Back in 1978, my girlfriend was kind enough to purchase tickets for the Bruce Springsteen New Year's Eve concert at the Richfield Coliseum.



We were both students at the time, but she worked part-time and was in a better position to purchase the tickets than I. But that was then, and tonight I'm sitting at home reflecting on that night and compiling Springsteen songs that, to me, depict the 2019 FlashFast team. So here goes.

As much as I supported Coach Haynes, I admit the 2019 season has shown that these are indeed BETTER DAYS.

Compared to the previous offense, the FlashFast play book is a BOOK OF DREAMS.

BRILLIANT DISGUISE is the only way to describe Dustin Crum's ability to successfully pull off fake handoff’s during a game. He is so good at faking handoffs you can't see when he is in and out of the mesh point.

The program once inflicted with insurmountable injures and depleted depth that sometimes resembled a WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY, FlashFast has now shown to be TOUGHER THAN THE REST.

Buying into the process and understanding THE PRICE YOU PAY for success, the FlashFast family will PROVE IT ALL NIGHT and show NO SURRENDER.

After the perfect on-side recovery which led to the Flashes dramatic come-from-behind victory against Buffalo, Matthew Trickett is considered a LOCAL HERO by some of the townspeople in Kent.

When Coach Lewis was first hired, fans felt sure they would see THE LIGHT OF THE DAY, but it wasn't until his second year they began to see GLORY DAYS.

Now confident with the hurry-up offense, COVER ME is the challenge the FlashFast receivers give opposing DBs.

Since Kent State was the underdog in all but three games, betting in favor of the Flashes was EASY MONEY because after the Miami game, Dustin Crum showed fans he was BORN TO RUN.

And now with the Frisco Bowl Championship under their belt, Flash fans have REASON TO BELIEVE they will one day be OUT IN THE STREET celebrating a conference championship.





Happy New Year FlashFast family!!!

Two years ago, Kent State was not only recognized for playing in the 1972 Tangerine Bowl, but for playing in one of the 50 best college football games of all time (click the web address below for the article).

https://www.footballstudyhall.com/2...rine-bowl-kent-state-tampa-nick-saban-toooooz

And today in the Citrus Bowl Press Conference, Nick Saban mentioned his connection to the Citrus Bowl when he was a player for Kent State and when the Citrus Bowl was known as the Tangerine Bowl.

Q. The Citrus Bowl obviously means a lot to this area and this is one of the more high-profile matchups that this area has had in some time. And with the emergence of schools like UCF, college football has grown a lot in this area. So starting with Coach Harbaugh here, given your experience in Orlando, what is your impression of how this sport has grown in the Orlando area and what do you think this matchup can provide for those fans?

COACH HARBAUGH: "I think it's a huge matchup. I think our players, you know, had a tremendous time with the youngsters in the area yesterday. That was adorable. It's great to see our guys and the kids interacting and, you know, other people that you just run into, whether it’s been over at Disney World and things like that, there seems to be a tremendous amount of excitement for the game here in town and it's gotten a lot of national exposure. I think it'll be a well-watched game. I would predict that. And so I think it's really good. To us, the way we look at it, this is a first-class bowl game against a great opponent and that's pretty darn good. So we're going to go out and play our best."

COACH SABAN: "I guess I have a unique perspective on this because I played in 1972 Tangerine Bowl here."

COACH HARBAUGH: "Is that right?"

COACH SABAN: "Kent State versus Freddie Solomon and the University of Tampa. So based on what this game has become, relative to where it was then, I think this community has done a great job of supporting the game. And obviously the organization of this bowl game has grown to be something special, and I think one of the great venues in college football, to have an opportunity to be a part of. I think Orlando itself has grown with the bowl game, and the Citrus Bowl folks have certainly taken advantage of that.

"So I know that we were excited about having the opportunity to come here and play because we were here in, I think, 2010 and had a great experience. And I've actually experienced and seen growth even since then in terms of what this game does. And I think what they do for the community is really significant for the community as well."

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I appreciate Saban mentioning Kent State in this press conference because every time he acknowledges Kent State, the university gets its name mentioned in the national media in a positive light. Considering the national audience that follows Alabama football, this kind of recognition is invaluable in my opinion. And if you believe this is an overstatement, then certainly you cannot discount the tremendous recognition the university gets for playing in one of the 50 greatest college football games if you are a Kent State fan.

After such a great finish to our season, just wanna wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thankful for all the bonds we've formed here.

Excellent episode of SNL. Eddie Murphy is incredible.

laughed my butt off during the Mr Robinson’s neighborhood sketch.

I want to thank Coach Lewis and the entire FlashFast family for the school's first bowl win. This early Christmas gift will make my Christmas a litter merrier this year.

Merry Christmas to all members of the FlashFast family!!!

I think I’m going to switch parties so I can vote for Andrew Yang. I would love $1000 per month.

Since Sean Lewis is emulating Dino Baber's up-tempo offense, should I be concerned that Syracuse is currently 3-5 (0-4 in the ACC) after going 10-3 (6-2 in the ACC) last year? The poor record this year suggests Babers' up-tempo offense is not the panacea that some believe it to be. After going 4-8 (2-6 in the ACC) in his first two years and then finishing 10-3 last season with a #15 AP ranking, Syracuse fans were expecting much better results than their current record. And the reality is Babers' stock is down and he is no longer considered the new hot coach as he was when he defeated Clemson in 2017.

Actually, that distinction goes to two other former MAC coaches, Matt Campbell and P.J. Fleck. According to 247 Sports, Campbell and Fleck are considered among 10 college football coaches destined for bigger jobs.

At Iowa State, Campbell has designed a Big 10 style offense that can control the clock and gives the defense a rest. And he has designed his defense to shutdown high powered spread offenses.

Ranking Campbell as the second best among the 10 college football coaches destined for bigger jobs, Brad Crawford of 247 Sports writes,

"The Big 12's Coach of the Year the past two seasons, Campbell led Iowa State to a school-record six conference wins in 2018. He's never going to recruit at the level of Oklahoma and Texas at Iowa State, but he won't have to if he can consistently out-coach those two programs on the field. A master motivator, Campbell knows exactly what to say and when to say it. Coming into the season, Campbell was 5-5 vs. Top 25 teams over the past two years. Iowa State hadn't beaten five ranked teams over a two-year stretch ... ever. At 5-3, this fall hasn't gone as planned, but the Cyclones remain a factor in the league title race entering the season's final month."

According to Crawford, Fleck is the third best college football coach destined for bigger jobs. He writes,

"Fleck continues to the row the boat as a head coach and just as he did in 2016 at Western Michigan, has a team unbeaten heading into November. This time around at Minnesota, Fleck has a chance to play for a Power 5 conference title in the Big Ten and perhaps get to the Playoff. He has also been a guy who gets the most out of his players and is considered better than most schematically. Perhaps his best quality? Rarely does a Fleck-coached team look unprepared on game days."

Neither Campbell nor Fleck use the up-tempo offense like Babers and Lewis. The reason they don't use an up-tempo offense is because for it to be consistently effective it must have a quarterback who can throw and run as well as an offensive line that can block. Last year, Babers had both and he consistently won. However, this year he doesn't have either one and that is why his team is struggling even in his fourth year at Syracuse. If Sean Lewis' mentor can't have consistent success with the up-tempo offense, then why should I believe Babers' apprentice can have consistent success with it in his fourth year at Kent State?

Don't get me wrong, I love Babers and really like Lewis, but I still have doubts about the up-tempo offense. It just seems that unless all the pieces are in place, the offense struggles against competitive teams. However, there are still four more games to be played so the season is not over yet. But for some reason I'm skeptical about how effective the FlashFast offense will perform against Toledo and Eastern Michigan on the road in November. Perhaps the weather won't be too bad on November 5 at the Glass Bowl, but the chances of having favorable weather conditions in Ypsilanti, Michigan on November 29 are slim.

Regardless of how the season turns out, I will still support Lewis just like I supported most of his predecessors because history has shown that a revolving door with coaches hasn't been the solution to the problem at Kent State. All it has done has brought false hope to fans. Perhaps I'm wrong and the Flashes will compete for the East title next year. But defeating Bowling Green and Akron, two of the all-time worst teams in the MAC, is just not enough evidence for me to believe that that will happen. But again who would have thought Bowling Green quarterback Jarret Doege would transfer to West Virginia in May and leave the Falcons at a bind at that position? Also, who would have thought that the Akron Zips would be as bad as they are today?

Certainly, the Flashes are better than Bowling Green and Akron, but given their current state, that's not saying a lot. Kent State will get better over time, but unless we see a total collapse in other MAC programs, the Flashes won't be contending for a MAC title anytime soon.

Note: I realize Bowling Green upset Toledo, but the Falcons had a different quarterback than when they played the Flashes. Certainly, most people who saw the Kent State/Bowling Green game would agree the Falcon team on that particular day had one of the worst performances ever seen in the MAC.

https://247sports.com/LongFormArtic...y-Elliott-Mike-Norvell-137694895/#137694895_1

Nice class so far, but I'd like to see more Ohio kids. We need to lock down NE Ohio, but the Buckeye kool-aid is too strong.

https://kentstate.rivals.com/news/flashes-add-12-in-early-signing-period

Impressive win Flashes!!!

Let’s get a game thread going! I’ve got our guys +7!

THE LIST

100-Joe Namath - QB

99 - Michael Strahan - DE

98 - Lee Roy Selmon - DE

97 - Derrick Brooks - LB

96 - Mel Hein - C

95 - Larry Allen - OL

94 - Lenny Moore - RB

93 - Sam Huff - LB

92 - Michael Irvin - WR

91 - Fran Tarkenton - QB

90 - Kurt Warner - QB

89 - Ernie Nevers - FB

88 - Ed Reed - S

87 - Elroy Hirsch - WR

86 - Willie Davis - DE

85 - Marcus Allen - RB

84 - Joe Schmidt - LB

83 - Norm Van Brocklin - QB

82 - Ted Hendricks - LB

81 - Steve Young - QB

80 - Troy Aikman - QB

79 - Emlen Tunnell - DB

78 - Bruce Matthews - OL

77 - Tony Dorsett - RB

76 - Art Shell - OL

75 - Darrell Green - CB

74 - Marion Motley - FB

73 - Ozzie Newsome - TE

72 - Jonathan Ogden - OT

71 - Paul Warfield - WR

70 - Marshall Faulk - RB

69 - Bobby Bell - LB

68 - Mike Webster - C

67 - Kellen Winslow, Sr. - TE

66 - Willie Brown - CB

65 - Randy Moss - WR

64 - Herb Adderley - CB

63 - Jim Otto - C

62 - Randy White - DT

61 - LaDainian Tomlinson - RB

60 - Jack Ham - LB

59 - Mike Ditka - TE

58 - Steve Van Buren - RB

57 - Mike Singletary- LB

56 - Gene Upshaw - OL

55 - Earl Campbell- RB

54 - Forrest Gregg - OT

53 - Willie Lanier - LB

52 - Eric Dickerson - RB

51 - Bart Starr - QB

50 - Terry Bradshaw - QB

49 - Mike Haynes - CB

48 - Red Grange - RB

47 - Ray Nitschke - LB

46 - Roger Staubach - QB

45 - Tony Gonzalez - TE

44 - Mel Blount - CB

43 - Alan Page - DT

42 - John Mackey - TE

41 - Rod Woodson - CB

40 - O.J. Simpson - RB

39 - Gino Marchetti - DE

38 - Lance Alworth - WR

37 - Jim Thorpe - TB/E/FB

36 - Raymond Berry - WR

35 - Chuck Bednarik - C/LB

34 - Deion Sanders - CB

33 - Sid Luckman - QB

32 - Jim Parker - LT

31 - Bruce Smith - DE

30 - "Night Train" Lane - DB

29 - Jack Lambert - LB

28 - Emmitt Smith - RB

27 - Merlin Olsen - DT

26 - Bob Lilly - DT

25 - Dan Marino - QB

24 - John Hannah - G

23 - John Elway - QB

22 - Gale Sayers - RB

21 - Tom Brady - QB

20 - Brett Favre - QB

19 - Bronko Nagurski - FB

18 - Ray Lewis - LB

17 - Barry Sanders - RB

16 - Otto Graham - QB

15 - Deacon Jones - DE

14 - Sammy Baugh - QB/DB/P

13 - Joe Greene - DT

12 - Anthony Munoz - LT

11 - Ronnie Lott - S

10 - Dick Butkus - LB

9 - Don Hutson - WR

8 - Peyton Manning - QB

7 - Reggie White - DE

6 - Johnny Unitas - QB

5 - Walter Payton - RB

4 - Joe Montana - QB

3 - Lawrence Taylor - LB

2 - Jim Brown -RB

1 - Jerry Rice - WR

#27: Merlin Olsen | The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players (2010) | NFL Films

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#29: Jack Lambert | The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players (2010) | NFL Films

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Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: Utah State vs. Kent State



(7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas)

Second-year coach Sean Lewis did an incredible job getting Kent State to its first bowl game since 2012 and just the fourth in team history. Dual-threat quarterback Dustin Crum is fun to watch at the helm of Lewis' offense. The Golden Flashes keep this close for a while, but Utah State quarterback Jordan Love finishes an up-and-down junior season on a strong note, throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Prediction: Utah State 36, Kent State 28

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...all-bowl-game-including-national-championship

Miami football deserves better and can do better than Chuck Martin.

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8 points

https://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/teams/team-page.cfm/team/kent-state

From Picks and Parlays:

The Eagles have a better offense on the game here, but also Eastern Michigan has a good defense as well. Look for the Eagles to come into the game and actually show up better on the defensive side and be able to contain the Golden Flashes offense rather easily. Final Score Prediction, Eastern Michigan Eagles win and cover ATS 24-10.

https://freepicks.picksandparlays.n...all-picks-and-predictions#OoPXKkrEb9jADCjf.99

I have always believed your taste in music tells a lot about you as a person. That is why I was anxious to see what band Sean Lewis chose as his favorite in the article, "College football teams ranked by their coach's favorite band." According to the article, Lewis' favorite band is Drake. Not knowing who Drake is, I went to youtube and heard enough of him to realize he is not someone I believe most respectable people would listen to. I admit the only song I listened to was "Money in the Grave," but it had enough offensive words in the lyrics to understand why Drake has the following warning attached to his albums:



As a conservative who likes R&B music, I will be the first one to admit I don't understand ghetto culture or language with its vile use of the n-word, h-word, and b-word. But then again, I don't understand Kent State's hypocrisy of its core-values.

Nevertheless, I still like Coach Lewis and appreciate the energy he brings to the program. However, his taste in music baffles me and seems so uncharacteristic of him. I guess not everyone can appreciate Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green, and that's okay.

https://www.goiowaawesome.com/batsh...ll-teams-ranked-by-their-coachs-favorite-band

5.5 points

https://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/teams/team-page.cfm/team/kent-state

According to Massey ratings, the Flashes have a 69% and 54% chance of winning against Akron and Ball State respectively. The next best chance of winning is against Buffalo at 35%. Massey only gives the Flashes a 29% chance of winning against Miami, 22% chance against Eastern Michigan, 16% chance against Ohio, 15% chance against Toledo, and 1% chance against Wisconsin. Hopefully, these projections are wrong because if the Flashes only win four games this year, I'm afraid many fans will be disappointed particularly the ones on Flash Fanatics who projected six wins and a possible bowl bid. Since this is Coach Lewis' second year, a four-win season wouldn't be bad given Kent State's football history, but if Massey projections are correct and the Flashes only other wins are against a hapless Akron team and a struggling Ball State team at home, I don't believe the University of Michigan will be calling Lewis to replace Jim Harbaugh, as one Flash Fanatics poster suggested. Of course all this chest-bumping came after the 62-20 win over Bowling Green, but given that "this may very well be the worst Falcon team since Bowling Green moved up to Division I in 1962," according to one poster on Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com, I don't believe it can count as a signature win despite the large margin of victory.

https://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=3771&s=308075