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