiana high school that is known for preparing its players well for collegiate life, both on the football field and in the classroom, and Chris appears to be a prime example of how well that preparation can work. He completed 53 percent of his passes as a senior, and although he didn't run much, it's said he's dangerous when he tucks the ball away.

We didn't fare as well with several of our other targets. Darren Lathon chose
Georgia; Andy Nybo picked Michigan; Curtis Peterson signed with Illinois. All went with a BCS school from their home state, so I'm not too surprised there.

I'm a little more frustrated by Warren Stiles' decision to play at Miami of Ohio. I hate losing our recruits to other MAC schools.

Still, we've landed the most highly regarded quarterback prospect we've had at Kent State since I got here. Hopefully Chris will develop into the kind of player people think the #51 recruit in the nation should be.

Kent State's record: 5-2, 4-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Fantastic start to the MAC season! No doubt that's doing Adrian Castillo proud in San Fran.

Adrian reports that his 49ers teammates are teasing him a little about the fact that as soon as he leaves, the team suddenly turns into the powerhouse of the Mid-American Conference.

Unfortunately for AC, the 49ers are off to a slow start. After seven games, they're 1-6.

Even so, he's probably enjoying life more than either Ross Bowen or Wayne Merrill, who were both released and are looking for new NFL gigs.

Thanks for the comment, Izulde. It's always good to see one of KSU's most devoted "followers" stop by.

[Big Six]

Great MAC start, but goodbye to my predicted 10-1 record. :(

Thanks, bbgunn. I was afraid we'd end up closer to 1-10 after I saw how badly our defense got pushed around in the first weeks of the season. We've pulled it together, though--despite some injuries--and hopefully we'll keep the momentum going through the rest of the conference season.

I hope your prediction about the Marshall game doesn't come true. If it does, we'll have to really step up against a Central Florida team that looks like it's as good as always.

Thanks for the comment, bbgunn. Good to see you.

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2009
#29 Kent State (5-2, 4-0) at #87 Marshall (2-4, 0-3)


Kent State 3 11 21 7 - 42
Marshall 0 0 3 17 - 20

1Q: 08:33 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 33 field goal.
2Q: 12:12 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 31 field goal.
2Q: 00:33 KENT - Jeff O'Neill 4 run.
2Q: 00:33 KENT - Deon Scribner pass to Albert Guenther for conversion
3Q: 11:54 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 65 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 11:54 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 08:19 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 9 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 08:19 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 02:03 MRSH - Nathan Coady 40 field goal.
3Q: 00:35 KENT - Albert Guenther 37 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 00:35 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 07:47 MRSH - Nathan Coady 27 field goal.
4Q: 03:51 MRSH - Lionel Straw 4 pass from Jeff Burnett.
4Q: 03:51 MRSH - Nathan Coady extra point.
4Q: 02:29 MRSH - Dana Carlos 26 blocked punt return.
4Q: 02:29 MRSH - Nathan Coady extra point.
4Q: 01:23 KENT - Jack Dunlap 10 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 01:23 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 15 Deon Scribner




FINALLY!!!!!

I know this year's Marshall team isn't nearly as powerful as what we've seen from them the past few years. For one thing, their quarterback, Perry O'Leary, is academically ineligible, and they're missing several key players who are injured, including their best running back and wideout.

On the other hand, Blaine Kooistra isn't getting any better, and we're playing with two reserves at offensive tackle, so we're not exactly at full strength, either. No matter what the circumstances are, we went to Huntington, took control of the game, and got rid of the lingering doubts that we simply couldn't beat Marshall.

The man of the hour was Freon Deon Scribner, who fired four touchdown passes: two to Jackie Bosworth, one to Albert Guenther, and one to freshman Jack Dunlap. With one more TD pass, Deon will tie his own school record, set his freshman year, and he still has three more games to play.

Bosworth (six catches, 137 yards) and Guenther (5-104) each gained 100 yards receiving or more, and Ralph Monroe rushed for 85 on 22 carries. Big FB Jeff O'Neill got a chance to carry the ball down close to the goal line, and he rammed the ball into the end zone.

Our defensive effort was, once again, very solid; the Herd scored 17 of their points in the last quarter against our reserves, and one of their TDs came on a blocked punt. Wade Goodstriker contributed eleven more tackles, but I had to have some less-than-cheerful words with him concerning his grades. Wade is failing a course, and with his ability (Intelligence 60, Aspiration 55, 3.16 high school GPA, 1290 SAT), there is absolutely no excuse for that. Wade might be enjoying collegiate life a bit too much.

When we returned to Kent after the game, we were met by a loud, joyous group of students, yelling, waving signs, and simply enjoying themselves. They cheered all the players, but Deon Scribner received the loudest praise of all. It's great to see a senior like Deon step up, take charge of the team, and lead it to victories it might not have thought it could achieve.

Recruiting Update
We suffered two losses in this week's recruiting battles, and in both cases the player in question was a cornerback. Buddy Chepaitis, the tough little corner who was the first player to pay us a visit, signed with Cleveland instead. Bert Bensen, another Ohio player, is off to Toledo. Now we'll have to look at a couple more DBs, because I'd like to have a corner in this year's class.

Two highly regarded defensive players from California are still considering us. DE Ryan Brock has been rated as high as #91 in the nation overall, and #16 in the nation at his position. He's small (5'10", 208 pounds), but he's tough. Fresno State, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and UNLV are also in the running.

DT Herman Wynn is also a Top 100 player; #95 overall, #9 DT. Herman excels against the run, and he's also looking at Fresno State, Florida, and Toledo.

I'm a bit concerned that we have only one player signed so far. Hopefully we'll have a wave of signings in the next week or two. We don't play during Week 10, so we can concentrate on recruiting.

That, and enjoy our 5-0 conference record.

Kent State's record: 6-2, 5-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2009

Bye week.

Recruting Update
We signed two players this week, both in-state guys we've been recruiting for a while.

Kelly Gabrielson, an All-State player from Fitch High School in nearby Youngstown. Ranked #221 in the nation, Kelly is the #22 guard in his class. He prefers run blocking to pass blocking, and at 277 pounds, he's big enough to get the job done. He projects as another 300-pound bulldozer of a lineman, similar to the ones we have on our O-line now.

Our third commitment came from Derrick Arton, a linebacker from Leetonia, OH, a town about 40 miles from here. Derrick needs to get bigger and stronger--he's only 197 pounds now--but he's quick and has a nose for the ball.

In both cases, we beat out a nice selection of schools. Gabrielson also visited Miami, Bowling Green, Ohio State, and Michigan State, while Arton picked us over offers from Cleveland, Miami, and Ohio.

[Big Six]

#59 Miami of Ohio (4-4, 4-2) at #29 Kent State (6-2, 5-0)
TV5


Miami of Ohio 7 3 7 0 0 - 17
Kent State 0 0 7 10 7 - 24

1Q: 10:15 MIAO - Everett Mutzel 12 pass from Kim Davidson.
1Q: 10:15 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
2Q: 00:14 MIAO - Harry Bliss 25 field goal.
3Q: 07:57 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 2 run.
3Q: 07:57 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 00:37 MIAO - Everett Mutzel 2 pass from Kim Davidson.
3Q: 00:37 MIAO - Harry Bliss extra point.
4Q: 11:12 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 4 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 11:12 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 02:10 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.
OT: 14:16 KENT - Larry Conners 10 pass from Deon Scribner.
OT: 14:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 31 Frank Miller


It took a clutch field goal from Dwight Ashworth late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, and several more big plays to win it in the extra period, but our undefeated Mid-American Conference record remains intact.

Miami played a very good game against us, before the first capacity crowd we've had at Dix Stadium in my six seasons here. The Redhawks took the lead, and we had to come from behind to force overtime.

Deon Scribner played another fine game at QB for us. His two touchdown passes--one to true freshman TE Larry Conners that won the game for us in OT--gave him 15 for the year and a new KSU record. Deon didn't throw an interception; he's thrown only seven picks all year. His ability to take care of the football and move the team down the field has been a huge, huge key to our success.

It was great to see Blaine Kooistra back at something close to full strength. He split carries with Ralph Monroe, and they combined for 105 yards against a hardnosed Miami defense, led by Pete Kulaga--a linebacker we recruited heavily. Blaine set up our overtime touchdown with a 20-yard run, and on the next play, Deon found Conners in the end zone.

I've never heard our stadium as loud as it was when our defense took the field in OT, and the guys pinned their ears back and brought it straight to Miami. First, Quinn Cristal got in their QB's face and forced him to make a bad throw. They completed two short passes for a first down, but then Brandon Caskey got his big paws on the quarterback and sacked him. Another incomplete pass set up third-and-16, and Kelly Austin picked off a pass to end the game. Our students swarmed the field, and at first, I thought they were going to try to tear down the goalposts.

Frank Miller, who had nine tackles and a sack, was named the MVP. Wade Goodstriker (12 tackles), Brandon Blackburn (4 KRB) and Conrad Piper (4 KRB) also deserve some mention for their outstanding contributions.

Central Florida had an off week, so they're still 5-0 in the conference. They play at Marshall next week, while we're at Akron, and they'll end their season the week after they play us with a home game against Ball State.

How cool would it be to play UCF with the division title on the line?

Recruiting Update
We went 1-3 in recruiting this week. We signed RB Wayne Binns, an Indiana product who admittedly needs lots of grooming. He comes from a high school that rates ZERO for Athletic Prep, which probably scared more than a few teams off. We can fortunately afford to be somewhat patient with Wayne, whom we feel is somewhat of a diamond in the rough.

We lost Ryan Brock to Fresno State, which honestly wasn't much of a surprise. He'd indicated he wanted to remain close to home, and FSU was the only California school still on his list.

Stephen Dawkins, an offensive tackle, signed with Steubenville.

Kent State's record: 7-2, 6-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2009
#23 Kent State (7-2, 6-0) at #93 Akron (3-6, 2-5)


Kent State 0 14 0 7 - 21
Akron 0 0 3 0 - 3

2Q: 14:45 KENT - Larry Conners 6 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 14:45 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 04:47 KENT - Larry Conners 26 pass from Deon Scribner.
2Q: 04:47 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 05:08 AKRN - Monty Bilek 29 field goal.
4Q: 11:45 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 run.
4Q: 11:45 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 31 Frank Miller



There's something about playing in the snow that makes even a lousy game seem pretty good, and when you win, it's even better.

It was 35 degrees and snowing at game time, and it didn't let up all afternoon long. Neither did our defense, who led the way to our 21-3 victory at Akron.

Sophomore linebacker Ralph Miller earned his second straight game MVP selection, racking up three sacks and stuffing ballcarriers for losses two other times. Ralph also broke up four passes. It's still early in Ralph's career, but it looks like he's well on his way to justifying the hype that surrounded him in high school.

Max Rockwood recorded a sack, and pressured the quarterback three other times. And Wade Goodstriker hit ballcarriers a lot harder than he hits his Geology book, recording a team-high eleven tackles.

On offense, Blaine Kooistra celebrated his return to full health by gaining 131 yards on 20 carries. Ralph Monroe ran well too, with 60 yards on 10 attempts. It wasn't a great day for passing, and Deon Scribner threw three picks. He did, however, hook up with TE Larry Conners for two touchdowns.

Marshall nearly did us a big favor; they played Central Florida tough and came within five points of upsetting them. The Golden Knights' 42-37 victory kept them undefeated in the conference and set up the most important game in my six years at Kent State.

Recruiting Update
We signed three players this week, and we hope they all turn out to be sleepers. None are ranked among the top 1000 players in the nation, and two aren't even listed among Ohio's top 100. We think they're all better than the "experts" do, and we hope we're right.

Tight end Antonio Bradley from New Carlisle, Ohio is a big target at 6'6" and 250 pounds, and he comes from a high school with an outstanding reputation for preparing players for the next level (Athletic Prep 93). If he proves to be as good a blocker as his size might indicate, he'll be even more useful.

We'd had bad luck signing DBs until this week, when we snagged two of them. Cornerback Rico Duran loves the challenge of matching up with receivers in man-to-man coverage. He has a knack for big plays, as evidenced by his nine interceptions and three sacks as a high school senior. The Hamilton, Ohio product has flown under the radar of most schools; he attracted some interest from four Buckeye League programs before signing with us.

Kendall Caldwell, from Maumee, OH, is the #3 safety in the state this year, but the crop of players at his position is admittedly shallow. Caldwell brings a reputation as a sure tackler and, like Bradley, played for a very good high school program (Athletic Prep 88).

Kent State's record: 8-2, 7-0 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2009
#11 Central Florida (8-1, 6-0) at #20 Kent State (8-2, 7-0)
TV2


Central Florida 0 14 14 14 - 42
Kent State 7 14 0 7 - 28

1Q: 04:04 KENT - Ralph Monroe 1 run.
1Q: 04:04 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 14:53 CFLA - Irving O'Neill 63 punt return.
2Q: 14:53 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
2Q: 10:46 CFLA - Wally Higgs 81 run.
2Q: 10:46 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
2Q: 04:26 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 18 run.
2Q: 04:26 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 02:32 KENT - Kelly Austin 46 interception return.
2Q: 02:32 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 11:15 CFLA - Damon Clemens 9 pass from Marvin Wilkins.
3Q: 11:15 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
3Q: 04:28 CFLA - Deion Harr 13 pass from Marvin Wilkins.
3Q: 04:28 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
4Q: 10:34 CFLA - Irving O'Neill 13 run.
4Q: 10:34 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
4Q: 02:38 CFLA - Irving O'Neill 11 pass from Marvin Wilkins.
4Q: 02:38 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
4Q: 01:07 KENT - Albert Guenther 6 pass from Junior Sheehan.
4Q: 01:07 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.



It was arguably the biggest game in the Mid-American Conference in years. Two nationally ranked teams--one in the Top 10 in the coaches' poll--met with a division title on the line.

For a half, it looked like we were on our way to a huge, huge victory--one Kent Staters would talk about for years. During the second half, Central Florida attacked the Achilles heel of this year's team--our relative inability to stop the run--and took the game away from us. They came in to the game ranked #9 in the polls, and they justified that ranking today. After all, we were ranked #18, so we weren't expected to roll over and die for them, and we certainly didn't do that.

UCF's outstanding running back, Wally Higgs, rushed for 219 yards. Higgs entered the game with over 1500 yards for the year, so he's certainly an outstantding player, but outstanding teams find ways to keep outstanding opponents under control. We didn't do that with Higgs today.

Their quarterback, Marvin Wilkins, is also a real playmaker, and he proved it by throwing three second-half TD passes. All in all, UCF outplayed us, and they deserved to win.

Blaine Kooistra was tough today, gaining 60 yards on 10 carries against a hard-hitting defense. Our fullback, Jeff O'Neill, suffered a compound leg fracture, so we started Ernie Lesch in his spot today. Ernie isn't nearly as good a blocker as Jeff is, but he's a dangerous runner, and he gained 36 yards on six carries. If we play a bowl game, we'll depend on Ernie even more, because Ralph Monroe tore a biceps and will be unable to play.

Junior Sheehan came into the game in relief of Deon Scribner and completed three of four passes, one a short TD toss to Albert Guenther. Jackie Bosworth caught three balls for 92 yards, giving him 1003 receving yards for the year. He's the first Kent State player I've coached to reach that milestone. He's finally remained healthy throughout a full season, so we've had a chance to see what he's capable of doing.

Two of our linebackers played very well today. Neal Hopkins led our defense with 13 tackles, and Kelly Austin recorded 10 stops and an interception, which he brought back 46 yards for a TD.

Now we'll wait and see if our 8-3 record is good enough to warrant a bowl bid. We went 8-3 two years ago, and didn't get an invitation. Hopefully we'll fare better this time around.

Forgive me if I'm feeling a little bit flat right now. We were so close, and it would have been such a big, big win.

Recruiting Update
Six players committed to Kent State this week, which took away some of the sting of the loss to Central Florida:

C Dan Lett
T Randal Barlow
T Ethan Burnside
WR Kevin Jennings
DE Jorge Morabito
ILB Gilbert DavisLett, Barlow, and Burnside will give us, at the very least, solid depth along the offensive line. Lett is the best player of the three, a tough player from Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania with a non-stop motor. Barlow, the #11 tackle in Ohio, is a dancing bear who looks like he could develop into a very good pass blocker. Burnside isn't as highly regarded, but we think he's just about as good as Barlow is, and he's also a terrific student with a 3.80 GPA.

Even though the experts aren't crazy about him, we offered Jennings a scholarship for several reasons. He comes from a very good high school program, so we know he's well-coached. In fact, Kevin wants to teach and coach one day himself. He carries a perfect 4.0 GPA, and scored 1500 on his SAT. He's also dreamed of playing for us for years.

Morabito and Davis are both ranked among the top 500 players in the nation. Jorge is a tenacious pass rusher who will be most effective coming off the edge. A move to OLB isn't out of the question for him. Davis's long suit is his ability to drop into coverage. We think he will be a fine addition to the legacy of solid linebacking we're developing here.

Kent State's record: 8-3, 7-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 16, 2009

The week after they beat us, Central Florida went to Ball State and roughed up the 2-9 Cardinals. Then, last week, they played Northern Illinois in the MAC championship game and rolled to a 52-16 victory. That means the Raisin Bowl will feature one of the ten best teams in the country. UCF will take on Utah State.

We received great news this week. For the first time since I came to Kent State, our team will be playing in a bowl game!

We accepted an invitation to the Cherry Bowl in Ann Arbor, where we'll play Connecticut, who finished their regular season at 6-5. The early line has us favored by seven points, which seems about right to me.

Earning a bowl bid is a great reward for our players, who really worked hard this year. Winning one would be even better.

Recruiting Update
Since I last posted, we signed three players to complete our recruiting class:

WR Ike Kolb
TE Alan Krykhtine
CB Britt WeberKolb is from Akron, which basically makes him a local guy. We've seen lots of him, and we think he'll turn out to be a better player than his "measurables" indicate. The #14 wideout in Ohio, Ike is very elusive after he catches the ball, and he's the kind of guy who will work hard to overcome the lousy preparation he's received so far (Athletic Prep 6).

Krykhtine, whose name I can never spell correctly the first time, is a 6'7", 252-pound city kid from Philadelphia. An outstanding basketball prospect as well, AK has a nasty streak that makes him a dominating run blocker.

We're taking quite a chance on Weber, whose academic credentials are the shakiest of any player I've signed. We needed another cornerback, however, and Britt was the best player who remained uncommitted. The scouts are higher on him than I am, but he made the All-State team in his home state of Georgia. I honestly hope I'm the one who's wrong this time.

[Big Six]

Cherry Bowl: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Kent State (9-3) vs. Connecticut (6-5)



Kent State 7 7 10 14 - 38
Connecticut 0 7 0 3 - 10

1Q: 08:41 KENT - Albert Guenther 12 pass from Deon Scribner.
1Q: 08:41 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 01:40 KENT - Blaine Kooistra 1 run.
2Q: 01:40 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 00:07 CONN - Roderick Walker 10 run.
2Q: 00:07 CONN - Ronnie Nanamaker extra point.
3Q: 10:16 KENT - Carlton Looman 11 pass from Deon Scribner.
3Q: 10:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 00:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 21 field goal.
4Q: 10:14 KENT - Jackie Bosworth 21 pass from Deon Scribner.
4Q: 10:14 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 05:39 CONN - Ronnie Nanamaker 27 field goal.
4Q: 02:29 KENT - Sedrick Bridges 8 pass from Junior Sheehan.
4Q: 02:29 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 15 Deon Scribner


What a great way to end an outstanding season, and what a wonderful way for our seniors to conclude their careers!

The weather was surprisingly pleasant in Ann Arbor: 43 degrees and sunny, which is about as good as you can hope for in December. Our offense thrived under these outstanding conditions: 38 points and 31 first downs.

In his final game as a Golden Flash, Deon Scribner went 22-31 for 315 yards, threw TD passes to three different receivers, and was named the Cherry Bowl MVP. Deon graduates with several all-time KSU records, including those for completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes.

Fellow seniors Albert Guenther and Jackie Bosworth were among the guys who caught scoring passes from Deon today. Albert dominates our receiving records: most catches, most receiving yards, most receiving TDs.

A big walkon sophomore tight end, Sedrick Bridges, caught a TD pass from Junior Sheehan; it was Sedrick's first career catch, and it was great to see him step up the way he did.

Blaine Kooistra also completed his KSU career today, gaining 98 yards on 24 carries and scoring a touchdown. I wish Blaine hadn't struggled so much with injuries the past two years, but he'll still graduate with the honor of being Kent State's all-time leading rusher with 3674 yards.

Our defense turned in a terrific team effort. I was especially proud of senior DE Quinn Cristal, who recorded 1.5 sacks.

We ended our season with a 9-3 record, the best we've had in my six years here, and a victory in our first bowl game together. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a Golden Age in Kent State football.

Kent State's record: 9-3.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2009


Player of the Year: Walter Davidson, QB, UCLA. Davidson's 2009 season wasn't quite as dominant as his '08 season had been, but it was good enough to gain him his second straight POY award and Top Offensive Player honor. Walter threw for 4062 yards and 35 touchdowns, and led UCLA to a 10-2 record. Will he return to school and try for a third monster year?
Top Defensive Player: Byron May, LB, Colorado. A senior, May racked up 146 solo tackles and 36 assists for the 6-6 Buffaloes.
National Freshman Team: S Wade Goodstriker.
Mid-American Conference Top Defensive Freshman: S Wade Goodstriker.
All Mid-American Conference First Team: WR Jackie Bosworth and G Conrad Piper. Conrad was a second team selection last year.
All Mid-American Conference Second Team: C Jerald Kinney, G Seth Gourdine, and LB Kelly Austin. This was Seth's third All-Conference recognition; he was a first team selection in 2006 and 2007.
Mid-American Conference Academic Team: RB Blaine Kooistra (3.67, Jurisprudence), G Conrad Piper (3.63, Jurisprudence), T Mitchell Shockey (3.77, Jurisprudence), and LB Darnell Warren (3.95, Jurisprudence). Conrad, a junior has won this recognition three times, while Blaine, a senior, is a four-time recipient of this award. Darnell, a two-time honoree, will graduate with a transcript that shows only one B, earned in a Speech class his junior year.
Final Team Performance Ranking: #17. Our best ever.
Final Team Academic Ranking: #87. Up three places from last year, continuing a trend I really like to see.
Final Team Recruiting Ranking: #80. Ouch. Miami of Ohio's class was ranked #12 for the second straight year, which hurts even more. We'll see if this means we'll start losing to them on the field, too.
TV Revenue Ranking: #33. This is a new level of excellence for us, and hopefully the start of something new and lasting.
Attendance: 97.0% of capacity. The atmosphere at Dix Stadium is becoming more and more electric. Here are our final grades from Professor Laertes:


Team Performance 84
Academic Performance 59
Recruiting Performance 55
Television Revenue 68
Alumni Donations 86
Attendance/Stadium 58
Final Grade 71

[Big Six]

Kent State Alumni in the NFL

I can't get my NFL game to run right now, so I can't update you on the accomplishments of KSU alumnus Adrian Castillo '09 during his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers.

I'll edit this post when I can and give you the details of AC's productive first year as a pro. He didn't set the NFL on fire, but he showed signs of becoming a useful player who could have a nice career. :)

[Big Six]

The experts weren't too high on this year's recruiting class. I think they're probably better than the 80th best class in Division I, and I hope I turn out to be right.


POS NAME HT WT SCT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB Chris O'Neal 6-1 201 71+ Fort Wayne, IN/South Side
RB Wayne Binns 5-8 170 55++ Bourbon, IN/Triton
TE Alan Krykhtine 6-7 252 60+ Philadelphia, PA/Simon Gratz
TE Antonio Bradley 6-6 250 34+ New Carlisle, OH/Tecumseh
WR Ike Kolb 6-0 164 45+ Akron, OH/Springfield
WR Kevin Jennings 6-1 193 19+ Kettering, OH/Kettering Fairmount
C Dan Lett 6-3 250 67+ Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe Area
G Kelly Gabrielson 6-5 277 75+ Youngstown, OH/Fitch
T Randal Barlow 6-4 284 43+ Hamilton, OH/New Miami
T Ethan Burnside 6-7 278 28+ Maple Heights, OH/Maple Heights
DE Jorge Morabito 6-0 217 62+ Carnegie, PA/Carlynton
ILB Gilbert Davis 6-4 211 62+ Akron, OH/North
OLB Derrick Arton 5-10 197 55++ Leetonia, OH/Leetonia
CB Britt Weber 5-9 163 70- Roswell, GA/Roswell
CB Rico Duran 6-1 181 36+ Hamilton, OH/Hamilton
S Kendall Caldwell 6-1 199 30+ Maumee, OH/Maumee

POS NAME NRK POS ST PST GPA SA MAJOR
QB Chris O'Neal 51 5 3 2 3.61 1450 Social Work
RB Wayne Binns 777 59 17 5 4.00 1450 Journalism
TE Alan Krykhtine --- 64 52 6 3.37 1200 Random Number Theory
TE Antonio Bradley --- 92 91 4 3.13 1210 Jurisprudence
WR Ike Kolb --- -- 94 14 3.83 1320 Political Science
WR Kevin Jennings --- -- -- -- 4.00 1500 Education
C Dan Lett 545 28 22 2 3.75 1350 Electrical Engineering
G Kelly Gabrielson 221 22 6 1 3.93 1360 Jurisprudence
T Randal Barlow --- -- 96 11 3.43 1180 Nursing
T Ethan Burnside --- -- -- 14 3.80 1370 Genetics
DE Jorge Morabito 486 58 18 4 3.43 1200 Hotel Management
ILB Gilbert Davis 497 26 22 2 3.11 1170 Hotel Management
OLB Derrick Arton 834 49 37 1 3.07 1330 History
CB Britt Weber --- 76 25 2 2.76 880 Journalism
CB Rico Duran --- -- -- 15 3.52 1160 Business
S Kendall Caldwell --- -- -- 3 4.00 1480 Electrical Engineering



O'Neal and Gabrielson are clearly the most promising players in the class right now, with Lett, Morabito, and Davis close behind. We'll have to make sure Weber stays eligible, and I think we have a couple of sleepers in Arton and Binns.

I might need to tweak my recruiting preferences a little next year. I've gotten stars in my eyes after landing guys like Frank Miller, Ernie Lesch, and Neal Hopkins, and I tend to go after a few too many big-time guys now. I might be better off with a class full of Gabrielson/Davis/Lett-level players, rather than a handful of studs and a bunch of second choices.

[Big Six]

Here are Kent State's statistics for the 2009 season. Seniors and their stats are highlighted in blue.



PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT RAT
Scribner 309 167 54.0 2596 20 11 138.8
Sheehan 45 24 53.3 361 4 4 132.2
TEAM 361 195 54.0 3034 24 15

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Monroe 199 908 4.6 14
Kooistra 109 543 5.0 5
Scribner 69 96 1.4 1
Lesch 15 76 5.0 0
O'Neill 14 48 3.4 1
TEAM 430 1712 4.0 21

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Bosworth 51 1081 21.1 7
Guenther 38 709 18.6 6
Conners 24 298 12.4 3
Looman 19 261 13.7 4
Monroe 17 153 9.0 0
Kooistra 14 119 8.5 2
Dunlap 12 174 14.5 1
TEAM 195 3034 15.5 24

BLOCKING KRB KRO PCT SA OFF%
Kinney 38 124 30.8 4 32.0
Piper 36 86 41.8 1 22.4
Gourdine 31 73 42.4 4 19.7
Blackburn 11 25 44.0 0 16.0
Godfrey 8 16 50.0 5 6.1
O'Neill 8 19 42.1 0 6.5
Boggs 5 11 45.4 2 9.0

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Ashworth 11 13 45 43 45 76

DEFENSE TCK AST SACK TFL INT DEF
Goodstriker 80 31 0.0 14 2 9
Miller 62 24 7.5 17 0 7
Farr 59 18 0.0 8 2 3
Austin 59 36 2.0 14 3 6
Hopkins 52 19 0.0 5 0 2
Talley 43 15 0.0 6 0 4
Pierce 39 13 0.0 0 1 14
Horton 37 13 0.0 2 3 8
Cristal 35 7 10.0 11 0 0
Rockwood 26 11 4.0 6 0 0
Hill 19 8 0.0 0 0 3
Robinson 15 3 5.5 6 0 0
Caskey 14 5 2.0 3 0 0
Guenther 13 0 0.0 0 0 0
Nobles 13 9 1.5 1 0 0
TEAM 661 231 39.0 104 11 68

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In20
Hundley 60 2027 33.7 53 9

[Big Six]

Preseason 2010

Here is Kent State's schedule for the 2010 season. The preseason ranking of each of our opponents is listed as well. Home games appear in ALL CAPS; Mid-American Conference contests are highlighted in blue.


Week 1 TROY 67
Week 3 DAYTON 53
Week 6 at Central Florida 17
Week 7 MIAMI OF OHIO 63
Week 8 EASTERN MICHIGAN 95
Week 9 at Buffalo 64
Week 10 OHIO 107
Week 11 at Bowling Green 57
Week 12 at Marshall 61
Week 13 AKRON 97
Week 14 at West Virginia 47



Our fine season last year influenced the pollsters to place us at #24 to begin the 2010 season. After looking over our roster, I'm afraid that's a very optimistic ranking.

At any rate, I'll take a bold chance and predict we'll go 6-0 at home. It's possible we'll lose all five of our road games, but I think we'll manage to win at Buffalo.

I'd be thrilled with a record of 7-4 or better. I'm not convinced we're talented enough to do much better than that.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2010

Our annual look at the Kent State football team begins with the offense.



POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 3 Tim Froese 6-6 238 So 33/63 Vancouver, WA/Evergreen
RB 29 Ralph Monroe 5-11 209 Jr 77/100 Attica, OH/Seneca East
FB 30 Jeff O'Neill 6-1 246 Sr 42/56 Circleville, OH/Logan Elm
TE 88 Rusty Flynn 6-2 262 Sr 62/76 Proctorville, OH/Fairland
FL 5 Carlton Looman 6-0 199 Sr 33/59 Dayton, OH/Northridge
SE 81 Mark Houston 6-4 227 Fr 24/51 Newark, OH/Newark
LT 78 Brandon Blackburn 6-5 314 Sr 74/74 Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain
LG 62 Conrad Piper 6-2 286 Sr 69/80 Attica, OH/Seneca East
C 50 Jerald Kinney 6-2 263 Jr 79/84 Three Lakes, WI/Three Lakes
RG 75 James Hudson 6-4 308 Fr 33/73 Carey, OH/Carey
RT 74 Kenneth Calixto 6-5 320 Sr 29/47 North Royalton, OH/North Royalton
K 8 Dwight Ashworth 5-7 180 Sr 45/45 Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East

QB 10 Junior Sheehan 6-0 208 Sr 21/71 Rush City, MN/Rush City
RB 24 Ernie Lesch 6-0 244 Jr 51/69 Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck
TE 85 Larry Conners 6-3 246 So 36/86 LaFargeville, NY/Central
WR 84 Jack Dunlap 5-9 176 So 22/43 Barnesville, OH/Barnesville
WR 83 Ike Kolb 6-0 170 Fr 13/59 Akron, OH/Springfield
OL 79 Mitchell Shockey 6-9 343 Jr 18/44 Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs
OL 52 Calvin Horner 6-3 305 So 27/48 Cincinnati, OH/Woodward
OL 54 Tim Uehrling 6-1 273 Fr 28/45 Milwaukee, WI/Madison


Froese beat out Sheehan in the spring, and will open the season as the starting QB. He has great tools, but if he falters, Sheehan will get one more chance to prove he's not a bust.

Monroe is poised for a fine season, and Lesch can come off the bench and pound the rock. O'Neill is a terrific lead blocker.

Flynn's development has been stalled by injuries in each of the last two years. Conners filled in admirably as a true frosh in '09. Looman is a deep threat, while Houston provides a huge target on shorter routes. Dunlap is a capable backup.

Three players with NFL potential--Blackburn, Piper, and Kinney--return to our O-line. Hudson also has outstanding upside. Calixto, who has shifted from guard, will begin the season at right tackle. We need to reinforce this area during our recruiting season.

Ashworth is a very reliable placekicker.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2010


POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 70 Bert Nelson 6-2 240 Fr 28/61 De Witt, MI/De Witt
NT 55 Steven Short 6-5 271 Fr 27/67 Russell, PA/Eisenhower
RE 71 Max Rockwood 6-7 284 Jr 70/90 Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence
LOLB 31 Frank Miller 6-3 250 Jr 75/86 Sanford, ME/Sanford
LILB 99 Kelly Austin 6-2 231 So 75/75 Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass
RILB 53 Thurman Talley 6-3 253 Sr 34/56 Hamtramck, MI/Hamtramck
ROLB 47 Neal Hopkins 5-11 246 Sr 90/99 Beecher, IL/Beecher
CB1 32 Will Pierce 5-11 187 Sr 70/70 Chesapeake, VA/Indian River
CB2 28 Bruce Horton 5-10 182 Sr 49/54 Neenah, WI/Neenah
SS 33 Neal Farr 5-8 207 Sr 40/48 Mount Orab, OH/Western Brown
FS 20 Wade Goodstriker 5-8 196 So 45/100 Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll
P 11 Everett Hundley 6-0 200 So 50/77 Utica, MI/Utica

DE 92 Leon McWilliams 6-5 289 Sr 29/29 Perry, OH/Perry
DE 75 Tommie Wilcox 6-5 264 Fr 17/65 Marion, OH/River Valley
DT 94 Julio Robinson 6-3 284 Jr 28/45 Naples, ME/Lake Region
DT 76 Harvey Van Pelt 6-3 303 Sr 26/44 Youngstown, OH/Chaney
LB 44 Colin Wistrom 6-0 247 Jr 37/58 Middletown, IN/Shenandoah
LB 46 Darrin Dunlap 5-10 248 Sr 31/52 Cleveland, OH/East Technical
CB 21 Adrian Hill 5-10 194 So 30/89 Farmington, WV/North Marion
CB 34 Britt Weber 5-9 164 Fr 19/78 Roswell, GA/Roswell
S 40 Johnnie Anderson 6-1 210 So 39/47 Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso



If everyone can remain healthy, we could have one of the country's stoutest defenses this year.

Rockwood looks like he's ready to dominate this year. Short and Nelson, redshirt freshmen, have lots of potential. McWilliams and Van Pelt are solid veteran reserves.

In Miller and Hopkins, we have the nation's #3 pair of outside linebackers, and Austin is a future pro, too. Talley brings leadership and tenacity to the other inside LB spot. Wistrom is a special teams star and a capable backup.

Pierce should have earned All-MAC honors at CB already; he probably will be this year. He is an elite shutdown corner. His partner, Horton, is also very good, and youngster Hill is a future star.

Goodstriker looked like a worthy heir to Adrian Castillo at safety. Senior Farr is a four-year starter.

Hundley needs to step it up some if he's going to hold onto his job.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2010
#67 Troy at #24 Kent State
TV5


Troy 0 0 0 13 - 13
Kent State 7 14 10 14 - 45

1Q: 07:47 KENT - Mark Houston 11 pass from Tim Froese.
1Q: 07:47 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 14:21 KENT - Carlton Looman 10 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 14:21 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 05:14 KENT - Ralph Monroe 34 run.
2Q: 05:14 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 10:15 KENT - Jackie Dunlap 15 pass from Tim Froese.
3Q: 10:15 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 05:58 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 33 field goal.
4Q: 14:12 KENT - Jackie Dunlap 8 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 14:12 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 08:52 TROY - Chris Kessler 1 run.
4Q: 08:52 TROY - Sammy Varona extra point.
4Q: 02:46 TROY - Lance Stewart 4 run.
4Q: 02:46 TROY - Lance Stewart run for conversion failed.
4Q: 00:28 KENT - Jackie Dunlap 8 pass from Junior Sheehan.
4Q: 00:28 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 71 Max Rockwood


At the beginning of the season, I predicted that Max Rockwood might be ready to dominate. He made me look like a prophet this week; his four sacks and seven tackles earned him recognition as the NCAA Defensive Player of the Week. His teammates played well, too, and a capacity crowd at Dix Stadium watched us roll to a 45-13 victory.

Tim Froese demonstrated his ability to make big plays (four TD passes) and his inexperience (four picks) in his first collegiate start. Jack Dunlap caught two scoring passes from Froese and a third from Junior Sheehan. The two passers combined to go 23-34 for 289 yards.

Froese also scrambled for 57 yards on 10 carries, nicely complimenting Ralph Monroe's 15-136 efforts. We amassed 30 first downs, and held Troy to 12 first downs and 165 yards.

Kelly Austin intercepted two passes, and everybody who got into the game on defense looked good. Troy scored twice against our second and third strings, but couldn't get on the scoreboard against our starters.

All in all, a nice way to start a season.

Recruiting Update
There are a lot of talented players in Ohio this year, particularly offensive linemen. We're beginning our recruiting efforts with a strong push in-state this year, and hopefully we'll soon get some guys on campus for visits.

Kent State's record: 1-0.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2010
#90 Dayton (0-1) at #21 Kent State (1-0)



Dayton 14 7 3 3 - 27
Kent State 7 0 0 3 - 10

1Q: 09:31 KENT - Will Pierce 52 interception return.
1Q: 09:31 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 09:25 DAYT - James Sunia 96 kickoff return.
1Q: 09:25 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
1Q: 03:37 DAYT - Carlton Jefferson 5 run.
1Q: 03:37 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
2Q: 12:01 DAYT - Carlton Jefferson 2 run.
2Q: 12:01 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
3Q: 08:54 DAYT - Shane Prestbye 40 field goal.
4Q: 08:40 DAYT - Shane Prestbye 31 field goal.
4Q: 06:48 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.


This was, quite possibly, the worst game we've played since I came to Kent State.

We got our tails whipped by a team we should have beaten, and every man, woman, and child who saw it knows it. There's no way we should "produce" -3 yards rushing on 20 carries. We were never really in the game, and we owe our fans an apology.

Will Pierce played well; he intercepted a pass and ran it back for our only touchdown. Freshman WR Mark Houston caught five passes for 107 yards. Wade Goodstriker was in on 13 tackles; Frank Miller had 11. Otherwise, we stunk. Our offensive line, which supposedly includes three NFL prospects, allowed five sacks and did not produce a key run block all day long. I've never seen that happen before, and I hope it never happens to us again.

There's only one thing to do after a game like this one. Forget it, keep working hard, and move on. At least it wasn't a conference game.

Recruiting Update
I'm glad no recruits were on campus this week. There are, however, two guys visting us during Week 4:


C Bernard Pavkovich
DT Rico HatfieldBernard and Rico are Ohio boys. Bernard is the #2 center in the state, and Rico is the top-ranked defensive tackle. They are both solid students, and I think we have a good chance to land both of them. They were both delighted to hear from us when we began to recruit them.
Kent State's record: 1-1.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2010
Off week

Recruiting Update
Another Ohio standout will be visiting us this coming week:

TE Marco HendersonMarco is the #21 tight end prospect in the nation, and ranks third at his position in the state. He's also lined up visits to Georgia, Cleveland, and Miami of Ohio.

Rico Hatfield and Bernard Pavkovich are each visiting two other in-state schools. Rico is going to check out Canton and Bowling Green, while Bernard will visit Miami and Cincinnati.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2010
Off week, again.

Recruiting Update
Today we signed the first two recruits of the season, and one of them hadn't even visited us yet! I don't think I have ever seen that happen. (If he did plan a visit, I missed it).

C Bernard Pavkovich accepted our offer this week. He's from Creston, Ohio, only about 20 miles away from here. Bernard is a hard-nosed run blocker from a high school program that prepares its players well, so there's a possibility he could see some playing time as a true freshman. It felt really good to lure him away from Miami. :)

FB Vincent Shotwell is from Cincinnati, and I figured the hometown Bearcats were going to snap him up quickly. Vincent is a terrific signing--the #15 FB in the nation, and #2 in the state of Ohio. He rushed for 820 yards on 87 carries as a senior--averaging over nine yards a carry--and caught 48 passes, scoring a total of ten touchdowns.

Two more Ohio stars are coming to campus next week:

DE Norman Ackerman
CB Joey BucknerAckerman is a big end who is tough at the point of attack. If we decided to return to a base 4-3 defense, he could probably shift to tackle with no problem. Norman is also visiting Cleveland and Miami.

Buckner, who has also lined up visits to Wisconsin, Dayton, and Steubenville, is somewhat raw, but he has compiled very good stats (10 interceptions, 4 sacks) for Loveland High School, outside Cincinnati. He is also a threat in the return game.

Next up: a visit to #6 Central Florida, who have already won four games.

[Big Six]

Week 6, 2010
#52 Kent State (1-1) at #6 Central Florida (4-0, 1-0)
TV4


Kent State 10 0 0 7 10 - 27
Central Florida 0 14 3 0 13 - 30

1Q: 06:32 KENT - Jackie Dunlap 6 pass from Tim Froese.
1Q: 06:32 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 00:12 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
2Q: 09:03 CFLA - Wally Higgs 9 run.
2Q: 09:03 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
2Q: 02:01 CFLA - Earnest Clements 5 pass from Lorenzo Fiefia.
2Q: 02:01 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
3Q: 02:09 CFLA - O.J. Burgess 44 field goal.
4Q: 01:10 KENT - Rusty Flynn 11 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 01:10 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
OT: 14:53 CFLA - Wally Higgs 25 run.
OT: 14:53 CFLA - O.J. Burgess extra point.
OT: 13:22 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 run.
OT: 13:22 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
OT: 14:14 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 37 field goal.
OT: 14:07 CFLA - Wally Higgs 13 run.



We stood toe to toe with Central Florida on their home field, battling them hard for four quarters, but they got the best of us in overtime. Still, this loss felt a lot better than the Dayton debacle.

UCF did a very good job of containing Ralph Monroe, holding him to 25 yards on 18 carries. Bruising Ernie Lesch picked up the slack, however, rushing for 77 yards on five touches. Tim Froese didn't turn the ball over, and he threw two TD passes.

Our defense had to find a way to control Wally Higgs, UCF's star tailback, and we did as well as anyone has in a while. Higgs gained 136 yards, but since he rushed for 1982 yards last season and averaged over 200 per game this year, we actually did a pretty good job with him. Higgs did score the game-winning touchdown, but that's what stars do.

Kelly Austin (14 tackles, two sacks) and Wade Goodstriker (13 tackles, one sack) led our defensive effort.

I hate losing, but this game actually turned out better than I had hoped--especially after the way we screwed up against Dayton.

Recruiting Update
Good news! One of the top 100 players in the country has chosen the five schools he'll visit, and we're on his list.

Andrew Whalen, a speedy WR from Maumee, Ohio, has narrowed down his choices to Bowling Green, Youngstown, Zanesville, Notre Dame, and Kent State. The Fighting Irish are tops on Andrew's list, but he'd be a good fit for our new, more diversified offense.

It looks like we're basically competing with in-state rivals for most of our recruiting targets. Most of the guys who are visiting us have one school outside Ohio on their list.

Kent State's record: 1-2, 0-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 7, 2010
#69 Miami of Ohio (2-2, 1-0) at #53 Kent State (1-2, 0-1)


Miami of Ohio 0 6 14 7 - 27
Kent State 14 10 3 3 - 30

1Q: 08:31 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 run.
1Q: 08:31 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 00:16 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 run.
1Q: 00:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 11:03 KENT - Rusty Flynn 19 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 11:03 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 03:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
2Q: 00:55 MIAO - J.C. Weddle 39 field goal.
2Q: 00:07 MIAO - J.C. Weddle 20 field goal.
3Q: 11:14 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 25 field goal.
3Q: 08:53 MIAO - Scottie Harding 15 pass from Lonnie Clemons.
3Q: 08:53 MIAO - J.C. Weddle extra point.
3Q: 07:41 MIAO - Chester Helling 16 interception return.
3Q: 07:41 MIAO - J.C. Weddle extra point.
4Q: 02:38 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 50 field goal.
4Q: 01:28 MIAO - Cedric Ferguson 9 pass from Lonnie Clemons.
4Q: 01:28 MIAO - J.C. Weddle extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


The weather was unseasonably chilly this week, but another sellout crowd came out to watch us win a close, thrilling game against Miami this week.

Despite the loss of LT Brandon Blackburn, who broke his wrist this week and will probably miss the rest of the season, our offense was able to produce enough points to secure the win. Ralph Monroe still hasn't broken out with a big game, but he scored two TDs and gained 62 tough yards.

We didn't get Ernie Lesch involved in the offense too much this week, but we'll probably take a longer look at him next week.

Tim Froese wasn't as accurate as he has been (15-28), but he's developing an explosive combination with Mark Houston. Mark caught three passes for 102 yards, his third straight game with more than 100 yards receiving.

Our placekicker, Dwight Ashworth, bombed a long field goal to provide the winning margin today. I don't remember one of our kickers hitting a 50-yarder in all the time I've been here. It was a huge kick under pressure, at any rate.

Max Rockwood picked up two more sacks, as did freshman reserve DE Lance Kimrin. We allowed the Redhawks to outgain us, but we put more points on the board, and that's what matters most.

Recruiting Update
We heard from three players we were recruiting heavily, two of whom had visited us. One of them chose Kent State and becomes the third member of our new recruiting class.

Rico Hatfield will be wearing the Navy and Gold, beginning next year. He's small for a DT (6-0, 244 pounds), but he's tough against the run. He made 72 tackles as a senior, a high total for a lineman. Rico is raw and will almost certainly redshirt next season.

As usual, a platoon of players have planned to visit during Week 8:

QB Carl Hickman
QB John Woods
WR Ernie Terrell
G Larry Buckner
T Greg Geller
T Billy Fleming
ILB Lionel Snyder
CB Omar Grace
CB Joey Buckner
S Hunter Waas
S Wes BecerraHickman, admittedly, is a long shot. He's the #1 player in the nation, a blue-chip passer from Mississippi who is also being courted by Texas, Texas A&M, California, and Utah. Larry Buckner, Geller, and Snyder are also among the nation's top 100 recruits.

Kent State's record: 2-2, 1-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 8, 2010
#42 Eastern Michigan (4-1, 1-1) at #46 Kent State (2-2, 1-1)
TV 5


Eastern Michigan 0 0 7 3 - 10
Kent State 0 14 0 0 - 14

2Q: 13:40 KENT - Ralph Monroe 6 run.
2Q: 13:40 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 05:28 KENT - Ralph Monroe 10 run.
2Q: 05:28 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 00:26 EMIC - Louis Shackelford 9 pass from Irv Ferguson.
3Q: 00:26 EMIC - Darryl Carpenter extra point.
4Q: 04:34 EMIC - Darryl Carpenter 36 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe



Ernie Lesch's sprained ankle prevented us from using him the way we'd planned this week, but Ralph Monroe stepped up. He carried the ball 34 times, gained 109 yards, and scored both our touchdowns in a 14-10 victory over a very good Eastern Michigan team.

Both defenses played extremely well, but ours was that much better, allowing EMU only 188 total yards. It's hard to single out individual players for props this week, because our entire defensive unit was so solid. Kelly Austin led the team with 10 tackles, Max Rockwood had 1.5 sacks, and guys like Wade Goodstriker, Neal Hopkins, and Ralph Miller were around the ball all day long.

And, it was our fourth consecutive sellout crowd. It's great to see the stands full, and I hope we can continue to give our students, our alumni, and all our other fans their money's worth.

Recruiting Update
YES! Once again, we've persuaded the #1 recruit in the nation to come to Kent State!

Quarterback Carl Hickman, the pride of Petal, Mississippi, will play his college ball right here in Kent, Ohio. A 62% passer as a high school senior, Carl can pick a defense apart with a surgeon's touch. Although we didn't need a quarterback as badly as we might have--we signed Chris O'Neal last year--Hickman was too good to pass up. He is also a 3.87 student with an SAT score over 1500, so he's a star in the classroom as well.

We also picked up commitments from TE Marco Henderson (Springfield, OH) and ILB Lionel Snyder (Granton, WI). Henderson was both a productive receiver and a disruptive force at defensive end. Snyder, a worthy heir to our "Linebacker U." tradition, racked up over 100 tackles, five sacks, and seven interceptions. Lionel is the #2 inside linebacker in the country, and a Wisconsin All-State selection.

This class is shaping up to be one of the best we've ever had. Hopefully the commitments will keep rolling in. :)

Add three more players to the list of guys who are visiting Kent State:

RB Jeff Bullock
TE Joe Terrell
OLB Bruce OswellJeff is visiting some powerhouse programs, like Penn State, Georgia, and Missouri. Joe and Bruce are attracting interest from other Ohio schools, including our nemesis from Miami.

Kent State's record: 3-2, 2-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 9, 2010
#34 Kent State (3-2, 2-1) at #52 Buffalo (4-3, 3-1)


Kent State 0 7 0 14 - 21
Buffalo 14 3 0 0 - 17

1Q: 09:22 BUFF - Emmanuel Eng 52 fumble return.
1Q: 09:22 BUFF - Lincoln Craighead extra point.
1Q: 08:55 BUFF - Charlie Wilson 36 interception return.
1Q: 08:55 BUFF - Lincoln Craighead extra point.
2Q: 12:12 BUFF - Lincoln Craighead 41 field goal.
2Q: 04:38 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 run.
2Q: 04:38 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 14:01 KENT - Kevin Jennings 22 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 14:01 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 10:54 KENT - Will Pierce 61 punt return.
4Q: 10:54 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


For a while, it looked like we were going to beat ourselves this week. You can't keep turning the ball over against a team as good as Buffalo without paying the price, and fortunately, our defense played superbly all day long.

Led by ILB Kelly Austin, who made 20 tackles, the defense allowed the Bulls a single field goal. Wade Goodstriker (12 tackles) and Frank Miller (10 tackles) were also very effective.

Our ground game looked better than it has in a long time, with Ralph Monroe gaining 130 yards on 15 carries. Tim Froese didn't take many chances throwing the ball downfield on a rainy day, but he completed 12 of 23 passes for 148 yards and a TD. Seldom-used freshman wideout Kevin Jennings was on the receiving end of Froese's TD toss.

Recruiting Update
Meet the three newest members of the Golden Flash football family:

OT Greg Geller, Lewistown, PA
K Tom Rogalle, Menominee, MI
S Wes Becerra, Hummelstown, PAGeller is a bulldozer, the #78 player in the country and the #7 OT. He made the All-State team in Pennsylvania. He aspires to a career as a teacher and a coach, ideally after a long, productive NFL career.

Rogalle is a very accurate kicker who will probably step right in as our starter next year. He's from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and wants to major in journalism.

Becerra, the #18 free safety in the nation, is a 168-pound ballhawk who picked off 14 passes on the way to All-State recognition as a senior. Wes is a superb student who might need a year to hone his football skills.

We lost out on TE Joe Terrell and DE Norman Ackerman, who committed to Cleveland this week. OT Billy Fleming is off to Penn State.

Announcing their intention to visit us next week are:

WR Geoff Lincoln
OT Ellis DeWalt
RB Casey AndersonThe loss of Ackerman makes defensive end a priority. We'll see if we can find someone who's slipped through the cracks.

Kent State's record: 4-2, 3-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 10, 2010
#61 Ohio (4-3, 2-2) at #32 Kent State (4-2, 3-1)


Ohio 0 0 0 0 - 0
Kent State 7 14 10 7 - 38

1Q: 10:36 KENT - Kelly Austin 46 interception return.
1Q: 10:36 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 14:51 KENT - Ike Kolb 9 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 14:51 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 05:13 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 05:13 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 08:01 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 39 field goal.
3Q: 03:24 KENT - Ralph Monroe 17 run.
3Q: 03:24 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 02:54 KENT - Ernie Lesch 11 run.
4Q: 02:54 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


This one was a lot of fun.

Every component of our team--offense, defense, special teams--contributed to a 38-0 shutout of Ohio before another capacity crowd. Tim Froese (21-27, 200 yds, 2 TD) played his best game as a Golden Flash. Ralph Monroe (16-123, 1 TD) and Ernie Lesch (10-43, 1 TD) ran behind the blocks of Jerald Kinney, Conrad Piper, and Mitchell Shockey, who was starting in Brandon Blackburn's place.

We recorded eight sacks, with Max Rockwood (2.5) and Donald Kimrin (1.5) leading the charge. Rockwood hurried their QB on three other occasions, too. Kelly Austin intercepted two passes, giving him six for the year and nine for his KSU career.

We're now tied for second in the MAC North. Central Florida leads the division at 5-1, and we share second with Marshall. Our trip to their place in two weeks could be huge.

Recruiting Update
Two more players committed to Kent State this week:

RB Casey Anderson, Anna, OH
WR Geoff Lincoln, Coal Center, PACasey is a breakaway threat who makes tacklers miss and can catch the ball out of the backfield well. We'll have to pay close attention to his academic progress, however; he doesn't quite fit the profile of the student-athletes we've been bringing in lately.

Geoff, on the other hand, scored 1600 on his SAT. He's a big target--6'5"--with excellent hands. I'm looking forward to watching him connect with Tim Froese, or Chris O'Neal, or Carl Hickman, or whoever else is throwing the ball for us over the course of Geoff's career.

Unfortunately, we lost OG Larry Buckner to Texas, CB Joey Buckner to Ohio State, OT Ellis DeWalt to Nevada and, perhaps worst of all, OLB Bruce Oswell to Miami/Ohio. We can't win 'em all. :)

Kent State's record: 5-2, 4-1 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 11, 2010
#32 Kent State at #62 Bowling Green
TV5


Kent State 0 0 3 0 - 3
Bowling Green 0 10 0 0 - 10

2Q: 13:04 BOWG - Corwin Anderson 30 field goal.
2Q: 01:21 BOWG - Bruce McLerran 22 pass from Wes Boyer.
2Q: 01:21 BOWG - Corwin Anderson extra point.
3Q: 07:19 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 19 field goal.



It was an old-fashioned Midwestern football game, with both teams trying to grind out yardage on the ground against defenses that stood firm against them. Unfortunately, Bowling Green did THAT much better a job than we did, got into the end zone once, and won the game 10-3.

You could look at the stats and say "Man, the offense had a bad day." Actually, Bowling Green's defense had a tremendous day. They held us to 32 yards rushing on 31 carries, and we completed only 12 of 29 pass attempts. BGSU's defense ranks sixth in the country against the run and 22nd against the pass, so their outstanding performance didn't come as any surprise.

Tim Froese threw four picks, which didn't help us, but again, only one of the interceptions was his fault. The other times, their players made big plays.

Frank Miller, with 18 tackles, 4 TFL, and a sack, keyed an outstanding defensive effort for us today. Wade Goodstriker was in on 14 stops as well. Any time you hold a good team to only 10 points, you've played well. Bowling Green simply played a little bit better.

Recruiting Update
We obtained two more commitments this week, the 12th and 13th of the season:

P Renaldo Freeman, Elyria, OH
DE Roy Lemons, Mill Creek, WVRenaldo grew up rooting for Kent State, and he's a big, athletic kid who can hang 'em high. He'll compete for the punting job after Everett Hundley graduates in two years.

Roy is an outstanding student whom we pulled right out from under Marshall's nose. :) Although Roy was a Virginia fan as a kid, the Cavs weren't recruiting him. He earned All-State honors in West Virginia, and uses his speed and strength effectively as a pass rusher.

Kent State's record: 5-3, 4-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 12, 2010
#38 Kent State (5-3, 4-2) at #41 Marshall (6-3, 4-2)
TV 5


Kent State 7 7 7 14 - 35
Marshall 3 3 0 21 - 27

1Q: 06:14 MRSH - Nathan Coady 26 field goal.
1Q: 02:30 KENT - Mark Houston 8 pass from Tim Froese.
1Q: 02:30 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 08:43 KENT - Carlton Looman 50 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 08:43 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 03:28 MRSH - Nathan Coady 31 field goal.
3Q: 11:22 KENT - Ralph Monroe 15 run.
3Q: 11:22 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 14:54 KENT - Ralph Monroe 9 run.
4Q: 14:54 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 11:36 MRSH - Renaldo Rose 20 pass from Graham Cash.
4Q: 11:36 MRSH - Nathan Coady extra point.
4Q: 07:36 KENT - Mark Houston 13 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 07:36 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 05:39 MRSH - Pete Kirk 11 pass from Graham Cash.
4Q: 05:39 MRSH - Nathan Coady extra point.
4Q: 00:52 MRSH - Pete Kirk 17 pass from Graham Cash.
4Q: 00:52 MRSH - Nathan Coady extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


Going into this week's game, the media kept reminding me that we've won only one game against Marshall since I arrived at Kent State. I smiled and reminded them that the only game that truly matters right now is this one.

Deep down, I was concerned. We would have to face the Herd without Kelly Austin, our leading tackler, who sprained his back in practice this week. Darrin Dunlap stepped in to replace him; while Darrin is a fine player, he's not a future pro like Kelly is.

Not surprisingly, we allowed more yards and points than we had against Bowling Green. We also scored more, however, and came away with a big 35-27 victory.

Both quarterbacks, our Tim Froese and their Graham Cash, threw three TD passes. It was a great day for passing, and Froese (310) and Cash (324) both threw for over 300 yards. Cash threw one interception, and Froese didn't turn it over all day.

MVP Ralph Monroe bounced back, rushing 24 times for 127 yards. He also caught six passes for 65 yards. Carlton Looman and Jack Dunlap both gained 91 yards receiving. Center Jerald Kinney was too much for the Herd defense to handle; he contributed a season-high seven key run blocks.

Max Rockwood, with 12 sacks, now ranks fourth in the conference in that category; he got two more against Marshall this week.

Our victory broke our second-place tie with Marshall, but Central Florida, who completed their conference season this week with a 7-1 record, has already clinched the North Division title. If we go to a bowl, it will have to be through an at-large invitation.

Recruting Update
No new commitments this week. We have two schollies still available, and we're targeting offensive guards and wideouts.

Several players are visiting us this week:

OG Cris Hemphill
OG Ryan Blanchard
WR Dexter Devine
WR Artie Worrell
WR Irv Stack
WR Perry EldredKent State's record: 6-3, 5-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Week 13, 2010
#119 Akron (1-8, 1-6) at #33 Kent State (6-3, 5-2)


Akron 0 10 0 0 - 10
Kent State 14 9 14 0 - 37

1Q: 12:54 KENT - Carlton Looman 6 pass from Tim Froese.
1Q: 12:54 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 09:34 KENT - Ralph Monroe 13 run.
1Q: 09:34 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 08:47 AKRN - Glenn Biegen 2 run.
2Q: 08:47 AKRN - Quinn Dotson extra point.
2Q: 04:21 KENT - Ralph Monroe 3 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 04:21 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 02:57 KENT - Safety: Will Pierce sacked quarterback in end zone.
2Q: 00:10 AKRN - Quinn Dotson 41 field goal.
3Q: 11:16 KENT - Ralph Monroe 4 pass from Tim Froese.
3Q: 11:16 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 04:41 KENT - Jackie Dunlap 14 pass from Tim Froese.
3Q: 04:41 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe


You should never take any opponent lightly, but we figured we shouldn't have much trouble with a 1-8 team. Another sellout crowd watched us beat Akron, 37-10, in our seniors' final home game.

Tim Froese isn't a senior, but he demonstrated the poise of a veteran, throwing four TD passes. Ralph Monroe caught two of them, rushed for another, and gained 120 yards on 20 carries to earn another game MVP award.

It was great to see Brandon Blackburn back on the field for his final home game. He and Conrad Piper will be sorely missed next year.

Will Pierce made a huge play on his Senior Day, sacking their QB in the end zone for a safety. He and our other senior defensive players looked very good in their final home game.

It was a very satisfying way to end our conference season. Next, we'll travel to West Virginia to close out our year, and we'll see if we get invited to a bowl.

Recruiting News
Nothing this week.

Kent State's record: 7-3, 6-2 in MAC play.

[Big Six]

Now that "real" college football teams are back out on the practice field and the season is just under a month away, I'm in the mood for some football once again. I'll be posting a "real" update here soon. :)

[Big Six]

Week 14, 2010
#26 Kent State (7-3, 6-2) at #98 West Virginia (2-8, 1-5)

Kent State 7 17 7 24 - 55
West Virginia 7 10 7 7 - 31

1Q: 08:44 KENT - Ralph Monroe 41 run.
1Q: 08:44 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
1Q: 05:06 WVIR - Geoff Kaesviharn 31 pass from Bill Taylor.
1Q: 05:06 WVIR - Justin Harper extra point.
2Q: 14:50 KENT - Tim Froese 8 run.
2Q: 14:50 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
2Q: 11:37 WVIR - Justin Harper 29 field goal.
2Q: 08:34 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 40 field goal.
2Q: 06:26 WVIR - James Oxby 84 interception return.
2Q: 06:26 WVIR - Justin Harper extra point.
2Q: 01:53 KENT - Ralph Monroe 4 run.
2Q: 01:53 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 06:57 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 pass from Tim Froese.
3Q: 06:57 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 01:00 WVIR - Scottie Sullivan 1 run.
3Q: 01:00 WVIR - Justin Harper extra point.
4Q: 11:51 KENT - Ralph Monroe 2 run.
4Q: 11:51 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 08:09 WVIR - Kennedy Wallace 21 pass from Bill Taylor.
4Q: 08:09 WVIR - Justin Harper extra point.
4Q: 06:11 KENT - Ralph Monroe 14 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 06:11 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 02:17 KENT - Jeff O'Neill 11 run.
4Q: 02:17 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 00:38 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 32 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe



The Mountaineers have suffered through a dismal season, and on an equally dismal day with the stadium half-full, we closed out our regular season with a 55-31 victory.

Ralph Monroe enjoyed a record-setting day, tying a MAC record with five touchdowns--three rushing, two receiving. He carried 25 times for 164 yards, and caught six passes for 51 more. Ralph has now rushed for over 1000 yards this season, after narrowly missing that accomplishment as a freshman and as a sophomore. With guys like Jerald Kinney paving the way (5 KRB), Ralph had lots of room to run all day long.

Tim Froese enjoyed a great day, too: 24-33, 277 yards. He threw one interceptiion that got run back all the way for a TD, but that was his only real mistake. The fact that the weather was chilly and rainy made his performance even more significant.

Tight end Rusty Flynn was our leading receiver, with 88 yards on five catches. Froese spread the ball around very well, completing at least one pass to nine different receivers.

Our defense played better than the score would indicate. We held the Mountaineers to 78 rushing yards, and they completed only 12 of 32 passes. DE Max Rockwood had an especially active day--you don't see guys at his position making nine tackles very often. Max was credited with half a sack and three QB hurries.

We're hoping to get good news about a bowl game soon. We won't get the conference's automatic bid; Northern Illinois and Central Florida, both 11-1, will play for the championship in a couple of weeks. The team that loses that game will certainly get a bowl bid, and Eastern Michigan has eight wins, too. It would be great to see four MAC teams playing late into December this year.

Recruiting News
We completed our recruiting class with two more players this week:

QB Corwin Ackerman, Geneva, NY
CB Jumbo O'Donnell, Avondale Estates, GACorwin is a sleeper; he's not ranked nationally, but he's the #4 QB in New York this year. He is athletic and smart, and even though we've got some talent at his position, I've found that it's sometimes hard to predict which players will develop into good college quarterbacks.

Jumbo comes from a very good high school program in Georgia. He's got very good size, and won't be pushed around by big receivers. He might make his first impact on our program as a return man.

Kent State's record: 8-3, 6-2 in MAC play.

[bbgunn]

Good to see this is still going! Keep it up!

[Big Six]

Good to see this is still going! Keep it up!

After a LONG break, I'm bringing this one back. It's a lot of fun, and I'd like to keep the run going for a while. :)

[Big Six]

Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, Texas
Kent State (8-3) vs. USC (7-4)


Southern California 0 7 3 7 - 17
Kent State 0 7 7 13 - 27

2Q: 08:57 SCAL - Kenneth Mueller 5 pass from Paul Kingston.
2Q: 08:57 SCAL - Ernie Ham extra point.
2Q: 03:37 KENT - Ralph Monroe 34 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 03:37 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 10:55 KENT - Ralph Monroe 12 pass from Tim Froese.
3Q: 10:55 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
3Q: 04:19 SCAL - Ernie Ham 40 field goal.
4Q: 06:43 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 34 field goal.
4Q: 01:55 KENT - Dwight Ashworth 51 field goal.
4Q: 01:06 KENT - Carlton Looman 37 pass from Tim Froese.
4Q: 01:06 KENT - Dwight Ashworth extra point.
4Q: 00:35 SCAL - Kenyon Roberts 26 pass from Paul Kingston.
4Q: 00:35 SCAL - Ernie Ham extra point.

Game MVP: KENT 3 Tim Froese


We were delighted to accept an invitation from the Alamo Bowl committee to take on a traditional powerhouse like USC. We looked forward to the opportunity to play a "statement game" against one of the most storied programs in college football history.

The Trojans were, admittedly, not as strong as they could have been, but they were still the Trojans. Their roster was filled with highly touted high school stars, many of whom would have never considered a program like ours. It was terrific for our seniors, guys like Conrad Piper, Brandon Blackburn, Neal Hopkins, and Will Pierce, to play their last Kent State game against such an opponent.

It was even more terrific to watch them and their teammates walk off the field winners.

USC's fine running back, Kenny Mueller, had a big game, rushing for 160 yards and catching a touchdown pass. We did a very good job controlling their other offensive weapons, however. Our DBs kept their receivers under wraps all day, and we sacked their QB, Paul Kingston, four times.

Meanwhile, our QB, Tim Froese, played the best game of his career: 17 completions in 24 attempts, three touchdowns, no interceptions. I'm sure Tim felt some pressure to perform, with two of the nation's top high school quarterbacks on our roster next fall, ready to challenge him. Based on what I saw from him in this game, however, Tim looks like he'll be ready to hold on to the job.

LB Frank Miller played a great game too, racking up 14 tackles and two TFL, while DE Max Rockwood was once again a disruptive force with 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and two hurries.

For the second straight year, we finish the season with a 9-3 record and a bowl game victory. After our 1-2 start, including the Dayton debacle, I'm very, very pleased.

Kent State's record: 9-3.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2010


Player of the Year: Emmanuel Summers, Michigan State. Sparty won the national championship, and Summers, a junior QB, was a big reason why. Summers threw for over 4000 yards for the second straight season, racking up 45 TD passes. He was named the Top Offensive Player as well.
Top Defensive Player: Bruce Shea, Baylor. Shea, a senior ILB, took home this award on the strength of 167 total tackles and 24 TFL.
All-Mid-American Conference First Team: TE Rusty Flynn, C Gerald Kinney. Gerald was a second teamer in 2009.
All-Mid-American Conference Second Team: QB Tim Froese, RB Ralph Monroe, G Conrad Piper, ILB Kelly Austin, OLB Frank Miller. Conrad closes out his fine career with his third All-MAC recognition (once a first-teamer). Kelly repeats from last season; the others are first-time honorees.
Mid-American Conference Academic Team: RB Ernie Lesch (4.00, Differential Equations), G Conrad Piper (3.65, Jurisprudence), T Mitchell Shockey (3.72, Jurisprudence), and DE Donald Kimrin (3.97, Differential Equations). Ernie carries a 4.00 through three years of college studies, and now he plays enough to earn a spot on this team. Kimrin is also a first-time honoree, and Shockey returns from last year's squad. Conrad Piper, however, is a four-time All-MAC Academic Team member. He is the quintessential student athlete, a man of whom Kent State University can rightfully be proud.
I'll give the team rankings in a separate post, to come later.

[Big Six]

Postseason 2010

As promised, here are our team rankings for 2010:

Final Team Performance Ranking: #27. Another solid year, and we'll look to improve in 2011.
Final Academic Ranking: #76. Eleven spots higher than last season. We're improving our academic rep and winning football games at the same time. Our team GPA was 3.06, a figure that is pulled down by the idiot walk-ons we pick up sometimes
Final Recruiting Ranking: #36. Much improved over last year. We're ranked second in the MAC, behind a surprisingly good Buffalo recruiting class.
TV Revenue Ranking: #44. Not quite as good as last year, but still very solid for a mid-major program.
Donations Ranking: #18. Wow! Our alumni are impressed with the fact that we're turning the program around, giving them something of which they may be proud.
Attendance: 100% of capacity! Fifteen teams sold out their houses for every home game, including such legendary programs as Michigan, Alabama, Texas, and Notre Dame. Add Kent State to that list, please. :)

[Big Six]

Postseason 2010

Our 2010 wrapup ends with a look at our statistics. Graduating seniors are highlighted in blue.


PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS TD INT RAT
Froese 332 200 60.2 2618 22 16 138.6
TEAM 338 203 60.0 2657 23 16

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD
Monroe 236 1070 4.5 14
Lesch 42 175 4.2 1
Froese 99 144 1.5 1
O'Neill 31 104 3.4 1
TEAM 430 1590 3.7 17

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG TD
Monroe 51 407 7.9 7
Houston 38 600 15.7 3
Dunlap 36 586 16.2 5
Flynn 26 319 12.2 2
Looman 23 389 16.9 4
Lesch 8 142 17.7 0
TEAM 203 2657 13.1 22

BLOCKING KRB KRO PCT SA OFF%
Kinney 32 121 31.4 2 32.9
Piper 23 95 24.2 2 26.1
Shockey 16 38 42.1 4 13.6
Hudson 12 38 31.5 7 10.3
Blackburn 10 26 38.4 2 16.3
Flynn 8 17 47.0 0 5.1

KICKING FG FGA LNG XP XPA PTS
Ashworth 13 17 51 43 43 82

DEFENSE TCK AST SACK TFL INT DEF
Miller 96 22 2.0 19 1 3
Goodstriker 63 35 1.0 4 2 6
Austin 61 20 2.5 16 6 3
Hopkins 53 16 0.0 10 1 4
Rockwood 50 22 14.0 23 0 0
Farr 47 17 0.0 7 1 3
Horton 36 14 0.5 2 2 6
Pierce 35 8 1.0 2 2 6
Hill 31 13 1.0 2 2 2
Nelson 31 6 6.5 14 0 0
Talley 30 17 2.0 6 0 1
Weber 22 7 1.5 2 0 2
Dunlap 21 8 0.0 3 0 0
Short 15 3 1.0 2 0 0
Monroe 13 0 0.0 0 0 0
Robinson 12 10 3.0 4 0 0
TOTAL 687 230 42.0 125 18 36

PUNTING NO YDS AVG LNG In20
Hundley 57 2005 35.1 51 19

[Big Six]

Preseason 2011

I was much happier with this year's recruiting class. We had 15 scholarships available, and brought in a promising group of players. Here they are:


POS NAME HT WT SCT HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB Corwin Ackerman 6-1 186 26+ Geneva, NY/Geneva
QB Carl Hickman 6-0 193 71++ Petal, MS/Petal
RB Casey Anderson 5-11 189 63+ Anna, OH/Anna
FB Vincent Shotwell 5-11 208 70+ Cincinnati, OH/Winton Woods
TE Marco Henderson 6-3 213 71+ Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge
WR Geoff Lincoln 6-5 209 63+ Coal Center, PA/California Area
C Bernard Pavkovich 6-3 265 53+ Creston, OH/Norwayne
T Greg Geller 6-4 282 84+ Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley
P Renaldo Freeman 6-5 211 53- Elyria, OH/Elyria
K Tom Rogalle 5-10 172 53 Menominee, MI/Menominee
DE Roy Lemons 6-5 242 64+ Mill Creek, WV/Tygarts Valley
DT Rico Hatfield 6-0 244 73- Dayton, OH/Belmont
ILB Lionel Snyder 6-1 212 80- Granton, WI/Granton
CB Jumbo O'Donnell 6-0 194 36- Avondale Estates, GA/Avondale
S Wes Becerra 5-9 168 82- Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin

POS NAME NRK POS ST PST GPA SAT MAJOR
QB Corwin Ackerman --- --- -- 4 3.08 1180 Dentistry
QB Carl Hickman 1 1 1 1 3.87 1560 Differential Equations
RB Casey Anderson 868 72 43 5 2.79 870 Education
FB Vincent Shotwell 476 15 23 2 3.17 1100 Accounting
TE Marco Henderson 598 21 27 3 2.82 1060 Trigonometry
WR Geoff Lincoln 626 67 38 9 3.82 1600 Architecture
C Bernard Pavkovich 855 46 41 2 2.58 1060 Business
T Greg Geller 78 7 6 1 2.94 1030 Education
P Renaldo Freeman --- 73 -- 7 2.92 1080 Marketing
K Tom Rogalle --- 42 34 4 2.93 1040 Journalism
DE Roy Lemons 713 58 5 2 3.29 1430 Education
DT Rico Hatfield 765 56 37 1 3.36 1170 Sociology
ILB Lionel Snyder 90 2 2 1 3.73 1270 Computer Game Design
CB Jumbo O'Donnell --- -- 42 2 3.45 1160 Education
S Wes Becerra 355 18 22 1 3.88 1490 Spanish


We recruited very well in Pennsylvania this year, landing several of the state's top players.

It seems like we have a gazillion quarterbacks on our roster, but when you can land a guy like Carl Hickman, you go for it. Geller is a very promising player, and Snyder looks like a future impact guy.

There are a few guys I wish were better students, but none of them, except possibly Anderson, are real academic risks. On the other hand, Hickman, Becerra, and Lincoln (check out the 1600 SAT) are superb students.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2011

Here is Kent State's 2011 schedule. Home games are listed in ALL CAPS, and Mid-American Conference games are listed in blue. Each opponent's preseason ranking is given as well.


Week 1 at Penn State 43
Week 2 at Dayton 39
Week 3 NEW MEXICO STATE 125
Week 5 at Northern Illinois 24
Week 6 at Miami of Ohio 52
Week 7 OHIO 92
Week 8 WESTERN MICHIGAN 109
Week 10 at Central Florida 15
Week 11 MARSHALL 49
Week 12 at Buffalo 66
Week 13 AKRON 105


The first part of our schedule will be a challenge, with four tough road games among our first five contests. I'd like to think we'll handle New Mexico State at home...but could we be 1-4 going into the Ohio game?

I'll predict a sweep of our MAC home games, and I'll pick us to win at Buffalo, too. Last year, I optimistically predicted a 7-4 record, and we won two more games than that. I'll go with 7-4 again, but that's even more of a sunny-side picture than it was last fall.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2011

Let's take a look at the 2011 Kent State offense.


POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
QB 3 Tim Froese 6-6 244 Jr 56/63 Vancouver, WA/Evergreen
RB 29 Ralph Monroe 5-11 209 Sr 93/100 Attica, OH/Seneca East
FB 23 Vincent Shotwell 5-11 221 Fr 17/84 Cincinnati, OH/Winton Woods
TE 85 Larry Conners 6-3 252 Jr 44/86 LaFargeville, NY/Central
FL 81 Mark Houston 6-4 234 So 36/51 Newark, OH/Newark
SE 84 Jack Dunlap 5-9 181 Jr 25/43 Barnesville, OH/Barnesville
LT 79 Mitchell Shockey 6-9 354 Sr 32/44 Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs
LG 75 James Hudson 6-4 317 So 63/73 Carey, OH/Carey
C 50 Jerald Kinney 6-2 263 Sr 79/84 Three Lakes, WI/Three Lakes
RG 77 Kelly Gabrielson 6-5 302 Fr 37/64 Youngstown, OH/Fitch
RT 57 Dan Lett 6-3 275 Fr 28/69 Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe
K 19 Brant Blaylock 6-1 205 So 25/66 Pittsfield, MA/Pittsfield

QB 16 Chris O'Neal 6-1 227 Fr 29/86 Fort Wayne, IN/South Side
RB 24 Ernie Lesch 6-0 246 Sr 59/69 Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck
RB 38 Wayne Binns 5-8 192 Fr 41/57 Bourbon, IN/Triton
TE 80 Tommy Nykolaiszyn 6-4 261 Sr 37/39 Brooklyn, OH/Brooklyn
WR 83 Ike Kolb 6-0 178 So 16/59 Akron, OH/Springfield
OL 52 Calvin Horner 6-3 314 Jr 22/48 Cincinnati, OH/Woodward
OL 54 Tim Uehrling 6-1 281 So 22/45 Milwaukee, WI/Madison
OL 57 Randal Barlow 6-4 310 Fr 19/45 Hamilton, OH/New Miami


Froese broke out last year and could go down as the best QB I've coached here. O'Neal is a great backup, and either he or redshirt Carl Hickman is the heir apparent.

Monroe comes back for his fourth season as the feature back. Lesch's once-promising career has been stalled by injury. Shotwell's huge upside makes him the best option at fullback.

Conners and Nykolaiszyn give us two good tight ends. We're thin at wideout. Houston is a huge target, and Dunlap is an experienced flanker. I need to recruit a couple of stud WRs this fall.

Kinney and Hudson return as the leaders of our O-line. Massive Shockey started seven games last year. Gabrielson looks like a future stud, and Lett has potential, too. The backups are solid, but unspectacular.

Blaylock has big shoes to fill, and we'll see if he can fill them.

In Froese and Monroe, we have two terrific playmakers. Hopefully, the line will allow them to shine.

[Big Six]

Preseason 2011

Now, let's meet the Kent State defense.


POS NO NAME HT WT CL CR/PR HOME TOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
LE 70 Bert Nelson 6-2 249 So 56/61 DeWitt, MI/DeWitt
LT 55 Steven Short 6-5 280 So 48/67 Russell, PA/Eisenhower
RT 94 Julio Robinson 6-3 289 Sr 44/45 Naples, ME/Lake Region
RE 71 Max Rockwood 6-7 284 Sr 79/90 Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence
LLB 44 Colin Wistrom 6-0 252 Sr 47/58 Middletown, IN/Shenandoah
MLB 99 Kelly Austin 6-2 231 Jr 78/78 Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass
RLB 31 Frank Miller 6-3 250 Sr 100/100 Sanford, ME/Sanford
CB1 21 Adrian Hill 5-10 200 Jr 32/89 Farmington, WV/North Marion
CB2 34 Britt Weber 5-9 171 So 16/78 Roswell, GA/Roswell
FS 20 Wade Goodstriker 5-8 199 Jr 60/100 Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll
SS 40 Johnnie Anderson 6-1 217 Jr 30/47 Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso
P 11 Everett Hundley 6-0 203 Jr 74/77 Utica, MI/Utica

DE 56 Donald Kimrin 6-0 242 So 32/76 Belleville, IL/East
DL 73 Tommie Wilcox 6-5 272 So 35/65 Marion, OH/River Valley
DT 92 Rico Hatfield 6-0 254 Fr 23/80 Dayton, OH/Belmont
ILB 37 Marty Houston 6-1 242 Jr 28/73 Ellwood City, PA/Lincoln
ILB 53 Lionel Snyder 6-1 220 Fr 25/72 Granton, WI/Granton
OLB 51 Percy Ford 6-0 231 Jr 26/43 Fairport Harbor, OH/Fairport Harding
OLB 43 Derrick Arton 5-10 213 Fr 34/66 Leetonia, OH/Leetonia
CB 35 Rico Duran 6-1 196 Fr 17/56 Hamilton, OH/Hamilton


Because we have four very good D-linemen this year, we're changing our base defense back to a 4-3. Rockwood is a serious All-American candidate at one end, and his partner, Nelson, could be as good someday. Short and Robinson are stout tackles who are both decent against the run. Kimrin, Wilcox, and Hatfield give us a lot of depth; all are promising young players.

Miller looks like he'll live up to his billing as the top recruit in the country. Austin is also an extremely good player, and Wistrom gets a chance to start after paying his dues for three years. Arton and Snyder are the studs-in-waiting.

Goodstriker is back for his third season as the leader of our secondary. Cornerback Hill looks like he's ready to blossom in his third season, and Weber has potential as well. Anderson is a ferocious hitter. We're not deep in the secondary; cross your fingers and hope nobody gets hurt.

Hundley improved greatly as a sophomore, and we look for more growth again this year.

In MaxRock, Miller, Austin, and Goodstriker, we have four stars on our defensive unit, playmakers whom opposing offenses must account for on every down. This could be the best defense I've had here at Kent State.

[Big Six]

Week 1, 2011
#29 Kent State at #40 Penn State
TV3


Kent State 0 7 7 8 - 22
Penn State 10 7 0 23 - 40

1Q: 08:13 PNST - Victor Clinton 32 field goal.
1Q: 03:16 PNST - Deron Bensen 10 pass from John Garrison.
1Q: 03:16 PNST - Victor Clinton extra point.
2Q: 07:10 PNST - Reggie Ellard 24 run.
2Q: 07:10 PNST - Victor Clinton extra point.
2Q: 04:39 KENT - Ralph Monroe 40 run.
2Q: 04:39 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
3Q: 03:39 KENT - Tim Froese 2 run.
3Q: 03:39 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
4Q: 12:52 PNST - Victor Clinton 24 field goal.
4Q: 04:01 PNST - Reggie Ellard 1 pass from John Garrison.
4Q: 04:01 PNST - John Garrison pass for conversion failed.
4Q: 02:15 PNST - Reggie Ellard 17 pass from John Garrison.
4Q: 02:15 PNST - Victor Clinton extra point.
4Q: 02:06 KENT - Jack Dunlap 94 kickoff return.
4Q: 02:06 KENT - Ralph Monroe run for conversion.
4Q: 01:27 PNST - Conrad O'Donnell 8 pass from John Garrison.
4Q: 01:27 PNST - Victor Clinton extra point.



I confess to being surprised when we went into Happy Valley as a mere one-point underdog, even though the "experts" actually considered us a "better" team. As expected, we had difficulty containing a Big Ten offense, and Penn State hung 40 on us.

Reggie Ellard, whom I recruited when he was a high school senior, had a big day against us, rushing for 115 yards and scoring three times. Their QB, John Garrison, is a true freshman, and he enjoyed a good day as well, throwing four TD passes. We did sack him five times, but when he was on his feet he was very effective.

Max Rockwood was a dominant force, with seven tackles and 3.5 sacks. If he can do this against Penn State's offensive line, what might he do against the MAC? :)

We had a tough time moving the ball against the Nittany Lions. Ralph Monroe carried 21 times for 115 yards and a TD and Tim Froese threw the ball accurately (12-21), but we couldn't move the ball downfield with any consistency. Jack Dunlap took a kickoff to the house for our final touchdown.

I honestly didn't think we'd go to Penn State and beat them on their own turf, so I'm pleased with the fact that we gave them a game--especially during the first three quarters.

Recruiting Update
We're targeting wide receivers and defensive backs this year, and we contacted several good players at those positions this week.

This year, the #1 senior in the country is an Ohio boy: an offensive guard named Leland Arthur. We offered him a scholarship and invited him to campus. You'll learn more about him if he decides to pay us a visit. I know Michigan is also after him.

Several decent players tell us they've been KSU fans for a long time, including the #10 player in Ohio. offensive tackle Claude Robbins from Akron.

Kent State's record: 0-1.

[Big Six]

Week 2, 2011
#42 Kent State at #49 Dayton


Kent State 7 7 0 0 - 14
Dayton 7 7 14 10 - 38

1Q: 10:24 DAYT - Lawrence Christenson 6 pass from Edgar Dawson.
1Q: 10:24 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
1Q: 01:33 KENT - Ralph Monroe 7 run.
1Q: 01:33 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
2Q: 11:53 DAYT - Mack Forbes 5 run.
2Q: 11:53 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
2Q: 00:05 KENT - Ernie Lesch 4 run.
2Q: 00:05 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
3Q: 08:55 DAYT - Sammy Qaderi 8 pass from Edgar Dawson.
3Q: 08:55 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
3Q: 02:10 DAYT - Mack Forbes 22 run.
3Q: 02:10 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.
4Q: 03:27 DAYT - Shane Prestbye 21 field goal.
4Q: 01:32 DAYT - Kelvin Montgomery 18 run.
4Q: 01:32 DAYT - Shane Prestbye extra point.


Is our defense really lousy, or have we simply played two teams with good, opportunistic offenses?

We've allowed 78 points in two games and, not surprisingly, we're 0-2.

We fumbled twice deep in our own territory and Dayton made us pay both times. Both times the culprit was Ralph Monroe. Ralph partially atoned for these mistakes by rushing for 116 yards and a TD on 22 carries, and when you lose by 24 points, two touchdowns don't make the difference.

Tim Froese had a bad day, completing only 9 of his 31 pass attempts and throwing two picks. We brought in his backup, Chris O'Neal, and Chris wasn't any better: 1-4 for four yards.

On a better note, guard Kelly Gabrielson played well, with 5 key run blocks. LB Frank Miller and safety Wade Goodstriker were active and made 12 tackles each.

All in all, Dayton outplayed us this week. They did a terrific job protecting their QB; we didn't record a single sack. Their left tackle, Trent Voigt, was named the game MVP for his five big run blocks and his success in keeping Max Rockwood out of their passer's face.

We simply have to tighten up our defense in a hurry, or we can forget about earning a bowl bid.

Recruiting Update
As we had hoped, Claude Robbins will be visiting us this week. He's a 270-pound OT from Central Hower High in Akron, the #10 player in the state of Ohio. Claude is attracting interest from schools as prestigious as Alabama and Miami (FL, not OH). We especially like the fact that Claude is a very good student (3.87 GPA), and the fact that his motor runs non-stop.

Kent State's record: 0-2.

[Big Six]

Week 3, 2011
#60 New Mexico St. (1-0) at #94 Kent State (0-2)


New Mexico State 7 0 0 0 - 7
Kent State 7 10 3 0 - 20

1Q: 14:52 KENT - Jack Dunlap 93 kickoff return.
1Q: 14:52 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
1Q: 01:46 NMST - Randall Banks 62 run.
1Q: 01:46 NMST - Desmond Melnik extra point.
2Q: 10:06 KENT - Mark Houston 8 pass from Tim Froese.
2Q: 10:06 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
2Q: 00:59 KENT - Brant Blaylock 22 field goal.
3Q: 08:33 KENT - Brant Blaylock 30 field goal.

Game MVP: KENT 29 Ralph Monroe



Much, much better.

Another sellout crowd showed up for our 2011 home opener, and we treated them to a tidy 20-7 victory. The fans didn't even get to sit down before Jack Dunlap put six points on the board for us by taking the opening kickoff to the house. That's Jack's second kickoff return TD in three games.

The big story of the rest of the game was the strong showing by our much-maligned defense. We held New Mexico State to 254 total yards, 62 of which came on one long touchdown run that accounted for all their points. I'll take that every week. D-ends Max Rockwood and Bert Nelson met at the quarterback to share a sack, and each got one sack on his own.

We held on to the ball for over 36 minutes, with Ralph Monroe carrying for a career-high 183 yards on 32 attempts. Tim Froese bounced back with a good game, going 15-26 for 169 yards and a score, which came on a four-yard toss to Mark Houston.

What's even better, we didn't turn the ball over once. When you take care of the football, you make things so much easier for your defense, and when your defense pins the other guy in his end of the field, it makes your offense's job much easier.

Recruiting Update
Another Akron guy who has rooted for the Golden Flashes all his life will visit us this week: running back Harry Wells. Harry is a quick, versatile back who is ranked #2 at his position in the state. He has a nose for the end zone; in seven games, he's scored 17 TD, and he's an asset in the passing game too. He holds offers from several Ohio schools, including Ohio State.

As expected, it didn't take the big dogs long to sniff out Leland Austin. He's visiting Michigan and Michigan State this weekend. Hopefully the fact that Leland has a former high school teammate, sophomore safety Kendall Caldwell, on the roster will help our recruiting efforts.

Kent State's record: 1-2.

[Big Six]

Week 4, 2011
Off

Recruiting Update
None of our scholarship offers have been accepted yet, but two more players will visit our campus this week.

Hunter Bernstein is a defensive tackle from Kenmore High School, the same Akron program as fellow KSU recruit Harry Wells. Like Wells, Bernstein is among the top players at his position in Ohio; he's ranked #3 among DTs. Hunter and Harry are good friends, and each is a solid student.

From the nearby town of Stow comes safety Lonnie Stennett, a rangy 6'2" safety who is also the #3 player at his position on the Rivals.com list. Lonnie is somewhat raw, but he's picked off 11 passes in eight games. He's an excellent athlete who has also rushed for over 600 yards.

Both Hunter and Lonnie are drawing interest from several Ohio schools, and Lonnie also has an offer from New Mexico State, our Week 2 opponent.

[Big Six]

Week 5, 2011
#72 Kent State (1-2) at #107 Northern Illinois (0-2)


Kent State 7 0 0 14 - 21
Northern Illinois 0 3 0 6 - 9

1Q: 07:31 KENT - Mark Houston 6 pass from Tim Froese.
1Q: 07:31 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
2Q: 00:00 NILL - Earnest Reeves 35 field goal.
4Q: 10:16 KENT - Tim Froese 3 run.
4Q: 10:16 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
4Q: 02:29 KENT - Ralph Monroe 12 run.
4Q: 02:29 KENT - Brant Blaylock extra point.
4Q: 01:11 NILL - Austin Cavazos 44 pass from Hunter Mobley.
4Q: 01:11 NILL - Rondell Andrews run for conversion failed.

Game MVP: KENT 71 Max Rockwood


Once again, our defense played very well, and we came away with a victory. We held Northern Illinois to a single field goal until the last two minutes of the game, and by then we'd sewed up the victory.

We did OK against the run, yielding 77 yards on 17 actually "running attempts." However, we unleashed a ferocious pass rush that racked up NINE SACKS.

Junior LB Marty Houston got the first sack of his KSU career. Big DT Julio Robinson bull-rushed his way to three sacks. DE Bert Nelson got one solo sack, and teamed up with Max Rockwood for another. And MaxRock nailed the QB three more times, and earned game MVP honors.

When NIU quarterbacks Louie Cochrane and Hunter Mobley weren't lying on the ground, they were effective, throwing for 263 yards. Our guy, Tim Froese, went 17-31 for 223 yards, one TD, and one interception.

However, once again, the leader of our offense was senior RB Ralph Monroe, who rushed for over 100 yards for the fourth time in four games: 24 carries, 124 yards, and a TD. For good measure, he led our receivers too, with five catches for 55 yards.

We evened our record at 2-2 going into a very tough matchup with Miami, who is unbeaten and nationally ranked. Strap 'em on, boys.

Recruiting Update
Still no commitments, but four more visits this week:

OT Gary Wallace
K Lewis Collins
CB Mo Dargy
S Travis AlstonAll but Dargy hail from the Buckeye State. Wallace is a big boy from a very good high school program in rural Carroll, Ohio. He's the #4 tackle in the state. Collins is ranked among the nation's top 15 kickers, a good athlete with a strong leg. Dargy is considered the top CB in Pennsylvania, and several top schools including Penn State are recruiting him. Alston is a product of Lima High School, one of the best teams in the state. He is the #4 safety in Ohio.

Claude Robbins, another of our top targets, received offers from Marshall and Tennessee this week. Claude really likes the Vols, so we might have to work very hard to land him.

Kent State's record: 2-2.