"We started this journey together. We're going to finish this journey together" -- James Franklin

Unfortunately, the 2012 Golden Flashes were unable to finish their journey as well as the Vanderbilt Commodores but that doesn't mean the 2013 Golden Flashes can't continue the journey and have a more successful outcome. If Coach Haynes, staff, and players show the kind of determination that the 2012 Vanderbilt Commodores show in this video (see link), I'm confident the 2013 Golden Flashes will finish the journey together. Go Flashes!!!

Vanderbilt reVealed: Music City Bowl

My wife was heart-broken by the result, but we enjoyed our time in Mobile.



Any chance Dave McMichael will be retained?

Some good news for the Kent State football program as Dri Archer announces he will return for 2013.

Archer will be back to Kent State

In this video, you will see Nick Saban giving backup quarterback A.J. McCarron an ear full in a game two years ago despite being up 27 points. Some coaches are against yelling at players because they seem to believe it diminishes their self-esteem. But since that incident, McCarron has won back-to-back national championships and has Miss Alabama as his girlfriend. Something tells me McCarron doesn't have a self-esteem problem. What do you think?















Saban gives McCarron an ear full

Nielson should start thinking about ways to promote the football program for next season and getting more fans in the stands. Assuming Dri comes back, I would like to see KSU promote him as a "game changer" on billboards and in TV ads (see Game Changer thread). Thoughts?

Kent State's football program is worth $16.9 million which ranks 108 out of 115 schools (see link).



How Much Is Your Alma Mater's Team Worth?

A number of Purdue fans will be watching and cheering for you as well!

Click the link below for the Digital Bowl Guide.

Digital Bowl Guide

Majestic, aging pines...
Stationed about the hill,
Gaze out upon the grounds,
The knoll, settling
Its body firmly for miles.
Often austere...listless
Yet, it is the ground
Of seasoned beauty.
A place of serenity
For many to enjoy;
Giving a home to the school
Used by students...
Twenty-three thousand students,
Knowing the terrain
As an integral part
Of the Year of the Golden Flashes.

[/B]

Fall's arrival is marked
By drum beats, cheers,
Players on the grid iron
Battle for the prize:
The muscle straining score.
Spectators
Enlivened by the rush and
Meshing of sound, color
Players drive to score,
Or hold their ground.
Excitement
Reaches a fever pitch,
Then time becomes master.
In this...
The Year of the Golden Flashes.[/B]



Sharing,[/B]
Camaraderie - true, honest.
Enjoying it to the finish,
Being there together
Is what it's all about.
Knowing that each moment
Reveals a special treasure,
A satisfaction of achieving
The reward; laughter...or
The reward of an embrace.
Knowing lasting friendships
Content with times past.
Anticipating those to come.
Each, contributing memories
That provide a longevity
To the Year of the Golden Flashes.
[/B]






Year of the Golden Flashes

Here is a nice article by Marla Ridenour (see link).

Year of the Golden Flashes

In the article, "Is Changing the Coach Really the Answer?," the author references studies that were conducted across several leagues that suggest coaching changes that are made for bad teams typically leave them bad while coaching changes for average teams tend to make them worse. One of the studies even suggests NBA teams may have the same results with no coach. The theory is "essentially, coaches appear to receive similar training, face similar information sets, and ultimately make similar decisions. The results, perhaps not surprising when you consider these similarities, are that outcomes with different coaches are quite similar."

As many of you know, I wasn't in favor of changing coaches at KSU and felt that Doug Martin deserved to stay longer at Kent. However after seeing the success of Darrell Hazell, I realize it would seem difficult to defend such a position. But no one will ever know what Martin could have done with the talent he had coming back after his last year. It is clear to me that Dri Archer would more than likely maintained his academic eligibility last year and the offensive line would not have taken eight weeks to coalesce and play as a cohesive unit. Certainly I'm willing to give Coach Hazell a lot of credit for changing the culture at Kent State but I also want to point out he did it with Martin's players. Now that Hazell is moving on to Purdue, we will not know how well he would have recruited had he stayed since he only had one recruiting class. The one skill that Hazell seemed to have over Martin was his ability to motivate his players to play up to their potential. I believe emotion plays a major role in winning and Hazell was able to use emotion to help his team win games.

The success of Paul Haynes, in my opinion, will be predicated on his level of intensity and ability to use emotion to motivate players. In order to sustain the success of Hazell, he will also have to recruit well because once the last recruiting class of Martin is gone, Haynes will have to rely on his players to win games. So far I like what I have seen of Paul Haynes and am confident that he will be able to continue what Coach Hazell has started. It will be interesting to see how well Hazell does at Purdue, a place where so many coaches before him have struggled. To many KSU fans, changing the coach was really the answer. In September, we will see whether changing the coach at Purdue is the answer for Boilermaker fans.













This post was edited on 1/5 11:16 AM by nashvillegoldenflash

Is Changing the Coach Really the Answer?

Northern Illinois 3
Florida State 7

1:41 1st quarter

Go Huskies!!!
Go MAC!!!

The winner of the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl will finish with 10 victories this season. That is a major step forward for growing programs such as Ball State and Central Florida.
The Cardinals and Knights meet Friday night at Tropicana Field in a game that Ball State coach Pete Lembo and UCF's George O'Leary view as an opportunity set a nice tone for next season.
Ball State (9-3) is seeking its first bowl win in eight tries, while UCF (9-4) hopes to rebound from a loss in the Conference USA championship game in its final game before moving into the new-look Big East (see link for full article).

Ball St., UCF ready for Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl

I want to welcome Coach Haynes back home to KSU. In the press conference (see link), Coach Haynes references Pat Young as one of the many former players who is dusting off his Kent State stuff because he is now proud to wear it. I'm glad that Coach Haynes is excited to be back at Kent as the head coach but hope that he doesn't forget the talent that Florida players have brought to our football program. Young was the second Miami player to help the Flashes become more competitive and Olympic Gold Medal winner Gerald Tinker was the first. Of course Dri Archer is the current Florida player to dramatically help KSU compete this season. Although Coach Haynes says that he wants to recruit Ohio and Pennsylvania players, I just hope he doesn't forget that the players with the game changing speed reside in the Sunshine State and will be willing to go after at least a few of them.






This post was edited on 12/19 10:50 AM by nashvillegoldenflash

Kent State Introduces Paul Haynes as Head Football

Below is a link to a preview of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl game scheduled for 4:30 EST on Dec. 15th. In this game, the Toledo Rockets will play the Utah State Aggies.

Go Rockets!!!
Go MAC!!!





This post was edited on 12/14 9:22 PM by nashvillegoldenflash

Toledo to face Utah State in Potato Bowl

Is anyone really surprised with Clarett's statement? (see link). Does anyone seriously believe that it still doesn't go on today at Ohio State? Marc, I would really love to read what you have to say about this.

Maurice Clarett says he lived 'NFL life' at OSU

Archer was named to the Football Writer's Assocation of American's first team All-American team today.

I just launched a website dedicated to organizing tailgates and watch parties for sports fans. One of the features of the site introduces you to fans that live in your area and follow the same teams as you. It shows where your fans meet for watch parties and ultimately grows your fanbase in your area. This is perfect for alumni groups.

There is also a free app for Android on the Google Play Store called Fan Map that directs your friends to your tailgate. We have an iPhone app dropping soon as well.

Please feel free to check it out, and thanks in advance for any feedback. I live for college sports, and hopefully our site/app can help sports fans get more organized on gameday.
This post was edited on 12/14 6:22 PM by FanMap

http://FanMap.com

The MAC has four players on the All-America Teams. Jordan Lynch is 2nd team "all purpose", Dri Archer is 3rd team "all purpose", Chris Jones of Bowling Green is 3rd team DT and Eric Fisher of Central Michigan is 3rd team OT (see link).

Go MAC!!!

AP releases 2012 All-America Teams

Dri ArcherAll-Purpose | Kent State
Arguably no FBS player reflects his team's nickname better than Archer, who, with the ball in his hands, usually is gone in a flash for the Golden Flashes. He had only 15 kickoff returns, but three went for touchdowns -- two 98-yarders and a 99-yarder against Ball State -- as he averaged 38.2 yards per runback. Archer also averaged nine yards per carry with 15 touchdowns on 150 carries while averaging 15.4 yards per reception with four more scores. He became the first Kent State player selected to the Walter Camp All-America team, and he was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
-- Adam Rittenberg

ESPN.com's All-America Team 2012

After pondering this over another day, I have decided that the best coach that Kent State can hire is Mike Haywood. Joel Nielson will probably not consider him as a candidate for the head coaching position but I'm convinced that Haywood is the best coach to replace Coach Hazell. Haywood turned Miami into a winner and could maintain the winning culture that Coach Hazell has developed at KSU. I fully understand why Pittsburgh fired Haywood the day after he was charged with domestic battery and domestic violence. But those charges against him were dismissed on February 12 2012 after he completed a pretrial diversion program that included counseling and community service (see link). As good of a coach as Haywood is, you know that it's just a matter of time before someone gives him another opportunity to coach. When that happens, just see how successful Haywood becomes and remember that I was the first one who suggested that KSU should have hired him.




Barbed wire behind him

Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell is going to be the top target.

Now here is where it gets really tricky though, Fickell makes nearly 800k per year at Ohio State. There is going to have to be some compromising by both parties (if Fickell wants the job) to get that number down from what he makes at OSU but up from what Hazell was getting paid in base salary.

Not sure how interested Fickell is in the job just yet, but I am definitely being told that is the guy that will get the first serious phone call.

Will keep everyone informed on what I hear.

We will update this as we get new information, which will start coming in tomorrow. But right now, these are three guys that we expect to at least get a phone call about the opening.



Coaching Hot Board

Purdue traveled to Northeast Ohio today, presumably for the purpose of contact with Kent State coach Darrell Hazell.

Kent State coach on radar

Auburn is expected to name Gus Malzahn its new head football coach today, according to multiple sources. The move will reunite the man with a playbook full of offensive wizardry with the university where he served as offensive coordinator just a season ago (see link).

Auburn naming Gus Malzahn head coach