 In the case of new coaches, for the most part, they play with cards that have already been dealt.” For Kent State first year head coach Darrell Hazell, the cards say, take your team to play No. 2-ranked Alabama. Starting a head coaching career on the road in Tuscaloosa won’t be easy, but so start the challenges for Hazell and the 2011 Golden Flashes.
Hazell, 47, was named the 20th head coach in KSU football history on December 20, 2010 He succeeded Doug Martin, who spent seven seasons at the school. Hazell, meanwhile, worked the last seven seasons at Ohio State on the staff of former head man Jim Tressel. Being with the Buckeyes, he knows all about ‘David vs. Goliath’ mentality.
“It’s an exciting week for Kent State football.” Hazell said. “We have been waiting for this for a long time. Our guys have worked extremely hard, and I know they are ready to go and see what this 2011 team is all about. We’re going down there to win a football game”
The Flashes come into 2011 with an offense that can move the football. KSU is led by junior quarterback Spencer Keith, who completed 59 percent of his passes a season ago for 2,212 yards but just eight touchdowns.
One big problem with Keith has been his durability. He has missed time with injuries the past two seasons. Last year, he was injured late in the Temple game, and the offense sputtered against Army and Western Michigan.
The running game averaged almost 114 yards last season and will be led by senior Jacquise Terry. He led the Flashes with 542 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010 after evolving into the featured back the past two seasons due to injuries to Eugene Jarvis. Terry’s backups are junior Andre Flowers and Dri Archer, who have shown they can break the big play.
The passing game was fifth in the MAC last season, averaging 201 yards per game. It is paced by a pair of fine wide receivers in junior Tyshon Goode and senior Sam Kirkland. Goode led all receivers with 59 receptions for 743 yards and five touchdowns. Kirkland had 56 catches for 599 yards and one score.
The offensive line allowed just 22 sacks a season ago and boasts four returning starters, including senior center Chris Anzevino, junior guard Kent Cleveland, and junior tackle Brian Winters.
Defensively, KSU excelled. The Flashes yielded just 97 yards on the ground, tops in the MAC and among the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. This is a defense that has the returning MAC Defensive Player of the Year in sophomore Roosevelt Nix. As a freshman, he was first in the MAC in tackles for losses with 18 and second in forced fumbles with four -- all of these numbers from a player who did not start in 2010. This year he will be a starter on the defensive line, along with Lee Stalker and Dana Brown.
The linebackers lose the experience of Cobrani Mixon and Quinton Rainey, but have an emerging star in Luke Batton. The junior had 68 total tackles last season and two recovered fumbles, one resulting in a touchdown. Look for junior Jake Dooley to improve from a season ago, as well as Kyle Reese and Byron Tyson, who will be seeing extensive playing time.
The secondary also loses a leader in Brian Lainhart. However, cornerback Norman Wolfe came into his own with five interceptions and 75 total tackles. On the other corner is Josh Pleasant who had two interceptions and 45 tackles and is KSU’s ‘shutdown’ corner. The safeties are led by sophomore Luke Wollet who made a big play in the Akron game that resulted in a touchdown and junior Leon Green who will get his first test as a starter.
In addition, the Flashes have one of the best kicking games in the MAC, led by punter Matt Rinehart. The senior led the conference last season with a 42.7 yard per kick average. On the place-kicking side, junior Freddy Cortez is coming off a solid campaign where he was only one of two kickers to be perfect on extra points (Cortez was 31-for-31) and was 11-for-17 on field goals.
The kick return game averaged just 20.5 yards per game but look for junior Eric Adeyemi, who sat out last season after transferring from Kentucky, to possibly be a game-breaker.
This week’s KSU opponent is perennially one of the best teams in college football. After winning the national championship in 2009, the Crimson Tide “fell” to a 10-3 record (5-3 in the Southeastern Conference Western Division), then destroyed Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day in Orlando.
Many observers and prognostications have Alabama winning the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, and being one of the two teams to play in the BCS Championship game January 9, 2012 in New Orleans.
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Offensively, the Tide lost QB Greg McElroy, RB Mark Ingram, and WR Julio Jones. But at Alabama, they simply reload. Taking over the controls of the offense at QB is sophomore A. J. McCarron, while junior Trent Richardson moves in at running back. The receivers are led by senior Marcus Maze & Darius Hanks, along with junior TE Michael Williams.
The offensive line brings back four starters, led by C William Vlachos.
Alabama’s defense is one of the best in the country with nine returning starters. Linebacker Don’ta Hightower, who fully healthy after a serious knee injury in 2009, and Nico Johnson are standout. The secondary is rated the best in the FBS and includes two senior corners in junior Dre Kirkpatrick and sophomore Dee Milliner.
Alabama has a meeting next Saturday at Penn State, but head coach Nick Saban said they are not looking past the Golden Flashes. “We have a tremendous about of respect for every team that we play, he said. “They have played in places like Penn State last year. I’m sure they are looking forward to coming here and playing in front of 100,000 people. We have a lot of respect for them and what they are capable of doing”
When asked about playing in a hostile environment, Hazell said “It’s all about execution.” “It’s how well we block and tackle and complete the ball; don’t turn it over, play great defense, and play excellent special teams.”
NOTES: The game is the first ever meeting between the two schools…KSU is 0-21 against ranked teams and Alabama is the highest ranked team (#2) KSU has ever played… KSU’s last game against the SEC was September 8,2007 at Kentucky 56-20 L…Kent State is 36-45-7 in season openers and will open a season on the road for the first time since 2007 when they won at Iowa State 23-14…Alabama is 4-1 lifetime against the MAC last playing them in 1996 defeating Bowling Green in Birmingham 21-7…Alabama head coach Nick Saban began his coaching career at KSU from 1973-76 under the staffs of Don James and Dennis Fitzgerald… The game will have an emotional attachment to it. This past spring a killer tornado ripped through the City of Tuscaloosa narrowly missing the University of Alabama campus and coming very close to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Many of the players stayed in town over the summer to help the city rebuild and get back on its feet. “I had never seen devastation from a natural disaster like that.” Keith said. “It puts everything in perspective. It had a big impact on me.”
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