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.