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

Here is the postseason press conference (see link).

Kent State Football Postseason Press Conference

Here is the postgame press conference (see link).





Kent State Postgame Press Conference

Lancaster (Pa.) Catholic RB Roman Clay talks about his decision to commit to Kent State.

Big get for Hazell and company, this was their top RB target, not guessing on that one.



Clay joins Kent State family

Given KSU's #17 BCS ranking and possible Orange Bowl bid, what are the chances of Tra'von Chapman decommitting from Pitt and signing with the Flashes? BTW, Chapman was selected First Team Division II All-Ohio and Nathan Strock, who committed this past summer to Kent State, was selected Second Team Division II All-Ohio. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Strock, passed for 1,883 yards and completed 61 percent of his passes. He had 20 TDs and was intercepted only once.






This post was edited on 11/27 6:48 PM by nashvillegoldenflash

Tra'von Chapman

You are getting a terrific RB.....best of luck to Roman!!!


http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/-3998208322681893664/video-lancaster-catholics-roman-clay-makes-verbal-commitment-to-kent-state/

Darrell Hazell was hired to coach Kent State in 2011. The idea of reaching a BCS bowl out of the Mid-American Conference was implausible enough that he didn't have a bonus clause for such an accomplishment inserted into the contract. To do so is standard in college football. Did you even consider it?

"Actually," Hazell said sheepishly on Friday, "I did not."

Well, he wasn't exactly alone.

MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said it's always been a goal of the conference, and Northern Illinois does have such a bonus in Dave Doeren's contract ("I guess I got lucky my agent thought of it," he joked), but in the 15-year history of the BCS no MAC school has ever threatened to crash the party (see link for full article).

MAC has credentials to bust into its first BCS bow

When the Kent State Golden Flashes take to the field Friday night in Detroit at the 2012 Marathon MAC Championship Game, it will be one of the most amazing football stories not only in the MAC, but in all of college football.


The Flashes will enter Ford Field against three-time West Division, and defending conference champion Northern Illinois with an 11-1 record. It's Kent State's best record in its 90-year football history.



The Golden Flashes are ranked in the top 25 in all four major polls (AP-Writers, ESPN/USA Today-Coaches, Harris-Fans, and the Bowl Championship Series) for the first time in school history.

Their six-game turnaround from 2011 is tied for the best in FBS in 2012 along with Ohio State and Middle Tennessee.

How did this happen? For many years KSU football was down among one of the worst programs in the FBS. They were last seen on the college football map in 1973 when Don James was the head coach and their best player was a beanpole linebacker by the name of Jack Lambert.

When did this metamorphosis start? (see link for full article)

Kent State’s Improbable Run To Detroit

Despite all it has accomplished this season, Kent State is not satisfied with just a trip to Detroit.



"When the clock hit zero, it was all about Northern Illinois," said senior Kent State linebacker C.J. Malauulu.



This is going to be the toughest game of the season to this point for the two teams. Both have overcome countless obstacles to get to this point. As both team's have seemingly unstoppable offensive units, the team that has the ball last will have to love its odds.



Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kent State 38, Northern Illinois 35 (see link)
This post was edited on 11/30 8:19 AM by nashvillegoldenflash

The Sports Network preview and prediction

Here is a link to the media teleconference with Coach Darrell Hazell.



MAC Football Championship Media Teleconference

When most college football fans think of the Mid-American Conference, if they think of the Mid-American Conference, it's in the context of nonconference fodder to pad nonconference records and fill seats for an additional home game. At best, the MAC recalls high-scoring diversions on a random Tuesday or Wednesday night. They generally do not think of ranked teams, BCS bowls, or the annual MAC Championship Game as appointment viewing.

But then, there's a first time for everything. This season, for example, is the first time four teams from the MAC have appeared in the top 25 in the same season. Friday night's collision between Kent State and Northern Illinois will be the first time the MAC title game
features two ranked teams, or two teams with more than 10 wins apiece. It will be the first time most of the country has had a chance to catch two of the most written-about but little-seen stars in the nation, prolific NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch and electric Kent tailback Dri Archer. And it will certainly be the first time anyone has considered a MAC game a potential play-in for a major bowl game.
As a sign of the expansion-driven times, it will also be the only non-BCS conference whose championship comes down to two teams that are both guaranteed to still be in the same conference in two years.

"A BCS bowl] would put an exclamation point on what has been a banner year for the conference," said Pete Lembo, in his second year as head coach at Ball State, one of six MAC teams that finished the season with at least eight wins. "We've had some terrific out-of-conference wins against BCS teams. We've had some great competition in our conference. And to cap it off with a potential appearance in a major bowl game would really finish off what has been a spectacular year." (see link for full article)



This post was edited on 11/29 8:37 PM by nashvillegoldenflash

Stable MAC is ready for its close-up

The Flashes are favored by 7 (see link).

Las Vegas Odds