"Nobody thought that we would be in this game," said Haynes. "This football team will continue to fight and grind like crazy. It is shaping up for bigger and better things. I know it. I love this team's fight. They finally put together 60 minutes. That was the challenge we gave them."

"We felt more confident with our field-goal kicker at that point than with our third-or-fourth-string quarterback," said Kent State head coach Paul Haynes. "That was a first for me with two quarterbacks going down in (three) plays like that. Hopefully they will be alright because they are important to this team."

"I had never been through anything like that, nor have I ever seen it," said senior wide receiver Chris Humphrey. who led the Flashes with five catches covering 57 yards. "That's what football is. Adversity. When the third-string quarterback went in … guys stayed positive. We kept lifting each other up."

"I thought it was a good effort by our defense," said Haynes. "Our preparation has been awesome. These guys stayed after our walkthrough this morning and watched film as a group with no coaches involved. So those are things that are happening when I talk about this team starting to take shape. Those things wouldn't happen before. We're starting to get it together. W'e're just not getting it in the win column, but there are a lot of good things that are happening for the future of this team, this year and the future."

Postgame Press Conference

Great effort but the Flashes fall to the Northern Illinois Huskies 17-14 (see link).

Kent State Football at Northern Illinois

Coach Paul Haynes and players address the media in the weekly Football Press Conference (see link).

Weekly Press Conference 9/29/14

Northern Illinois is favored by 22 !/2 points (see link).

Las Vegas Odds

Coach Paul Haynes addresses the media during the weekly press conference (see link).

Football Weekly Press Conference

21 points

Las Vegas Odds

I received a note this morning from Wellington, Ohio OL Bruce Gibbs that he has made a commitment to Kent State. They offered him last week.

Bryce Gibbs profile

I realize Coach Haynes has to remain positive but isn't his constant talk of being MAC champs a little unrealistic when just winning a game seems doubtful at this juncture? I know the players must be feeling pretty low right now and the coach doesn't want to say anything that would make them feel any worse. But after losing 66-0, wouldn't a Jim Mora-type post-game tirade be more appropriate than the "get ready for the MAC to be MAC Champs" statement?

MAC championship? You kidding me? MAC Championship? I just hope we can win a game!



.



This post was edited on 9/16 6:45 AM by nashvillegoldenflash

Jim Mora Playoffs!

I am soooooooooooooooooooo happy Indiana University lost to a MAC school! lolololololololoolololol They are just terrible, that hillbilly school from Bloomington, Indiana. lolololololololololoolololololololololololololo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love when they lose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lololololololololololoololololololololololololololoolol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! INDIANA SUCKS!
This post was edited on 9/13 3:07 PM by Johnnypurdue

After watching just two games this season, it seems that the Flashes are short on Division I talent. Certainly, the defensive line appears to have Division I talent but offensively the players just don't have the skills to win against Division I teams. And KSU is not the only program in the MAC with a football talent deficit. After playing a competitive game against Marshall in Week 1, Miami lost to Eastern Kentucky yesterday and Western Michigan has become just about as bad as Eastern Michigan.

So how much of a program's success is attributed to recruiting and how much of it is coaching/leadership? I contend that without good Division I players, a team cannot consistently compete in Division I football regardless of the quality of the coaching and leadership of the team. I don't doubt Coach Haynes' ability to coach but I do question his ability to recruit Division I talent. But Coach Haynes is not the only coach at Kent who has had difficulty recruiting. Darrel Hazell showed that he could win with Doug Martin's recruits but according to Rivals, his first full class was ranked 99th and his second class was ranked 102nd before he left for Purdue. And now that Hazell is at Purdue, he hasn't been able to recruit well enough to beat Central Michigan, losing to the Chips yesterday 38-17. It's amazing how good a coach can look when you have an All-American kick returner like Dri Archer. who was recruited by Doug Martin and not Hazell.

The big difference between success and failure as a college head coach is the ability to recruit and implement offensive and defensive plays that players can execute successfully. Pete Cordelli was no doubt the worst coach at Kent because of his inability to recruit good players and he could not get any productivity out of his players that he had. This brings me to a story when Cordelli was coaching at Kent. The Flashes were coming off seasons of 0-11, 2-9, 1-10, and 2-9 in the MAC, and another season was off to a bad start. After a 32-7 loss to Akron in Game 2, Cordelli called a late-night staff meeting to dissect the problem. Jon Hoke, the older brother of Brady Hoke and an assistant coach on Cordelli's staff, recalling the meeting said, "I'm sitting there thinking, "You've got to be kidding me. We've got bad players. I felt like going up there and pounding my head against the wall. I mean, we had good kids, they tried hard, but they were bad players."

Coming out of high school, Hoke was not exactly a blue chip player himself. Just like Paul Haynes, he earned All-MAC honors twice as a defensive back at Ball State as a walk-on. As a free agent, Hoke played for Chicago and Kansas City in the NFL.

Reflecting on his coaching days at Kent, Hoke said, "I probably learned more going 0-11 at Kent than going 11-0 at Bowling Green. The Kent experience was probably some of the most valuable I've ever had because it forced me to learn more football than I could have ever asked for. You were trying to do anything you could to put those players in a position to be successful."

Another coach at Kent was Dean Pees, who tried to implement complicated defensive schemes that he had used at Michigan State when he was Defensive Coordinator at MSU. Later, he recognized that Kent's players were not capable of executing the plays and later simplified things so the players could just react and not have to think so much.

With gifted athletes, a coach can use a jumble of blitzes and pass coverages that will confuse even the most veteran quarterback without making the defense vulnerable to big plays. However, with average athletes this defensive strategy is not effective because the players are often too slow to execute the plays which usually results in giving up big yardage.

Hoke believes in implementing plays that the players can execute. He said, "The more different blitz looks you can give them, the more the offense has to cut down on what they do because they're guessing more. I believe in doing more as long as the players can handle it."

Although the current team is performing well defensively, the offense is anemic and not able to execute the plays that are being called. The offense is too slow to run to the outside and too weak to run up the middle. Until Trayion Durham is able to come back and play at 100%, I just don't see the offense scoring enough points to allow the team to win. And until Coach Haynes is able to recruit better players, I just don't see the football program improving much at all. The same goes for Hazell and the Purdue Boilermakers.















This post was edited on 9/7 7:18 PM by nashvillegoldenflash

Hoke has blitzes at the ready

The Flashes are slightly favored over South Alabama (see link).

Las Vegas Odds

Kent State opens its 92nd season of football Saturday night, hosting Mid-American Conference East Division rival Ohio inside Dix Stadium at 6 p.m.. The Golden Flashes won their final two games of the 2013 season, including a 44-13 victory in Athens to close out the year. Meanwhile, the Bobcats earned a spot in last year's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.

Game Day Festivities

The game will be followed by the largest fireworks display in the history of Portage County presented by AMETEK.

Tailgating starts at 3 p.m. with prizes for the best burger.

Happy hour inside the stadium runs from 4:30-5:30 p.m., with dollar drinks and hot dogs.

The Family Fun Zone will feature an inflatable obstacle course, a climbing rock wall, games, face painting and photo opportunities of kids wearing Kent State football equipment from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Just prior to kickoff, the Kent State Aviation Flight Team will perform a flyover and parachuters will present the game ball at midfield.

President Beverly Warren will conduct the coin toss.

Between the first and second quarter, the Mid-American Conference will present Kent State with the Jacoby Award, for excellence in women's athletics (see link).

Flashes Open Season Saturday Against Ohio

Here is a link to the September 1 football press conference.

This post was edited on 9/1 4:01 PM by nashvillegoldenflash

Football Press Conference September 1st

Kent State sophomore safety Nate Holley (Toledo, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week Monday by the conference office. Holley had a hand in three defensive turnovers on three consecutive Ohio possessions this past Saturday.

Holley also piled up 18 tackles, which ties him for the nation's FBS lead. It was the most tackles in a game by a Kent State player since 2009 (Cobrani Mixon). Twelve of Holley's tackles were solo stops. He also broke up a pass.

Beginning at the midway point of the third quarter, the Whitmer High School graduate forced a fumble recovered by teammate Najee Murray. The final turnover led to a game-tying touchdown drive by the Golden Flashes late in the fourth quarter.

After making three starts at the end of the 2013 season, Holley has settled in to his role at free safety. He also continues to be an asset on special teams.

Holley Named Defensive Player of the Week

Beginning Sept 8, the Water Street Tavern in conjunction with the Kent Area Chamber Of Commerce invite fans to meet, greet, and eat with Kent State Head Football Coach Paul Haynes every Monday at noon. There is no scheduled program to the event, he is simply there to chat with fans.

Use the discount code 'GoFlashes' on MrZubs.com for 15% off your order and have your lunch waiting for you when you arrive. (Mr. Zubs is located within the Water Street Tavern.)

This is not an event put on with KSU, but Paul using his own time because he feels very strongly about being out in the community and spending time with the fans that support his team.

Hope you can join us!

Do you remember the banner behind the end zone that use to say the house that Hazell built? If there was a banner there today what should it say? The house that ..............down????

As the 2012 season approached "One Team, One Destiny" became the rallying cry of Golden Flashes Football, a focal point for a once fragmented team to come together for a shared purposed. The team would reach historic heights not seen in four decades. A last second game-winning field goal, an upset victory against a nationally ranked team, a perfect regular season conference record, a Mid-American Conference East Division championship and the first bowl game appearance since 1972.

Relive the season from training camp all the way to Mobile, Alabama at the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl in this documentary featuring interviews and never before seen footage.

pt1 (of 3)

2014 Fall Girl's Skills Clinics

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Mail in Registration Form




WHY OUR EVENTS INSTEAD OF OTHERS?
WHAT PARENTS & PLAYERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR EVENTS
WHAT COLLEGE COACHES ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR EVENTS


2014 Fall Clinic Dates & Locations



Sat. Aug. 30 - Charlotte, NC
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Sun. Oct. 5 - St. Louis, MO
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Clinic Cost is $85.00 per player. A $45.00 deposit is required to reserve a spot. There is a $25.00 late registration fee (if spots are still open) if you are not registered 10 days prior to the event, thus increasing the total cost to $110.00 per player. All deposits / payments are non-refundable.



Questions? Email us at info@maximumexposurebasketball.com or call or text our office at (704) 664-9845
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON OUR REFERRAL PROGRAM!



Click Here for a list of former participants in our Events and the schools they have signed with!
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Click here for a list of College's that have attended our Events!


Over 200 coaches attended our 2013 Events!!!




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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Many questions remain surrounding the death of Kent State football player Jason Bitsko, even as arrangements are being made for his final services.

A young athlete, 21, is projected to be the picture of health. Any tragic early end is almost immediately expected to come from somebody doing something wrong.

But in a moving and eloquent Facebook post, Brimfield police chief David. A. Oliver, who responded to the 911 call Wednesday morning, sheds enough light on what he saw, and ultimately experienced that should ease some concerns.

It begins ... "Before (Wednesday) I had not heard of Jason Bitsko. It is a shame I never met him. He was my kind of guy."

And later it ends ... "If you knew him, you are better because of it ... Chief Oliver."

He wrote about talking with those close to Bitsko: "I spoke with his friends and teammates. Down to the last one...they all praised his faith, work ethic and character. He did not use drugs or alcohol. And, just to add ... the environment in the apartment backed that information up. Not one beer can, drug bong or inappropriate item. Now, I am not saying anything negative; however, in 20 years of police work, with the death of such a young person, I expect to see remnants of the party life. Not in the case of Jason Bitsko."

He talked about the sadness surrounding the team and friends: "I felt sadness for the Kent State football team and community. My heart was broken for Jason's family and friends. When I was in the large meeting room with the whole team and then a smaller room with Jason's fellow offensive linemen ... I felt grief. I have never been in a room with such large men ... who were all crying.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Kent State team and coaches, Jason's family and friends and anyone he impacted during his time on earth."

The post is tagged 'Chiefs babble' but it is far from that as Oliver writes about the apartment he entered, what he witnessed, and his experiences the rest of the day dealing with Kent State football coaches and players.

The responses from those who have read the post -- from players, to parents, former athletes, police officers, students and more, are equally compelling.

Brimfield police chief shares thoughts on death

Let's face the facts here, not all drives end in putting touchdowns on the board. As much as we would love to see touchdowns every drive and have a game in the 50s, that can't be the case. When drives stall and the offense isn't in field goal range they call on one man to pin the opposing offense as far back as possible: the punter. Kent State's Anthony Melchiori is one of the most reliable punters in the MAC.
Melchiori appeared in nine games last year for the Flashes in his sophomore season. His punts might have brought him onto this list, but he did a little more for the Flashes last year, going 9 out of 14 on field goal attempts and a career long 47-yard field goal during the 44-13 victory at Ohio University. Melchiori also went 20 out of 20 on extra points attempts. On kickoff duties he had 13 balls in the end zone for touchbacks.

Getting back to his punts though, Melchiori was named to the All-MAC Second Team last year as he averaged 44.5 yards on 35 punts and had 14 punts land inside the 20. While Kent State was getting its tail handed to it during the Penn State game (34-0 Penn State) Melchiori was the only bright spot for the Flashes as he had 10 punts and averaged 46.5 yards per punt.

Melchiori was named to the CFPA Punter Trophy Watch List last year, also was listed on the Ray Guy Award Watch List as well. He led the MAC in net punting (positive yardage on punts) last year with 39.2 yards per punt.

The growth of Anthony Melchiori could be the hidden gem on Kent State this year. If Melchiori can keep pace with his good season last year, we could see the Flashes back to the top of the East if Melchiori keeps flipping the field and giving his defense great field position and making the other team go 70+ yards to score points.




This post was edited on 8/17 9:15 AM by nashvillegoldenflash

Top MAC Football Players of 2014

According to Massey Ratings, KSU is projected to win only five games this season (see link). Although this may seem disappointing to Flash fans, keep in mind the Massey Ratings are designed to measure past performances, not necessarily to predict future outcomes.






Massey Ratings

Kicker/Punter Anthony Melchiori and Special Teams Coordinator Dave McMichael talk about their expectations for 2014 (see link).




Football Training Camp: Special Teams

CG Technologies has the Ohio-Kent game as a pick (see link).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1

Defensive End Nate Vance and Defensive Coordinator Brian George talk about the defensive preparations for the 2014 season (see link).

Football Training Camp - Defense