Flashes optimistic before season opener

Optimism…Before the first game every College Football team has it.

The Kent State Golden Flashes are no exception as they prepare to open their 2009 season Thursday night under the lights at Dix Stadium against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

The Flashes (4-8, 3-5 MAC) believe they can build on the end of last season when they won their final two games including a season ending 24-21 triumph at newly crowned East Division and eventual MAC Champion Buffalo.

“I think this is, by far, the best summer camp since I have been here” Head Coach Doug Martin said.

One of the biggest battles in training camp was at the quarterback position where sophomore Giorgio Morgan won the job ahead of fifth-year senior Anthony Maguzu and will get the start Thursday night.

Morgan, a native of East Pointe, Georgia, redshirted last season. However, back in 2007 he played in two games (against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois).

He got the start against the Chippewas completing 18-of-28 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-32 loss playing almost even statistically against Central’s signal caller Dan Lefevour.

“One of our weakness last season was we could not throw the ball effectively. That’s what Giorgio brings to us. He is very accurate and has a great mind for the game, and he can stretch the field. He has that big arm” Martin said

But when you talk about Kent State offensively, it begins and ends with Eugene Jarvis.

The fifth-year senior comes into 2009 with 3,268 career rushing yards, which is second in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision, needing just 721 yards to become the all-time leader in that category (Astron Whatley 3,989 1994-97).

In addition, Jarvis is also third all-time in all-purpose yards (4,025), seventh in rushing touchdowns (22) and ninth in total touchdowns scored (26).

When asked about the start of his final season, he said “I’m ready to go. 100 percent ready to go…I got hit with some adversity last season but I am glad it was last season and not this season”

One thing will be added to his repertoire this season is being a punt returner.

VanDelay Sports now features MAC sports merchandise as well as Kent State Flashes merchandise.

“I think he will get more opportunities to get big plays for us” Martin said. “It will be harder for people to eight nine people in the box to stop him running the ball”

Jarvis said “I like the challenge and looking forward to it. Being a punt returner is a hard thing to do. You have 11 guys coming at you and have to judge the football and try to make something happen”

When asked about the defensive side of the ball, Martin said “I like our team speed something we can hang our hat on. We think we have gotten big enough (in the middle of the defense) now where we can handle that”

NG Sam Frist will miss the season opener with a foot injury, but Martin said he should be ready for the Boston College game on Sept. 12

One of the other battles in summer camp was in the place kicking department which freshman Freddy Cortez beat out incumbent, senior Nate Reed.

“Freddy will handle both the place kicking and the kickoff duties and he has been phenomenal in practice, but he has not played in a game” Martin said

The Chanticleers, out of the Big South Conference, have only had a football program for just seven years, but they have won the conference twice and made the former Division I-AA playoffs in 2006 losing to eventual National Champion Appalachian State.

“We are playing a very really good football team. They have won three Conference championships…We will have our hands full and it will be all we want on Thursday night” Martin said of his opponent.

“They have a winning tradition. They are a fast, physical football team. They look to come in here and make a statement” Jarvis said.

One of the key players for Coastal is junior quarterback Zach McDowell.

A transfer from Wake Forest, he passed for 2,064 yards last season completing 61.3 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

McDowell also ran the ball for 238 yards and five scores. He threw at least one touchdown pass in 11 of the 12 games last season and had a rushing touchdown in five games as well.

“He is really a quality player…He throws the ball very well and is a big time player” Martin said.

Last season Coastal opened at Penn State (losing 66-10) and later in the season travel across the state to play at Clemson.

The Flashes have not had a winning season since 2001 when current New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees led them to a 6-5 record

They saw the Buffalo Bulls rise from one of the second division teams of the MAC to winning the conference title last season.

That road to respectability begins Thursday night under the lights.

NOTES: First ever meeting between the two schools…Kent State is 34-45-7 in season openers (18-9-4 at home)…Flashes open a season at home for just the fourth time in the last 20 seasons…Flashes are 5-1 in last six home openers (lone loss 44-0 to Minnesota in 2006)…The Flashes named four team captains for the 2009 season (Eugene Jarvis & Giorgio Morgan-Offense, Brian Lainhart & Cobrani Mixon-Defense)

Coastal Carolina’s first ever game against a MAC opponent…Chanticleers are 3-3 in season openers, and 3-3 in road openers (have lost their last three overall and last two on the road)...CCU picked third in the Big South Conference pre-season poll ( Liberty University picked to finish first)…CCU has played just ten games on artificial turf (Dix Stadium has Field Turf)..Even though their football program is six years old,CCU has placed four players on NFL rosters…Coastal Associate Media Director Kent Reichert graduated from Kent State and worked in the Sports Information office from 2000-02…Kent State University will celebrating its 100 th year as an institution in 2010…

Written by:

Evan Meyer – Sports Vault