The Gridiron Life of John O'Farrell (TCY) - Page 4

Big Six · 04-02-2010, 09:41 AM

Week 13, 2009
#11 Central Florida (8-1, 6-0) at #20 Kent State (8-2, 7-0)
TV2

Code:

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 Davis

Lett, 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 · 04-02-2010, 10:25 AM

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 Weber

Kolb 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 · 04-13-2010, 10:12 AM

Cherry Bowl: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Kent State (9-3) vs. Connecticut (6-5)

Code:

 
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 · 04-21-2010, 02:35 PM

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:

Code:

Team Performance         84
Academic Performance     59
Recruiting Performance   55
Television Revenue       68
Alumni Donations         86
Attendance/Stadium       58
Final Grade              71

Big Six · 04-22-2010, 09:58 AM

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 · 04-22-2010, 10:04 AM

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.

Code:

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 · 04-29-2010, 10:51 AM

Here are Kent State's statistics for the 2009 season. Seniors and their stats are highlighted in blue.

Code:

 
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 · 05-03-2010, 12:59 PM

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.

Code:

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 · 05-03-2010, 07:21 PM

Preseason 2010

Our annual look at the Kent State football team begins with the offense.

Code:

 
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 · 05-07-2010, 08:18 AM

Preseason 2010

Code:

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 · 05-07-2010, 12:21 PM

Week 1, 2010
#67 Troy at #24 Kent State
TV5

Code:

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 · 05-10-2010, 10:43 AM

Week 3, 2010
#90 Dayton (0-1) at #21 Kent State (1-0)

Code:

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 Hatfield

Bernard 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 · 05-10-2010, 10:59 AM

Week 4, 2010
Off week

Recruiting Update
Another Ohio standout will be visiting us this coming week:

TE Marco Henderson

Marco 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 · 05-11-2010, 01:30 PM

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 Buckner

Ackerman 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 · 05-11-2010, 04:30 PM

Week 6, 2010
#52 Kent State (1-1) at #6 Central Florida (4-0, 1-0)
TV4

Code:

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 · 05-12-2010, 10:00 AM

Week 7, 2010
#69 Miami of Ohio (2-2, 1-0) at #53 Kent State (1-2, 0-1)

Code:

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 Becerra

Hickman, 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 · 05-12-2010, 11:50 AM

Week 8, 2010
#42 Eastern Michigan (4-1, 1-1) at #46 Kent State (2-2, 1-1)
TV 5

Code:

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 Oswell

Jeff 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 · 05-12-2010, 12:29 PM

Week 9, 2010
#34 Kent State (3-2, 2-1) at #52 Buffalo (4-3, 3-1)

Code:

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, PA

Geller 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 Anderson

The 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 · 05-12-2010, 01:47 PM

Week 10, 2010
#61 Ohio (4-3, 2-2) at #32 Kent State (4-2, 3-1)

Code:

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, PA

Casey 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 · 05-13-2010, 09:49 AM

Week 11, 2010
#32 Kent State at #62 Bowling Green
TV5

Code:

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, WV

Renaldo 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 · 05-13-2010, 10:31 AM

Week 12, 2010
#38 Kent State (5-3, 4-2) at #41 Marshall (6-3, 4-2)
TV 5

Code:

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 Eldred

Kent State's record: 6-3, 5-2 in MAC play.

Big Six · 05-13-2010, 10:52 AM

Week 13, 2010
#119 Akron (1-8, 1-6) at #33 Kent State (6-3, 5-2)

Code:

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 · 08-06-2010, 04:11 PM

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 · 08-07-2010, 09:50 AM

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, GA

Corwin 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 · 08-08-2010, 07:30 PM

Good to see this is still going! Keep it up!

Big Six · 10-26-2010, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbgunn

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 · 10-26-2010, 02:51 PM

Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, Texas
Kent State (8-3) vs. USC (7-4)

Code:

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 · 10-26-2010, 08:42 PM

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 · 10-27-2010, 04:20 PM

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 · 10-27-2010, 04:32 PM

Postseason 2010

Our 2010 wrapup ends with a look at our statistics. Graduating seniors are highlighted in blue.

Code:

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 · 10-28-2010, 10:46 AM

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:

Code:

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 · 10-28-2010, 11:11 AM

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.

Code:

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 · 10-28-2010, 06:56 PM

Preseason 2011

Let's take a look at the 2011 Kent State offense.

Code:

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 · 11-08-2010, 03:43 PM

Preseason 2011

Now, let's meet the Kent State defense.

Code:

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 · 11-09-2010, 12:30 PM

Week 1, 2011
#29 Kent State at #40 Penn State
TV3

Code:

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 · 11-10-2010, 02:16 PM

Week 2, 2011
#42 Kent State at #49 Dayton

Code:

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 · 11-10-2010, 02:47 PM

Week 3, 2011
#60 New Mexico St. (1-0) at #94 Kent State (0-2)

Code:

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 · 11-10-2010, 03:03 PM

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 · 11-10-2010, 06:24 PM

Week 5, 2011
#72 Kent State (1-2) at #107 Northern Illinois (0-2)

Code:

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 Alston

All 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.

04-02-2010, 09:41 AM	#151
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 13, 2009 #11 Central Florida (8-1, 6-0) at #20 Kent State (8-2, 7-0) TV2 Code: 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 Davis Lett, 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.

04-02-2010, 10:25 AM	#152
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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 Weber Kolb 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.

04-13-2010, 10:12 AM	#153
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Cherry Bowl: Ann Arbor, Michigan Kent State (9-3) vs. Connecticut (6-5) Code: 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.

04-21-2010, 02:35 PM	#154
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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: Code: Team Performance 84 Academic Performance 59 Recruiting Performance 55 Television Revenue 68 Alumni Donations 86 Attendance/Stadium 58 Final Grade 71

04-22-2010, 09:58 AM	#155
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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. Last edited by Big Six : 04-22-2010 at 09:58 AM.

05-03-2010, 12:59 PM	#158
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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. Code: 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.

05-07-2010, 12:21 PM	#161
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 1, 2010 #67 Troy at #24 Kent State TV5 Code: 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.

05-10-2010, 10:43 AM	#162
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 3, 2010 #90 Dayton (0-1) at #21 Kent State (1-0) Code: 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 Hatfield Bernard 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. Last edited by Big Six : 05-10-2010 at 10:48 AM.

05-10-2010, 10:59 AM	#163
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 4, 2010 Off week Recruiting Update Another Ohio standout will be visiting us this coming week: TE Marco Henderson Marco 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.

05-11-2010, 01:30 PM	#164
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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 Buckner Ackerman 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. Last edited by Big Six : 05-11-2010 at 01:31 PM.

05-11-2010, 04:30 PM	#165
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 6, 2010 #52 Kent State (1-1) at #6 Central Florida (4-0, 1-0) TV4 Code: 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. Last edited by Big Six : 05-12-2010 at 08:56 AM.

05-12-2010, 10:00 AM	#166
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 7, 2010 #69 Miami of Ohio (2-2, 1-0) at #53 Kent State (1-2, 0-1) Code: 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 Becerra Hickman, 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.

05-12-2010, 11:50 AM	#167
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 8, 2010 #42 Eastern Michigan (4-1, 1-1) at #46 Kent State (2-2, 1-1) TV 5 Code: 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 Oswell Jeff 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.

05-12-2010, 12:29 PM	#168
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 9, 2010 #34 Kent State (3-2, 2-1) at #52 Buffalo (4-3, 3-1) Code: 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, PA Geller 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 Anderson The 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. Last edited by Big Six : 05-12-2010 at 12:29 PM.

05-12-2010, 01:47 PM	#169
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 10, 2010 #61 Ohio (4-3, 2-2) at #32 Kent State (4-2, 3-1) Code: 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, PA Casey 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.

05-13-2010, 09:49 AM	#170
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 11, 2010 #32 Kent State at #62 Bowling Green TV5 Code: 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, WV Renaldo 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.

05-13-2010, 10:31 AM	#171
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 12, 2010 #38 Kent State (5-3, 4-2) at #41 Marshall (6-3, 4-2) TV 5 Code: 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 Eldred Kent State's record: 6-3, 5-2 in MAC play.

05-13-2010, 10:52 AM	#172
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 13, 2010 #119 Akron (1-8, 1-6) at #33 Kent State (6-3, 5-2) Code: 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.

08-06-2010, 04:11 PM	#173
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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.

08-07-2010, 09:50 AM	#174
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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, GA Corwin 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. Last edited by Big Six : 10-26-2010 at 02:22 PM.

08-08-2010, 07:30 PM	#175
bbgunn College Benchwarmer Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Osaka, Japan via Honolulu, Hawaii via Birmingham, Alabama	Good to see this is still going! Keep it up! __________________ U of Hawaii \| U of Alabama \| Montreal Impact \| Montreal Canadiens \| West Ham \| West Indies cricket \| Portland Trail Blazers

10-26-2010, 02:51 PM	#177
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, Texas Kent State (8-3) vs. USC (7-4) Code: 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.

10-26-2010, 08:42 PM	#178
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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.

10-27-2010, 04:20 PM	#179
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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.

10-28-2010, 11:11 AM	#182
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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. Code: 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. Last edited by Big Six : 10-28-2010 at 11:12 AM.

11-08-2010, 03:43 PM	#184
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Preseason 2011 Now, let's meet the Kent State defense. Code: 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.

11-09-2010, 12:30 PM	#185
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 1, 2011 #29 Kent State at #40 Penn State TV3 Code: 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.

11-10-2010, 02:16 PM	#186
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 2, 2011 #42 Kent State at #49 Dayton Code: 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.

11-10-2010, 02:47 PM	#187
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 3, 2011 #60 New Mexico St. (1-0) at #94 Kent State (0-2) Code: 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. Last edited by Big Six : 11-10-2010 at 02:49 PM.

11-10-2010, 03:03 PM	#188
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	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.

11-10-2010, 06:24 PM	#189
Big Six High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	Week 5, 2011 #72 Kent State (1-2) at #107 Northern Illinois (0-2) Code: 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 Alston All 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. Last edited by Big Six : 11-10-2010 at 06:24 PM.

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