VanDelaySports.com > MAC Football > 2008 MAC Football Pigskin Preview > Kent State Golden Flashes

2008 MAC Football Preview:
Akron preview | BGSU preview | UB preview | Kent preview | Miami preview | OU preview | Temple preview
Ball St. preview | CMU preview | EMU preview | NIU preview | Toledo preview | WMU preview

2008 Kent Football Preview

Kent State's Strengths:

• At five-foot four, Eugene Jarvis may be the smallest player in college football, but he played big last season ranking 5th in the country in rushing averaging at 139 YPG. With an offense that struggled much of the season, Jarvis rushed for 1,669 yards averaging almost 6 yards per carry. He alone accounted for 38% of the entire Kent State offensive production in 2007.
• Augustus Parrish earned second team all-conference honors a year ago and is a legitimate NFL prospect according to the coaching staff. Center Josh Perry also has a chance for all conference honors.
• Derek Burrell returns after garnering third team All-MAC honors in 2007. He was the team's leading tackler at with 112 stops last season. DE/OLB Kevin Hogan is becoming a player who really stands out after making ten tackles for a loss last season, ranking 2nd on the team.

Kent State's Weaknesses:

• The weak link to the offense is its receiving corps. KSU was dead last in the MAC and 111th nationally in passing offense. Some of that was due to the instability of the quarterback last year, but most was on the receivers themselves.
• Punter Jake Kilroy ranked last in the MAC in net punting. Help is needed as well for all kick return specialists after finishing 104th nationally in punt returns and 60th in kick off returns.
• KSU ranked 111th in turnover margin last season which killed them. Kent must learn to protect the ball, especially since they are much better at running (22nd nationally in 2007) than passing (111th nationally in 2007).

Kent State's Opportunities:

• For Jarvis to take his game to the next level, the coaching staff is finding ways for him to increase his 13 TD output from last year. His backup is Andre Flowers who is becoming a special player since he brings more power to the rushing attack. Don’t be surprised to see true freshman Sal Battles on the field right away.
• Julian Edelman had a very good 2006 season and promising 2007 campaign ahead of him. After leading Kent State to a rare BCS victory at Iowa State to begin the season, Edelman was injured in the Kentucky game the following week and was never the same player. Giorgio Morgan emerged as a solid backup after throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a close loss to the MAC Champions Central Michigan.
• The much-ballyhooed incoming DBs will contend for two-deep honors this fall. Look for true freshmen Josh Pleasant, Jharron Armstrong and Leon Green to play early. The big change in the spring was Jameson Konz moving over from defensive end to his natural position of tight end. Konz runs a 4.4/40 and can do something with the ball after the catch.

Kent State's Threats:

• The defensive line did not live up to expectations last year and kind of fell off by seasons end. While sticking with a 3-4 defense alignment, Kent State will be making some adjustments within their schemes this year to be less predictable. A player to keep an eye on is Ishmaa’ily Kitchen. Along with his unique name, his 6-3, 316-pound frame is very rare for a MAC school to have along their defensive front.
• After ranking 10th in the country in 2006 in pass defense and giving up just 8 TDs through the air, KSU slipped to 60th and gave up 19 TDs in 2007. Kent State also ranked 99th in the nation with just 9 INTs.
• A losing tradition. KSU has had one winning season since 1987 (2001). The Golden Flashes have lost 14 games by a touchdown or less during Coach Doug Martin’s four-year tenure. Can this program learn to win and pull out those close games?

The Big Game(s) for Kent State in 2008:

October 4 hosting Akron; “The Wagon Wheel Game” is big for both programs. Last year KSU was dominating Akron before a fumble just before the half allowed the Zips to get back into the game as Akron went on for a 27-20 victory despite Kent State having more total offense (375-245). This is the first of five straight MAC East games and a must win for Kent State - excluding the rivalry tag.

Final Analysis of Kent in 2008:

Kent State proved last year that they are a team that has yet to learn how to deal with success. Perhaps that is why this program has only had two winning seasons since 1980. Coming off of a .500 season in 2006 and picked by most publications to finish first or second in the MAC East, the Golden Flashes plummeted back to their familiar position of last place. Much of that had to due with the injuries at quarterback. This season the offensive line and running backs are as good as there is in the conference but big questions remain at wide receiver. Defensively Kent State should be one of the better teams in the MAC, especially at linebacker. So when you consider that this team lost four MAC games by a touchdown each, KSU is not that far away from being competitive in the MAC East immediately and may surprise everyone by going from worst to first, just like Miami did from 2006 to 2007.

By Nick Gerogosian
published 07.07.2008