Live Blog ... Kent State vs. Liberty

FINAL

Kent State 17, Liberty 10

Aug. 29, 2013

Dix Stadium, Kent, Ohio

Kent State fans celebrate with some fireworks

FOURTH QUARTER

12:48 ... Kent State offense is finally starting to get things going... A few nice runs by Meray and Durham, and a Reardon-to-Humphrey connection has the ball at the Liberty 21.

Fireworks ... a whole lot more satisfying
after a win ... scary as that win was

12:42 ... Another killer penalty, an illegal substitution on 2nd-and-1 after a nice Meray run. Instead now it's 2nd-and-6. Mistakes like that are just killers. And after a 4-yard throw to Meray, it's now 3rd-and-2 instead of that 2nd-and-1.... And Durham is stuffed for no game.

11:02 ... t's now 4th and 2, and decision time ... Go for 4th down or let Anthony Melchiori try a 41-yarder for his first field goal ever?

Took too long to decide, and now Kent State
has to call its second timeout of the half. Just one remaining.

10:57 ... Field goal by Anthony Melchiori, his 1st of career, ties the game... 10-10.

Again, though, the sloppy effort kept the Flashes from keeping a potential touchdown march alive. Just as they were getting something going and facing a 2nd-and-1 at the Liberty 21, an illegal substitution penalty changed the entire complexion of the drive. Three plays later, settle for a field goal.

10:51 ... Blown coverage in the secondary and Liberty opens with a 29 yard pass play to the Kent State 46.

The  holding penalty that followed could take Liberty's offense off schedule a bit ...

Unfortunately, on that hold, Roosevelt Nix is in pain and holding his lower leg. Cramp?

9:01 ... 3rd-and-11, have to get off the field here if you are Kent State's defense. .. and they did, thanks to a great individual effort by Mark Fackler, tackling the scrambling Woodrum from behind.

8:01 ... Kent State takes over at its own 12 following the punt... A heads up second-down scramble by Reardon moves the chains.

Flashes now in hurry-up mode again.

6:04 ... Two runs in no huddle by Durham move the chains again, out to the 35.

5:35 ... A potentially key roughing the passing play on what was already a 6-yard throw to Meray, and Kent State is in Liberty territory at the 43.

4:28 ... Touchdown Kent State, a 42-yard pass play from Reardon to Humphrey, who made the catch on the Kent State sideline near the 35, shed a tackle, and raced to the end zone.

KENT STATE 17, LIBERTY 10

Now, can the defense hold, allow Kent State to count this one in the win column, and then go back and take a long week to learn from this?

Durham has 21 carries for 92 yards.

Reardon is 21-for-28, 194 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.

Goode 8 catches, 75 yards

Humphrey 6 catches, 88 yards.

4:22 ... Good coverage on the kickoff and Liberty starts at its own 14.

2:29 ... Big 3rd-and-5 for Kent State defense. Get off the field here and hope that the offense can run out the clock.

Instead ... A 23 yard pass completion on a perfect throw by Woodrum to the Kent State 45.

1:39 ... Darius Polk has had a tough night, but great coverage here on a deep throw intended for Liberty's Dante Shells.

No Roosevelt Nix on this series.

1:35 ... Polk with another great break up of a throw that looked like it might be a first down, this time intended for Darrin Peterson. Polk got his hand in at the last second on the throw over the middle.

Liberty facing 4th-and-5 at Kent State 45.

1:30 ... Polk again! Three pass break ups in a row. Last one intended for Darrin Peterson.

Kent State football! A few knees and its over.

FINAL FROM KENT STATE:

GOLDEN FLASHES 17, FLAMES 10

THIRD QUARTER

KENT STATE 7, LIBERTY 3 to start second half

13:12 ... Kent State defense still playing well, forcing another quick Liberty punt.

Now can the offense get it together, and likely without Archer? Need to get the Durham train rolling.

Another dangerous play, Wollet muffs the punt, but recovered Holley for Kent State.

12:07 ... Trayion Durham in to open the 3rd quarter.

11:51 ... That's more like it ... Durham bursts through the line on 3rd-and-1. A powerful run for 14.

10:09 ... Unfortunately, Durham gets no touches after the first down, and Kent State is forced to punt again.

Kent State offense can't get anything going, and Liberty is just hanging around. And while the defense is hanging in there, Liberty is one freak play away from a lead.

9:23 ... And there's that freak play ... Not for a lead ... but a deep throw by Woodrum to to Darrin Peterson for Liberty for 58 yards and the Flames are at the Kent State 30... Another pass interference against Polk was declined by Liberty. Polk beaten on the play, tried to grab Peterson, but the wide receiver still made the grab.

7:25 ... Touchdown Liberty and a 10-7 Flames lead...

Easy lob pass from Woodrum to Gabe Henderson, who beat linebacker Devante' Strickland.

Obviously it is danger time at Kent State. We'll learn about the makeup of this team over the next hour. The Flashes offense needs to respond now.

6:19 ... Offensive line is having a tough time... Durham just picked up 17 yards on a wrap-around handoff that was poorly blocked. He should have been dropped at the line of scrimmage, but broke free.

5:24 ... Big third-down throw and a catch to Humphrey to move the chains. Kent State at the Liberty 43.

The trend has been big run for Durham, then don't see him for a while.

4:02 ... 4th down and 3 yards and Reardon is dropped for a 3-yard loss on a bootleg to the right. Never had a chance.

3:31 ... Defense is starting to struggle as well, gashed for a 10-yard run on first down, and Liberty back into Kent State territory.

1:57 ... But then there's the bad news ... Punt by Liberty's Grant Bowden is downed at the Kent State 5 yard line. Flashes offense has done nothing since opening drive, and now charged with going 95 yards if it wants to get the lead back here.

0:48 ... Flashes go hurry-up on 3rd-and-2, and give to Durham for 6 yards. I like the idea of speeding things up.

0:13 ... Replay on a diving grab by Boyle ... Ruled a catch on the field, but looks like it will be overturned.

And it is overturned... after a ridiculously long delay. No catch. Flashes face a 2nd-and-10 now from their own 19.

0:04 ... Tyshon Goode spins out of what should have been an 5-yard catch and races for 26 instead to the Kent State 45 ... But now Goode is down with an injury.

SECOND QUARTER

Great turnout by Kent State Students

13:57 ... No Dri Archer on this series. Anthony Meray getting the bulk of the work in Archer's place, sharing tailback duties with Durham.

12:19 ... Great punt by Anthony Melchiori, fielded at the goal line by Luke Wollet. But official says Wollet was on the goal line ... touchback.

Replay sure looks like Wollet was not in the end zone.

10:10 ... Zack Hitchens with a sack of Liberty's Josh Woodrum on third down. That's the third straight three-and-out for the Flames offense.

Sadly, another penalty for Kent State on the punt (holding). That's 4 penalties for 31 yards in first 19:50 of the 2013 season.

6:48 ... Pretty sloppy performance by the Kent State offense here in the opener after looking pretty crisp on the opening drive.

Already six Kent State penalties, including a chop block by Terrell Johnson to spoil a first down.

6:13 ... Penalty turns into a killer. Reardon hit from behind scrambling on third and long. Fumble recovered by Liberty's Jacob Hagen at the Kent State 42.

4:40 ... Liberty offense starting to get things going, inside the Kent State 20.

No Archer, and little Durham of late. Doesn't bode well for the Flashes.

Now a pass interference at the goal line on Kent State.

That's penalty No. 7 ... Liberty ball at the KSU 4 ... Pass interference on Darius Polk.

UPDATE ... Dri Archer has an ankle injury. His return is questioanable.

2:55 ... Liberty will try a field goal on 4th and 3 from the 3.

A 20-yard field goal by Liberty's John Lunsford cuts Kent State lead to 7-3.

KENT STATE 7, LIBERTY 3

2:47 ... The sloppy play continues. A hold on Brice Fackler spoils a return of 50-yards-plus by Earnest Calhoun.

That's now 8 penalties for 71 yards in the first half for Kent State.

0:18 ... Another punt after a poor offensive series. Durham has just three carries since the first series of the game. And no Archer... A very disappointing start to 2013.

HALFTIME ... Kent State 7, Liberty 3

A pretty frustrating first half. You'd like to think that the offense would depend turn to Trayion Durham with Archer injured, but he's seen little action. Just 8 carries for 30 yards for Durham, and most of that came in the game's opening series. Durham had six of those carries for 28 yards in the first quarter.

Anthony Meray has 5 carries for 20 yards in Archer's place.

The defense has been good, except for a short hiccup after the quick change of possession in the second quarter following the Reardon fumble.

When Thunder and Lightning disappear, the Flashes have to find a way to keep the storm going.

FIRST QUARTER

Liberty won the toss, deferred and Kent State received the kickoff ... a touchback ... the 2013 season is underway with a play-action pass from Colin Reardon to Tyshon Goode for 12 yards.

Reno Reda got the start at left guard. Reda was listed as the backup at left tackle.

14:15 ... Dri Archer's first touch of the season is a sweep to the right for no gain.

12:56 ... Trayion Durham takes a delay, misdirection handoff and runs 10 yards on 3rd-and-6 ... Flashes 1-for-1 on third down in 2013 ... Add in a third completion between Reardon and Goode, and that tandem is 3-for-3 already. Last catch a diving 7-yard grab.

So nice to see Goode on the field. He was missed last year with that hamstring injury. Just one more weapon to count on in 2013.

11:11 ... Flashes moving the ball well on this first drive. Already three ball carriers in Durham, Archer and Anthony Meray.

9:47 ... First look at Dri Archer at quarterback in the Wildcat offense. Saw a lot of that package in camp. Could be dangerous.

The drive has reached the Liberty 24. Flashes doing a good job of mixing the run and pass, picking up small chunks and moving the chains.

Only bad news ... Dri Archer walked off limping after leaping over the line on the Wildcat run.

8:40 ... Durham powers through the hole ... Long drive now has a first down at the Liberty 11.

6:56 ... Great diving grab by tight end Casey Pierce in the end zone for his first career touchdown ... a six-yard grab on 3rd-and-5 .... although play is under review. Replay looks like a score.

The touchdown is confirmed ... Reardon is 5-for-5 after the first series of his career, a 75-yard touchdown drive. That's also the first touchdown in Pierce's career.

Kent State 7, Liberty 0 ... 6:56 to play first quarter

6:35 ... First defensive play of the season is a sack by Nate Terhune, who drops Josh Woodrum for a 7-yard loss. Terhune with good penetration on second down to drop Desmond Rice for no gain, forcing 3rd-and-16.

Roosevelt Nix had a shot at Woodrum on that opening sack, but couldn't quite bring him down. Fortunately, Terhune was there.

A near sack on third down, but a short completion to Rice means three-and-out.

Bad news is Archer is not in to return the punt. Has not seen action since getting hurt on the Wildcat run. Josh Boyle replaced Archer on the punt return.

4:11... GOOD NEWS ... Dri Archer is back on the field at tailback to open the second series, and he gets the first carry for a 4-yard gain.

Large group exhale here at Dix Stadium.

3:12 ... Drive No. 2 is a quick three-and-out.

2:16 ... Nate Vance with a sack (an intentional grounding) and that'll be another quick three-and-out for Liberty.

Drop punt by Boyle on a big hit, but Dylan Farrington is Johnny on the spot to recover the fumble. Good break.

Kent State's defense is dominating the line of scrimmage.

0:22 ... Going on 4th-and-1 ... and Trayion Durham bulls over a Liberty linebacker to move the chains.

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER

Some numbers ... Kent State has 96 yards on 21 plays after one quarter, while Liberty has -8 yards on just six plays.

PRE-GAME

5 p.m. ... The tailgate areas in the east parking lot of Dix Stadium have been filling up for the last hour. The student tailgate is especially crowded, which is a good sign that we'll have a large crowd for tonight's game. The hope is still for 20,000-plus.

Liberty's players are already warming up on the field. For Kent State, quarterbacks and specialists are out, including redshirt freshman Colin Reardon, who will make his first start and is expected to take every snap at quarterback. When Spencer Keith won the starting job as a senior, junior-college transfer David Fisher was still promised a series or two. First-year head coach Paul Haynes does not like the idea of a two-headed quarterback, so while Fisher is ready if needed, Reardon will most likely play the whole way tonight.

We are waiting to see the offensive linemen to see if left guard Pat McShane is in uniform.

5:20 p.m. ... The entire team is on the field now. As expected, Pat McShane is wearing a jersey over street clothes. That means freshman Wayne Scott (6-3, 345 pounds) will likely start at left guard between two veterans Terrell Johnson at left tackle and Phil Huff at center.

Starting free safety Calvin Tiggle is also not dressed due to injury. Look for sophomore Keenan Stalls to see action in his place. Freshman Nate Holley, who is the backup strong sfatey behind Luke Wollet, could also see more action due to the injury.

5:28 p.m. ... I'm hearing Sam Rutigliano may be in attendance tonight.

Here in northeast Ohio, Rutigliano is known as the coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1978-84.  In Lynchburg, Va., he is remembered for an even longer stint as the head coach at Liberty from 1989-99. His son Paul Rutigliano is Liberty's current director of football operations. He is also the color commentator for Liberty's radio network.

5:38 p.m. ... Just heard Sam Rutigliano is not at the game due to the Cleveland Browns preseason game. He did speak to the Liberty team last night, however, at the team hotel in Cuyahoga Falls. Too bad he isn't hear, coach Rutigliano is one of the true good guys in the game. I was fortunate to spend some time with him when I was a Cleveland Browns beat writer.

5:45 p.m. ... The main stands on the west side of the stadium are only about a quarter filled, despite a very good early showing by Liberty's fans.

Even 15 minutes before gametime, I've learned that's no indication of what kind of crowd to expect. Traffic on Summit Street is pretty backed up, so we are expecting a typical late-arriving crowd.

The best indicator of what the crowd will be like is the East student section. Those are filling up, and it's likely we'll have a student-section spillover crowd in the North end-zone stands.

5:57 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes have taken the field ... Flyover coming ... Then skydivers bringing the game ball ... and then on to the Paul Haynes era of Kent State football and the 2013 campaign.

Ready for some football

It's the eve of the season opener for Kent State football and there is plenty of buzz around the athletic department in anticipation of tomorrow's 6 p.m. kickoff with Liberty.

Technically, that kick will take place at 6:04.

I was in the ticket office earlier this morning and the staff there was pretty busy. They asked me to remind fans to get tickets today to save a little money. General admission seats are $10 through today, then jump to $15 on game day.

With the way ticket sales are tracking at the moment, the expectation is for a crowd in excess of 20,000.

If you haven't already, take some time to listen to the Paul Haynes Show, which airs every Monday on WHLO 640 AM and is replayed regularly online on iHeartRadio's Golden Flashes Radio station. Ty Linder, Rob Polinsky and I talked at length with coach Haynes about preseason camp, how some position battles turned out, whether or not some perceived holes have been filled ... and only just a little about tomorrow's opener with Liberty.

The simple fact is that Haynes doesn't know all that much about the Flames because Liberty's coaches refused to exchange film with Kent State. Of course, coaches always have ways of calling in favors and getting their hands on some old game tapes through other avenues. 

I'm looking forward to watching the offensive line and the linebacking corps at tomorrow's game. Those units had the biggest question marks coming into this season. 

Ty Linder and I talked the other day about how hard it is to judge different position groups in camp because of the nature of camp. Usually the defense is always a little ahead because they usually know what play is coming just as well as the offensive players as they both line up.

This year was a little different, however. Despite the fact that Kent State's defensive line is as strong as ever with the return of Roosevelt Nix and the emergence of run-stuffers like Nate Terhune and Chris Fairchild, the Golden Flashes offesnive line did a nice job opening holes for the running game on the days I was able to watch camp. 

Terrell Johnson at left tackle and Anthony Pruitt at right guard are both settling in after making the switch from defensive line earlier in their Kent State careers. Both are athletic at 302 and 315 pounds, respectively. Jason Bitsko will see his first college action on Saturday as the starter at right tackle, and he looks better and better. There is still no word as to the availability of injured senior Pat McShane at left guard. If he can't play, Wayne Scott would likely start if McShane can't go.

The lack of experience at the linebacking spot is actually pretty interesting when you consider some changes to the defense in 2013. The Flashes have added the "star" position with defensive back Jordan Italiano starting and filling a hybrid safety-linebacker position. Essentially, the Flashes will be in their version of a nickel about 75-percent of the time. Nickel is essentially their base, and that means Kent State will only have two true linebackers on the field for most of every game. While junior De'Vante Strickland is listed as the starter at the Will linebacker and sophomore Matt Dellinger is the starter at the Mike, the Flashes left camp believing they had five linebackers who were ready to contribute. Senior Danny Gress, freshman Darius Redmond and junior-college transfer Jake Houts are also listed on the depth chart at linebacker. With only two of those five on the field at a time, that hides some of the lack of depth and experience. 

I'm also excited to see what redshirt freshman Colin Reardon does in his first game at quarterback. I've seen enough of him in practice last year and in camp this year to believe he is ready for the challenge.

I've been so busy with the Heisman Trophy campaign and getting FlashFan Rewards ready for its debut, that I haven't had much time to blog or compile "the Newsstand" in the last week. That changes now. I'll be blogging live from Thursday's game starting almost an hour before kickoff. If anyone has questions during the game, I'll do my best to find out the answers. So stop back.

Here's the news about Kent State athletics on the internet in today's Newsstand:

• A great story by Elton Alexander in today's Plain Dealer and on Cleveland.com about Dri Archer and how his speed is igniting Heisman talk at Kent State.
• George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal takes a look at several storylines in the MAC East race, including Kent State proving its worth.
• Chris Lang of the News & Advance in Lynchburg has a notebook from Liberty's press conference, including news that tight end Brandon Apon has recovered from a shoulder injury and will play against Kent State.

Haynes breaks a little news at Chamber's Kick-Off Lunch

Head football coach Paul Haynes broke a little news today when he spoke during the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Kick-off Luncheon at Dix Stadium today just after noon.

The news may not be earth shattering to the masses, but it had to mean a lot to several of the Golden Flashes' football players.

First, Haynes announced that senior tight end Mike Levandowski should no longer be considered a walk-on. The Stow native has been granted a full scholarship for his final season.

Add defensive lineman Andrew Christopher, who moved from walk-on to scholarship during the spring, and Kent State now has 16 seniors and all of them are on scholarship. Haynes said it is important to him to reward the players who been in the program and worked hard by trying to get them on scholarship by their senior years.

The next bit of news was the announcement of team captains for 2013: defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix, safety Luke Wollet, running back-wide receiver Dri Archer and center Phil Huff.

The coaches told their players to vote for four names. They didn't necessarily have to be two offensive players and two defensive players. It just worked out that way. Hayes admitted there are times when coaches "fudge" with the voting of captains or try to influence the vote to make it turn out the way that they think it should. That didn't happen in this case, and Hayes couldn't have been more pleased with the selections.

Camp is technically over. Starting on Saturday, which just happens to be "Fan Appreciation Day" at Dix Stadium, the team is full on in preparation for Liberty. With the game on Thursday, Aug. 29, this Saturday will serve as a typical Monday practice. Sunday will be a typical Tuesday and so on.

Haynes also addressed the depth chart that was released on Monday, reiterating that there is nothing set in stone. While talking about Colin Reardon winning the quarterback job, he said, "that means Colin is our quarterback Today. It may change. It may change before the opener ... We told Colin and David (Fisher) that it is day-to-day, week-to-week. We have confidence in both David and Colin's ability to lead this football team."

Haynes also talked about some of the other positions of interest in the last month. After having just one scholarship player and four players overall at linebacker last spring, he feels much more confident in that unit now with the return of players like DeVante' Strickland, Matt Dellinger and Danny Gress. Several freshman may also be in the mix to play, along with juniro college transfer Jake Houts.

Offensive line is still a work in progress, he admitted. But he likes the depth provided by some of the young linemen. "You have to be patient," Haynes said. "We'll get them ready. They have got to get good and get good real fast."

Here's today's Newsstand:

• Stephanie Storm had a story on Colin Reardon taking over the top spot on the depth chart at quarterback in the Akron Beacon Journal. 
• The Record-Courier has this story on opening-day fireworks presented by AMETEK when Kent State hosts Liberty on Aug. 29 at Dix Stadium. 
• ... and in case you missed it, "The Archer" comic strip No. 2 came out on Twitter at midnight @Dri4Heisman. It is now also available on www.kentstatesports.com. Here is the link.

Practice Report and First Depth Chart

Offense in blue jerseys for first time in two years
after winning Saturday's Jersey Scrimmage

UPDATE, 5:21 p.m. ... The first depth chart was released this afternoon. Here's the link on the official Kent State Athletics website.


Head coach Paul Haynes and his coaching staff have met with the players to let them know where they stand on the first depth chart of 2013.

It's expected that the depth chart will be made public later this afternoon.

Of course, Kent State fans want to know who will be the starting quarterback on Aug. 29 when the Golden Flashes open against Liberty at 6 p.m.

Will it be senior David Fisher or sophomore Colin Reardon? Or did freshman Nathan Strock do enough in his first camp to enter the mix. An injury to Brett Maxie made it hard for the sophomore to join the challenge for the job. 

It was hard to tell who would start from watching practice today. Most of the first half of the session was dedicated to special teams. Both Fisher and Reardon took a significant number of snaps in team, including third-down and two-minute work.

Both looked good again. Both continue to lead on the field. Both continue to make coaches believe the Flashes can win with either quarterback running the show, and that's a nice confidence to have. And as Haynes has said over and over again, competition at all spots continues and the depth chart can change from week to week. That push and extended depth beyond that top two should turn a position that had been in question into one of this season's strengths.

There appears to be even better news on the field with the play of wide receiver Tyshon Goode. After sitting out all of last season with a serious hamstring injury, Goode has returned and played well this summer. But today he looked like the weapon he had been in his first two seasons. Goode pulled in a perfect throw from Reardon on a deep pass down the sideline, showing his speed to get beyond the defender. He also made a leaping catch of a Reardon throw even as Dylan Farrington had perfect coverage on a slant route. In all, Goode made five or six difficult grabs.

The first-team offensive line looks like it is beginning to gel. Phil Huff looks particularly good at center. Terrell Johnson looks like he may be ready to contribute more at left tackle two years after making the switch from defensive line. It looks like sophomore Jason Bitsko is settling in as the starter at right tackle, while Reno Reda could be a potential swing tackle. Another former defensive lineman, Anthony Pruitt, is looking more and more confident at right guard, while young linemen like freshmen Tad France, Wayne Scott and Alex Nielsen appear ready to provide some depth at guard while left guard Pat McShane's knee heals.

I thought Nate Terhune looked good today at defensive tackle, working next to Roosevelt Nix on the inside. Terhune looks bigger and stronger, as does sophomore Chris Fairchild. That group should keep the tradition of tough, run-stuffing defensive linemen at Kent State alive in 2013.

Trayion Durham looks better and better to me in camp. He is still very agile for a big back, and his work in pass protection has been solid. He had a pancake today during two-minute.

Freshman cornerback Elcee Refuge (great name for a defensive player), made a nice play intercepting a deep throw by Fisher late in practice.

All in all some good stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing the first official depth chart later today.

While we wait, here's a look at Kent State athletic news around the web today:

• The Hustle Belt has a report on Kent State and other MAC schools awaiting a decision day on their quarterback battles.
• The Sports Network has released its preview of Kent State football. Here's the link as it appears on WBIR TV in Knoxville, Tenn. 
• Right here on our own blogs, head coach Paul Haynes writes about what it was like for him as a player in college at Kent State waiting for the release of the first depth chart.

Scrimmage Live Blog, Aug. 17

Kent State's first scrimmage of the preseason is underway.

Colin Reardon was out first at quarterback with the first-team offense. After two three-and-outs, Fisher is in now, also playing with first-team players around him. He just engineered the first first down of the session.

Rather uneventful so far, but the defense is outplaying the offense at the moment.

Remember, this is the Jersey Scrimmage, so the winning team earns the right to wear the blue "home" jerseys in practice for the next year. The defense has been in blue based on last year's win.

As I'm watching this, I have my bags packed.

Should Corey Conners win his semifinal at the U.S. Amateur at Brookline, head golf coach Herb Page will be on our way to Massachusetts for tomorrow's final.

At the moment (which is 10:38 a.m.) Conners is all-square with Matt Fitzpatrick of England with both players just making the turn. Conners had been 2-up through five holes before Fitzpatrick battled back with wins at holes 6 and 8.

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m. ... The third quarterback in is Nathan Strock. The defense is still in control, as Strock comes close to picking up a first down with his legs.

Reardon is now back in, but with the second-team line and receivers. He'll start his second drive with a short field at the defense's 40-yard line.

So far we haven't seen Dri Archer. Trayion Durham has only been in for one play.

UPDATE 10:53 a.m. ... First first down by a Reardon-led drive, and on a nice cat ch by tight end Casey Pierce on a ball that had been tipped at the line.

Back to Fisher at quarterback. Second-team offense is with him. Drive opens with a run play and a nice tackle by linebacker Reno Reda for a three-yard loss.

Fisher follows with a nice 15-yard pass for a first down to Joe Ziccardi on a crossing pattern.

Anthony Meray has looked good as the primary ball carrier in today's scrimmage.

UPDATE 10:58 a.m. ... Fisher with an athletic play to pick up about 4 yards. He actually ran about 50 after a snap sailed over his head. The senior sprinted towards the opposite goal line, scooped up the football and turned it up the field, turning a potential 20-yard loss into a short gain.

Jontey Byrd with a nice tackle for a 5-yard loss.

Brett Maxie is in at quarterback, and his connection for a short gain is nullified by an ineligible lineman downfield.

No Tyshon Goode today, either, by the way.

UPDATE 11:04 a.m. ... The second turnover of the game as another bad shotgun snap is recovered by the defense. The defense is leading 15-4 in what we've always jokingly called a modified stableford scoring system.

Yet another bad snap, this time corralled by Maxie with a leaping grab, but the offense loses another 5 yards.

Also ... just noticed Conners has fallen one down in his semifinal match at the U.S. Amateur.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m. ... Brett Maxie throws the first interception of the scrimmage. Freshman safety Kevin Bourne makes the easy pick, and turns in a nice return of close to 20 yards.

As I type, another turnover, this time of an exchange under center between Tad France and Maxie.

UPDATE 11:12 a.m. ... Time for some Red Zone work, and Fisher is in with the ones. A chance for the offense to cut into the defense's commanding 24-4 lead.

First scoring opportunity, and unfortunately for the offense it took starting the drive from the 25. Of course, a lot of weapons sitting out in Archer, Durham and Goode. Haven't seen Erjavec or Humphrey, either. Pretty much the entire first team at the skill positions are not participating.

After three plays, its 3rd-and-7, and time for an Anthony Melchiori field-goal attempt of 39 yards ... which is ... wide right.

UPDATE 11:22 a.m. ... The first offensive touchdown of the day ... Colin Reardon on a 12-yard bootleg to the left. Reardon has looked good on the run all day long. Melchiori converts the kick.

Brad Miller had a field-goal attempt blocked a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 11:24 a.m. ... It took an hour and a half, but the first-team offense is finally on this next red-zone drive, at least at the skill positions ... Archer in. Durham in. Humphrey in. Goode in.

And on the first play ... a hold by freshman offensive lineman Wayne Scott.

Add in a sack of Reardon, and the offense faces a third-and-28. Pass for Humphrey at the sideline goes incomplete, but this unit will get another shot with a reset, first down at the 16.

UPDATE 11:30 a.m. ... Another offensive touchdown. This time Dri Archer around the left end and untouched for 8 yards. That cuts the defense's lead to 30-21.

UPDATED 11:37 a.m. ... An 8-yard touchdown run by Julian Durden has put the offense into the lead at 33-32. All of these points have been in red zone and short yardage.

As I type, Durham bulls in easily from one-yard out, and its 39-32.

The offense is now rolling up the points in short yardage. Fisher to Erjavec on a 1-yard scoring pass, play-action rolling to the left. 45-32 offense.

Meray adds to the lead (now 51-32) with a 2-yard plunge up the middle.

UPDATE 11:44 a.m. ... A little longer drive now, with offense starting at own 45 ... and we get our first glimpse of the The Archer, reversing field and running for 20-plus.

Reardon follows with a nice throw to Tristan Boykin for another 10 yards, down to the 6-yard line.

Reardon then found Erjavec open in the back of the end zone, but the drop sets up a third down.

The scrimmage ends with a sack by Devante' Strickland... No points on the drive, but a 53-34 comeback win by the offense.

Looking forward to Saturday Scrimmage

I talked with Paul Haynes after practice this morning, and the head coach is excited to find out even more about his team on Saturday when the Golden Flashes hold their first true scrimmage of the preseason.

The practice will be good-on-good, with first team-offense vs. first-team defense, second-team offense vs. second-team defense, and so on.

The performances in the scrimmage will pretty much set the first depth chart. Right now Haynes said he likes the depth that this team is creating.

I'll be particularly interested in watching the offensive line, the linebackers and of course the quarterbacks. Depth on the offensive line was a question with the loss of some key players to graduation, but that unit has looked particularly good blocking for the run in the last few weeks. If they can open holes against a what is a very good first-team defensive line on Saturday, that's a good sign heading into the new season.

If that defensive line can keep a young linebacking corps clean, I want to see if that group moves and makes plays. I talked to Brian George yesterday, and he is very encouraged by the linebackers. He expects to have as many as five ready to play in the rotation by opening night.

Both Haynes and George have prepared blogs that will be available on the Football Blog very soon.

I've been impressed by Colin Reardon's arm, but also his mobility at quarterback. Same with David Fisher, who is also an impressive leader as a senior, as I've written here before. But I'm also looking forward to seeing true freshman Nathan Strock in action, as well as sophomore Brett Maxie. Can either of them continue their chase for playing time?

On another note, the second edition of "The Archer" comic strip is almost complete. The draft Chuck Ayers turned in is a whole lot of fun. After the "Origin" story in the debut, now we are getting into some of the fun stuff as the comic Dri battles our versions of the mascots of the teams we play this season.

The press we are getting for the Heisman campaign is a big surprise. I got a text from a friend today showing a photo of a Kent State alum in the military who was reading about the campaign in Guam. The story took up the entire back page of Stars & Stripes, with a jump to the inside containing the entire comic strip.

Pretty cool stuff.

And speaking of cool, Kent State senior Corey Conners is on to the semifinals of the United States Amateur golf championship. If he wins in the semifinals tomorrow, I'll be driving some 10 hours to watch him play in the championship. And, oh by the way, if he wins tomorrow, as a finalist he'll qualify to play in the Masters.

Dealing with injury on offensive line

Redshirt freshman Alex Nielsen has been playing right guard in practice while senior Pat McShane is recovering from injury.

Allen Moff reported in today's Record-Courier that the injury is not considered season ending, which is good news considering the holes that already need to be filled on the offensive line following the graduation of two key road graders from last season's twin 1,000-yard seasons of Dri Archer and Trayion Durham.

I just saw Rob Senderoff in the hallways. His men's basketball team is now just a few days away from taking off for the Bahamas. Jay Fiorello from the sports information office is going on the trip, so he'll have reports on every game, and several players will be posting on the Men's Basketball Blog.

On the PGA Tour, Ben Curtis is playing in this week's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. He was in the 8 a.m. tee time in today's first round in a group that includes Rory Sabbatini and Mark Wilson. Look for Ben to keep a busy schedule on the Tour this fall as he tries to earn points towards next season in the new carry-over format.

In the M.A.C. Center, we've been enjoying scanning the internet today and seeing the national response to "The Archer" comic strip. Tom Withers' story in the Associated Press was a big hit, showing up on ESPN.com, and getting reprinted coast-to-coast, from the Washington Post and the Boston Globe in the east to the Atlanta Journal Constitution in the south, and even the Everett Herald in Washington. It also crossed the Canadian border in the Hamilton Spectator.

Here's a look at some of the other stories on the web in today's Newsstand:

• First, in case you missed it, here's a link to Tom Withers' Associated Press story as it appears on ESPN.com
• NFL.com's Mike Huguenin also weighs in on Dri Archer and the comic in his NFL Draft 365 column. 
• Allen Moff on the injury to Pat McShane in today's Record-Courier.
• The Record-Courier also has this brief about the annual Kent State Football Kickoff Luncheon being held by the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce at Dix Stadium on Aug. 21.
• The Victory Bell Rings website has a preview of Kent State in "know your Penn State opponents."
• Crain's Cleveland Business writes about the Dri4Heisman campaign.

The Archer hits the newsstands

I'm headed to Windmill Lakes for the 2013 Rango Invitational.

The tournament benefitting the Kent State golf program is one of the best events of the year.

In case you missed it, the first Chuck Ayers "The Archer" comic strip was released at midnight. It's on Twitter now @Dri4Heisman, and it will be available at the kentstatesports.com website later today.

You can also find it on the newsstands today in both the Record-Courier and Beacon Journal.

As for the virtual "Newsstand" ... here's what you can find this morning on the internet.

• Allen Moff has a great look inside "The Archer" comic strip, and talks with artist and Kent State alum Chuck Ayers in the pages of today's Record-Courier
• There is a mention of "the Archer" comic strip in today's story by Elton Alexander in the Plain Dealer. Elton has a look inside the preseason camps of both Kent State and Akron.
• Stephanie Storm talks about the Archer-like speed of Ernest Calhoun in today's Akron Beacon Journal. 
• Allen Moff's story on punter Anthony Melchiori is reprinted in the Aurora Advocate.

Midnight tonight ... "The Archer"

The official release date and time is out for the first comic strip of Chuck Ayers' "The Archer" ... make sure to be following @Dri4Heisman on Twitter to at midnight tonight to be the first to see it.

Back to the real world again ... I saw a lot of good things at Kent State football practice today.

The way this team is running the football is pretty impressive considering the turnover on the offensive line and the recent injury to guard Pat McShane.

The passing game is still a bit of a work in progress, though. I'll be posting a blog entry by offensive coordinator Brian Rock that goes into that topic in the next day or two over on the Kent State Football Blog.

Even with some of the issues in the passing game, I still like what I see from both of the top guys who are competing for the starting quarterback job. Senior David Fisher continues to shine as a leader on the field. He looks like he is having a whole lot of fun on every snap. Today, Fisher fired a few strikes in red-zone and two-point work. He hit William Woods for a touchdown after rolling to the right to buy some time. A few minutes later, he hit Woods with a fastball again for a two-point conversion, then showed some touch on the very next play by lobbing a ball over the linebackers to tight end Brice Fackler.

Sophomore Colin Reardon also looked good, scrambling for one touchdown, then drilling the ball to Tyshon Goode for a 2-point conversion on a roll to the right that was similar to Fisher's earlier connection.

Reardon came up short on one scramble for the goal line, though, thanks to a nice chase-down by Nate Terhune and read by defensive back Dylan Farrington.

Dropped passes continued to be a problem on Tuesday, but most of those came from younger receivers. The veterans all made some nice catches – and none was better than Brice Fackler's one-handed grab of a Nathan Strock check-down throw.

One of the morning's lighter moments came after a Strock-to-Charles Chandler pass connection. Rock was so thrilled by the timing of the true freshman quarterback that he screamed "that's it, that's it" as he raced at Strock to a celebratory flying hip bump.

The players are looking a bit tired, and that was acknowledged by their coaches after practice.

"You are exhausted, right?" defensive coordinator Brian George asked. "Well that's good. These are the dog days of camp. You have to fight through."

Here's a look at what's being said about Kent State Athletics around the internet:

• The Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander looks at men's basketball and Kent State and Akron showing up again on ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon.
• Elton also has a story about the men's basketball teams from Kent State and Cleveland State upcoming overseas trips. Rob Senderoff's Golden Flashes will play in the Bahamas next week. 
• Allen Moff of the Record-Courier has an update on Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners of Kent State and their progress at the Canadian Amateur.  The notebook also includes some updates from Kent State's men's basketball, women's soccer and volleyball teams.
• Some very sad news in the Record-Courier about the death of former Kent State graduate assistant Aaron Alford. Alford, who was an assistant coach at Utah, worked at Kent State in 1998. He was a Kent Roosevelt High School alum.
• Dri Archer comes in at No. 2 on Hustle Belt's list of the best players in the Mid-American Conference. You can find Parker Perry's story on Dri here.
• GolfWeek is doing its countdown of the top team's in men's golf. Kent State comes in at No. 22.

Archer comic strip to debut on Wednesday

The first "The Archer" comic strip will debut sometime on Wednesday on the Dri4Heisman Twitter and Facebook accounts. It will also be found on www.kentstatesports.com later on Wednesday.

I am really excited for fans of Kent State football to see "The Archer." It's something very different for a Heisman campaign, and the artwork by Chuck Ayers is just fantastic. The first strip is essentially an origin story. We just finished writing and storyboarding the second strip, which links the origin story to the start of the 2013 season and sets up the conflict for the strips that will come out every Wednesday during the season.

Back in the real world, Kent State football held its first scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday – a kick scrimmage. I wasn't there, but the media was.

Here's a look at what is available on "The Newsstand" from both this weekend and this morning:'

• Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal was at Saturday's kick scrimmage, and she reports that Anthony Melchiori stood out despite adjustments to the format.
• Allen Moff reported on an injury to offensive lineman Pat McShane and the health of tight end Kyle Payton in Saturday's Record-Courier. 
• Moff also had this great day-in-the-life piece that follows Dri Archer through a typical training-camp day.
• The Hustle Belt is running down the top football players in the MAC, and Roosevelt Nix came in at No. 4. Here's a link to Parker Perry's feature on Nix. 

Big hits and dropped passes on Friday

We may be pushing Dri Archer for the Heisman Trophy, but that campaign doesn't mean the speedster gets safe haven during preseason camp.

Archer took one of the most punishing hits in the first of today's two practices. During the full-team drill, quarterback David Fisher rolled out of the pocket and tried to throw back against his body to Archer in the middle of the field. There was a lot of traffic in the area, and as soon as the ball arrived, Archer was crunched by safety Calvin Tiggle. The ball popped into the air for a second. Even after taking the hit, Archer tried to complete the catch as he fell to the ground.

While defensive players celebrated above him, Archer spent a few seconds on the turf before popping back up and returning to the huddle.

It's hard to call that play a drop, but dropped passes were an issue during Friday morning's practice. Offensive coordinator Brian Rock counted a total of 12. And while the passing game was a bit behind today, the running game was more impressive than you might expect behind an offensive line that is still trying to fill some big holes. Trayion Durham had some impressive runs as the Kent State offense tried to bull its way out trouble in a drill that had its backs to the goal line.

As I type this, some select Kent State players are using sledge hammers to try to crack through a giant rock between Dix Stadium and the Field House. That's a motivational tool employed by strength and conditioning coach Antoine Sharp. I asked the coach to write about it today in the Kent State Football Blog. You can find that at this link. 

There's a bit of Kent State news on the web today. Here's a look in this morning's Newsstand:

• Allen Moff of the Record-Courier talks to men's basketball coach Rob Senderoff about the preparation for the team's trip to the Bahamas later this month. 
• Timothy Magaw of Crain's Cleveland Business has a story about Kent State University naming members of its presidential search committee. Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen is on the committee. 
• Dan Vecellio's One Burning Question series on SB Nation looks at Kent State. And in it, Vecellio talks about Dri Archer as a possible Heisman contender. "Know Dri Archer? No? Start reading up," he writes.

Ty Linder has today's practice recap

I've been stuck in meetings and some prep stuff for the season today, so I didn't have time to get out to Dix Stadium. But Ty Linder was at practice, and he has a full recap of the third day of full pads.

Here's the link to Linder's Look.

It's pretty quiet on the internet today. No stories on Kent State athletics in the Record-Courier, Beacon Journal or Plain Dealer ... Although an interesting new photo of seniors David Fisher, Zack Hitchens and Andrew Christopher did pop on on the Beacon Journal's Ohio.com site.

The photo of the trio looking up into the sky gives you a good look at the uniforms the Golden Flashes will be wearing this season.

Update, 2:52 p.m.

This just in from Zac Jackson at Fox Sports Ohio.

A great piece on Dri Archer. Definitely worth checking out.

Here's the link: "Don't blink; Archer back for more in 2013"

First "The Archer" comic coming very soon...

I just saw the first completed "The Archer" comic strip by Chuck Ayers.

For those who don't know, Ayers is a 1971 Kent State graduate. He even taught cartooning here at KSU.  For more on him, visit his website here.

The first comic strip is something of an origin story. It's the Batman Begins of the Dri story we will tell in the comic.

Today's practice is about to begin at Dix Stadium. I have a short morning meeting this morning, but hope to be out to catch the end of practice. If I can, I'll be back with a blog update later today.

In the meantime, here's a look at what's on the web today:

• Allen Moff has this in today's Record-Courier. The main story tackles position battles, but there are also some notes, including one about the health of Roosevelt Nix and Dri Archer (both in good shape after finishing the year with some nagging injuries).
• The Aurora Advocate reprinted this Q&A with Joel Nielsen that first appeared in its sister paper, the Record-Courier. If you missed it the first time, it is worth a read.
• I missed this the other day, but Saturday Blitz had this MAC preview by Kyle Kensing, asking "How Does MAC Football Build Off Historic 2012?"
• Also in case you missed it, Paul Haynes and Kent State's football coaches are blogging. Coach Haynes' second post dealt with the first day in full pads. You can find it here.
• Kent State coach Rob Senderoff is scheduled to have a new post today on the Men's Basketball Blog. His team is preparing for its upcoming trip to the Bahamas. 

Some big plays during first day in full pads

I apologize for the lack of a blog entry on Monday. Life sometimes creeps in to pull people away from what they would rather be doing. And I'd rather be at Kent State football practice.

I was back at Dix Stadium today, though, to watch the first session in full pads.

While there was some hard hitting, head coach Paul Haynes was clearly a little disappointed with the attention to detail. He repeated several times that "fundamentals and technique are what win championships," during his post-practice talk with the players.

While there may have been a few too many turnovers and mixed blocks, there were some impressive moments. None were better than the back-to-back pass connections to close practice in the two-minute drill. First, Colin Reardon found Dri Archer with a deep ball that the Heisman candidate hauled in over his shoulder at the 25-yard line. On the next play, Reardon found Josh Boyle, who made a diving grab in the end zone.

Reardon, David Fisher and true freshman Nathan Strock all looked sharp at quarterback during earlier seven-on-seven drills. Fisher hit Boyle for a long touchdown on a perfectly thrown pass right over the middle of the Kent State defense. Reardon hit Ernest Calhoun on a similar throw a few plays later, while Strock fired a ball through a tight window to sophomore Joe Ziccardi near the end of the drill.

Fisher and Reardon continue to split time with the first-team offense.

The defense also had its moments, with Luke Wollet picking right up where he lift off, batting away a Reardon pass to Boyle on the sideline. 

Cornerback Darius Polk didn't care that he was giving up close to 50 pounds to Trayion Durham when he met the big running back at the line of scrimmage in one of the day's bigger collisions. Durham and Polk both seemed to get a kick out of the contact, exchanging smiles and slaps to the helmet after the play.

Speaking of helmets, All-MAC defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix is sporting a new face mask on his. That's it just above. Does anyone else think it looks a little bit like the headgear worn by Bane in the Dark Knight Rises?

Another short edition of "the Newsstand" today. 

• over the weekend, Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal had this story on Dri Archer, his Heisman campaign and his additional role as punt returner.
• And that's pretty much it for Kent State on the web over the last few days.

Smurf turf in Ravenna. Maybe a little bowl prep opportunity?

If you picked up today's Record-Courier, you may have noticed Colin Harris' story about the installation of blue "smurf turf" at Ravenna High School's Portage Coummunity Bank Stadium.

This may actually be a nice thing for Kent State. Remember last year when former head coach Darrell Hazell took his players to Oberlin College to get them used to playing on grass again and to prepare them for the feel of a road trip? Having blue turf just down the road might be a nice practice opportunity should the Golden Flashes ever qualify for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.

The Mid-American Conference has a bowl tie-in to the game at Bronco Stadium in Boise, which of course features that odd blue turf. The Golden Flashes thought for quite a while that they may be headed during last year's bowl season.

If that opportunity comes up again, it's a nice little bonus to have a neighbor with blue turf of its own that may be willing to play host a practice or two.

I am glad they Ravenna didn't have that blue turf a few years back, however, when I helped to coach Ravenna's now defunct high school rugby team. While we didn't play our games there, that was where we practiced. The turf is a pretty bright blue. Hurts the eyes a bit.

Most of the Kent State sports news on the web today centers around local product Evan Shimensky, who made a couple of nice catches in practice yesterday. The former Kent Roosevelt star quarterback is trying to find playing time in second season since making the switch to wide receiver.

• Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal on Shimensky's adjustment and some notes from yesterday's first practice of camp.
• Allen Moff's report on the first day of practice in today's Record-Courier includes an extensive photo gallery. The notebook includes a mention of the return of Tyshon Goode, Paul Haynes' work with the "star" players and the coach's "wardrobe malfunction"
• This one is actually a few days old, but the New Orleans Times-Picayune's Jim Kleinpeter has a Q&A with the Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander. The topic is Kent State football and it is part of a preseason preview of all of LSU's opponents. 

Notes From Preseason Camp, Day 1

Kent State's preseason football camp is underway.

I just got back to my office after after watching the first practice at Dix Stadium in preparation for the 2013 season.

There was one highlight for me. In fact I snapped a picture with my iPhone. That's it to the right. We haven't seen Dri Archer and Tyshon Goode line up on the same field together in a real game since 2010. Those are two of the biggest playmakers we've seen at Kent State in recent years, so let's hope the Golden Flashes see this same image on a regular basis in 2013.

Goode, appears to be healthy. See this story on the KentStateSports.com front page for more on Goode's comeback from last year's season-ending hamstring injury. He moved well in today's practice. Some of the younger receivers also benefitted from his knowledge. There were several opportunities for Goode to make some teaching points during, and he took advantage of them the way a fifth-year senior should.

As for Archer. He did just about everything you'd hope on day one of camp. While he didn't have many chances to flash his speed, he did turn in a few nice catches during team and 7-on-7 drills. He also looked confident fielding punts. The one hiccup came on a deep throw from Fisher that was on target. Archer's speed had him several yards behind the defense, but uncharacteristic of late, he couldn't make the catch.

Some of the other highlights from practice No. 1:

• The catch of the day was turned in by tight end Tim Erjavec, whose locks are longer than ever, by the way. He made a diving grab of another throw by Fisher after coming open on a seam route.
• The seam was open for some big plays most of the day, as first-year freshman quarterback Nathan Strock hit redshirt freshman C.J. Brathwaite for a big game. The 6-foot-4 Strock looked understandably wide-eyed early in his first college practice, but flashed a big arm on several throws as the day wore on. I think this is as deep in terms of talent as Kent State has been at the quarterback position in a very long time. Of course, the group only has 23 combined attempts (all by Fisher last season) in Division I football.
• Colin Reardon continues to look sharp. The red-shirt freshman quarterback split time running the first-team offense with Fisher. 
• Speaking of Fisher, he looks like he is settling in and understanding he doesn't need to be a riverboat gambler. That desire to make a play was one of the reasons Rock and former head coach Darrell Hazell recruited Fisher from junior college to come to Kent and compete with Spencer Keith for last year's starting job. He has always had great leadership qualities, but this year he appears to be finding the balance between trying to make something happen and avoiding turnovers. Fisher did a nice job of recognizing a blitz during 11-on-11 drills, then changing to a run play that was perfectly blocked by the offensive line for Trayion Durham.
• Georgia Tech transfer Nick Cuthbert, who played his high-school football at West Geauga, picked off a pass by Brett Maxie late in practice. It sure would be nice to have Cuthbert available this season, but he has to sit out under NCAA transfer rules. He could be a nice fit at safety in 2014 when there will be a hole after Luke Wollett graduates.
• Kent's own Evan Shimensky turned in several nice grabs at wide receiver. The Kent Roosevelt grad continues to be one of the hardest workers on the team.
• The difference in demeanor between Hazell and first-year head coach Paul Haynes is noticeable. Haynes is Mike Ditka to Hazell's Tom Landry. Haynes is extremely vocal, and he's not just willing, but eager to get right in with players to demonstrate a teaching point. In period eight, he took on the same role he did in the spring, coaching the "star" position while allowing safeties coach Jeff Burrow the chance to give a little closer attention to the free and strong safety positions.

There were a few moments when coaches had to remind players to run hard through an entire drill and not let up at the end. That was one of the few things to irritate Haynes, who closed practice with this address to his players:

We don't coach effort. We demand effort ... It doesn't take talent to give effort. Coaches should never have to tell you to give effort. Never again do I want to hear a coach yell '"run."

Practice ended a little after 11 a.m.

It's almost 2 p.m. now, which means players are about to head back to Dix Stadium for a walk-through, some meetings and a short lifting session.

A short "Newsstand" today.

• Stephanie Storm previews camp in today's Akron Beacon Journal with this story: "Kent State football coach Paul Haynes seeking chemistry as he opens his first day of camp." 
• The State College News is getting a jump start on previewing Penn State's opponents for 2013. You can find their preview by Ben Jones here.

Dri4Heisman getting some national pub

The Dri4Heisman campaign made some national news on day one with stories online by both Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.

I loved the opening to the Q&A with Dri in Sports Illustrated when Martin Rickman brought up the coming digital comic strip by Chuck Ayers:

The Funky Winkerbean guy is seriously making a web comic for Kent State's versatile playmaker. Think about that for a second, and see if you can top it, AJ McCarron.

That's the kind of reaction we were hoping to get.

We are meeting today to talk about ways to get the comic out to the fans beyond just posting them online at www.kentstatesports.com and the Dri4Heisman Facebook and Twitter accounts. Like I mentioned in my earlier blog, the six-panel draft of the first comic strip is pretty spectacular.

I also received a few great ideas for some next steps, like this Twitter message from Timothy Spencer:

How great would that be?

Mark Mothersbaugh, are you out there?

We have reached out to some celebrities with Kent State ties, who will be posing with Dri jerseys and penning some endorsements of Dri. 

If any of you have some ideas, I'm willing to pitch them to the powers that be here in the Kent State Athletic Department. 

In the meantime, here's a look at what's out there on the web today in "Kent State Newsstand"

• Here's the link to the Sports Illustrated story by Martin Rickman and the Q&A with Dri.
• Also the story on Dri by Tom Fornelli on CBS Sports.com's Eye on College Football.
• The Sarasota Herald Tribune had a great hometown-kid-makes-good story yesterday by David Hackett, "Former Venice player gets Heisman push." In it, he brings up the point that "coming out of Venice High, Dri Archer wasn't even the most touted player on his football team."
• Saturday Blitz had this story by Kyle Kensing, "Electrifying Kent State All-Purpose Back Dri Archer Gets the Heisman Treatment." Archer mentioned in the same line as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? I Love it! And called a "Swiss Army knife-style player? I'm stealing it!
• And Hustle Belt asks "Dri4Heisman: is he really that good?" 
• Locally, in the Record-Courier, Allen Moff has this story, "Kent State welcomes football players,  launches Heisman campaign for Dri Archer."

That last story by Allen brings up a point that had been a bit lost in the excitement surrounding the launch of the new website and the introduction of Dri4Heisman ... the players report today. All 103 of them.

There has been so much work around here to get the website and the campaign ready to go, it was hard at least in our offices in sports information and new media to also wrap our heads around just how close we are to getting started in 2013.

Some dates to remember: a kick scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, the jersey scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 17 and a fan appreciation day on Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. ... I'll be at all of those with the exception of the fan appreciation on the 24th – that's my birthday, and you are all welcome to join me at the Grog Shop to see Vintage Trouble.