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.