Live Blog: Kent State Football at Miami

FOURTH QUARTER

1:55 ... Kent State turnover on downs at the Miami 21 after Reardon on 3rd-and-1 comes up short and Holley stuffed for no gain on 4th and inches.

As I type, Miami picks up a first down. RedHawks will escape with a 10-3 win.

Disappointing day for the Flashes. The offense had chances, but watched too many drives stall in Miami territory.

4:49 ... Reardon keeper on 1st play of the drive looked like it was going nowhere, but the KSU quarterback somehow found some daylight as he avoided a tackle, then scrambled for 13 yards and a first down at the Miami 41.

5:27 ... The clock is ticking as Miami comes on to punt.

A short kick lands dead with 4:58 to play at the Kent State 48.

9:04 ... Colin Reardon just walked off the field under his own power after absorbing a big hit while throwing the football on a 1st-and-10 play from the Miami 18.

Nathan Strock is in at quarterback for the Flashes, who have put together a nice march highlighted by throws by Reardon to Pierce, Humphrey and Calhoun, all to move the chains.

12:15 ... Kent State's defense has done its job today.

Miami just punted the ball back to the Flashes after Najee Murray and Marques Moore sandwiched Jared Murphy on a third-down throw by Hendrix, jarring the football away from the Miami receiver.

Hendrix is just 11-of-28 for 120 yards.

Flashes have the ball back at their own 26 after the punt.

Slant throws to Humphrey and Brooks have moved the chains to open the drive.

THIRD QUARTER

0:00 ... The Flashes will face a 3rd-and-7 from their own 34 when play resumes in the fourth quarter. 

0:40 ... Miami 10, Kent State 3

The RedHawks have extended their lead on a 41-yard field goal by Kaleb Patterson.

Kent State's defense has done its job. After allowing a 39-yard throw from Hendrix to Jared Murphy, the defense held firm, holding the RedHawks to a field goal attempt thanks in large part to blitzing freshman linebacker Dustyn Moore. His hit on Hendrix on 3rd-and-3 forced a wild throw.

Kent State's offense has moved the ball between the 20's in the second and third quarters, but it only has 3 points to show for it.

2:35 ... Another drive into Miami territory ends at the RedHawks 32 after Reardon was forced to throw the ball away under pressure on a 4th-and-3 throw.

The first two drives had Kent State in position for field goal tries of 42 and 49 yards if not for the interception and the turnover on downs. Instead, the Flashes have come away with no points on two fairly long drives.

10:39 ... A promising drive for Kent State to start the third quarter ends with disappointment as Miami's Heath Harding picks off Reardon at the RedHawks' 5-yard line. The Nick Holley-led drive started to stall on first down at the Miami 27 after another sweep give to Calhoun was blown up by Miami for an 8-yard loss. 

Two plays later, Reardon tried to make a difficult throw on 3rd-and-8, backing away from a collapsing pocket and throwing late over the middle off of his back foot. An easy pick for Harding.

SECOND QUARTER

HALFTIME ... Miami 7, Kent State 3

Some halftime numbers ... total yards, first downs and time of possession have almost evened out after Kent State won the second quarter.

For Kent State, Colin Reardon is 9-of-16 for 86 yards. He has also suffered from a few drops from his receivers.

Miami's Andrew Hendrix is 7-of-19 for 65 yards, but he leads all rushers with 55 yards on 8 carries, including the 19-yard touchdown run.

The Flashes hope that failing to score on 1st-and-goal from the 5 and 2nd-and-goal from the 2 does not come back to haunt them.

0:41 ... Miami is set to punt the ball back to Kent State.

The RedHawks' top receiver, David Frazier also just ran off of the field with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. Frazier has almost twice as many catches and more than twice as many receiving yards than anyone on the Miami roster.

1:36 ... Miami 7, Kent State 3 ... The Flashes were forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal after a long 13-play, 70-yard drive stalled inside the Miami 5.

The Flashes picked up a 1st down at the 5 on a nice 14-yard catch and run by Nick Holley.

Holley then picked up 3 yards to set up 2nd-and-goal at the 2. But a drop of a tough catch at the goal line by Holley followed by a fumbled inside handoff by Reardon to Ernest Calhoun (losing 8 yards) led to the field goal try.

Need to get touchdowns instead of field goals on 1st-and-goal opportunities like that.

3:44 ... Big first down for the Flashes on the 3rd-and-12 throw as Reardon steps up in the pocket and fires a strike over the middle to Boyle to the Miami 20.

4:08 ... Not much other than punting for most of the second quarter ... although Kent State is on the move now thanks to a 17-yard run by Anthony Meray and a 15-yard waggle pass from Reardon to Pierce.

The Flashes are now at the Miami 36, but facing a 3rd-and-12 thanks to a false start penalty. The Flashes have called timeout to discuss it.

12:37 ... The Kent State offense is struggling here in the first half.

The best play of the day for the Flashes was a 7-yard pickup early in this quarter that saw tight end Casey Pierce catch the ball in traffic, turn to run, then fumble the ball forward. Josh Boyle fell on the football amid a mob of RedHawks defenders for a first down at the Miami 38. But that's when the drive stalled.

Anthony Melchiori having another good game punting the ball for the Flashes, following a 51-yard boot in the first quarter by pinning Miami at its own 5 here early in the second.

FIRST QUARTER

0:00 ... An 8-yard pass from Colin Reardon to Ernest Calhoun followed by a 3-yard run by Nick Holley gave Kent State its first 1st down of the game with just 41 seconds to go in the opening quarter.

Kent State will face a 3rd-and-7 from the Miami 49 when the second quarter begins.


4:12 ... Miami 7, Kent State 0

It has been an ugly start for Kent State so far here in Oxford.

With its drive kept alive by a questionable overturn via instant replay, Miami has grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 19-yard touchdown run by Andrew Hendrix.

The RedHawks' drive found new life when a 3rd-and-3 throw was ruled incomplete on the field and then overturned via replay by the booth. Officials have the same ESPN3 feed we have in the press box, and the lone decent view didn't appear to show anything worthy of reversing the call.

So far, Miami is dominating time of possession 9:08 to 1:40. The RedHawks also have 8 first downs to Kent State's 0.

9:20 ... Miami's offense drove as far as the Kent State 25 yard line on the opening drive, but an ultra-aggressive call on 4th-and-5 led to a turnover on downs.

The RedHawks turned down the chance to try a 42-yard field goal attempt and instead kept the offense on the field, even after quarterback Andrew Hendrix called a timeout. A backwards pass on that 4th-and-5 play turned into to an 8-yard loss.

Earlier in the drive, Miami was bailed out on another questionable play call on 4th-and-inches. Lining up in an empty set, Hendrix threw a slant pass that fell incomplete. A pass-intereference call kept the drive alive, however.

The RedHawks found that 4th-and-inches opportunity on another Kent State penalty as a Golden Flashes player bumped into punter Christian Koch on 4th-and-6.

Kent State head coach Paul Haynes did not appear to be happy with the officials after the pass-interference call. He was on the field arguing during a timeout minutes later and pointing to the spot of the call.

The Flashes won the coin toss and chose to defer until the second half.

Miami has a very nice crowd here at Yager Stadium with most of the home stands filled on Parents Day here in Oxford.  Weather is 65 and sunny.

PREGAME

LINKS:

Listen live on iHeartRadio: http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/

Live stats: http://www.muredhawks.com/liveStats/v2/football/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=1709770&db_oem_id=26100

Watch on ESPN3: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2132626/College-Football-Kent-State-vs-Miami-(Ohio)

2:20 p.m. ... We are about 10 minutes away from kickoff here at Yager Stadium.

A few more changes to report:  Terrell Johnson will move inside to right guard today after playing most of the season at right tackle. That means freshman Brock Macaulay goes back to right tackle. Freshman Nathan Puthoff, who had been the starter at right guard, will rotate in on the offensive line.

Defensively, the Flashes will adjust to Miami's pass-first offense by moving Nate Terhune from tackle to the nose. Jontay Byrd takes over as the starter at tackle. While Jon Cunningham is not in the starting lineup today, the big freshman will still see plenty of action rotating in at the nose.

1:42 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes are on the field for pre game. Darius Redmond is not warming up. The injured linebacker did not make the trip. Freshman Marques Moore will start in his place.      It was good to see longtime Kent State fan Hank Dunckel hanging out at the fence in the southwest corner of Yager Stadium, just outside the Golden Flashes locker room. Based on the early showing, we could see a large contingent of Kent State fans here today. Lots of blue and gold milling about.

12:26 p.m. ... The Kent State team buses just pulled up outside of Yager Stadium and players are making their way to the locker room.

Not many changes to the lineup this week with mostly minor nicks and bruises suffered in last week's win over the United States Military Academy. Earlier in the week, sophomore linebacker Darius Redmond's availability was in doubt. He is still listed No. 1 on the depth chart at his position with freshmen Marques Moore and Dustyn Moore behind him. All three of those linebackers have been playing well. We'll get an update soon.

Terence Waugh at the Leo spot should be available to see even more action this week, as should Najee Murray, who is listed No. 2 at cornerback behind freshman Demetrius Monday on the current depth chart.

Elcee Refuge is also listed No. 1 at the Star position after being suspended for the first half of last week's game and then watching Nick Cuthbert extend his first career start at safety with big second-half minutes on his way to earning MAC East Defensive Player of the Week honors.

12:15 p.m. ... Some Miami University employees just walked into the press box and noticed that the ESPN graphics on all of the monitors have Kent State ahead 12-7

"Hey, how are we already down five points," said one of those employees.

"I'll take that," another replied.

Personally, I'd always be happy to get spotted by five points more than two hours before kickoff.

Radio voice Ty Linder wasn't quite as happy.

"Freaking extra points," he complained before breaking into a smile. "What happened? Did we miss the first and then go for two?"

12:04 p.m. ... There are a little less than two and a half hours to go before kickoff here in Oxford, Ohio, and Yager Stadium is quiet with only staff members milling about, getting prepared for today's game.

It's a beautiful setting here. Rob Polinsky of the Kent State Radio Network and I were talking about the stadiums in the league during our drive down this morning, and we agreed that this and Ohio University's Peden Stadium are probably the two most picturesque settings for a football game in the Mid-American Conference.

Like Peden, Yager is getting a pretty significant upgrade with a brand new field house going up beyond the stadium's north stands. If you look at the picture to the left, you'll notice the traditional brick facade that is a staple on the Miami University campus. There is a white facade behind the crane in the picture that I'm told will remain for only a couple of years. That will eventually be torn down to create a link to a new facility that will house locker rooms, football offices and more just beyond the north end zone.

Kent State vs. Army: A day in the life of a Homecoming victory

Photographer David Dermer, director of video Nick Kane and I spent quite a bit of time with our cameras this weekend following the Kent State football team.

We'll be trying to give you more inside looks into our teams through the rest of the season.

For now, take a look back at Saturday's win over Army as we give you an insider's pass to join the team from Friday walkthrough, to clap session and Captains Meal on Saturday morning, to the locker room and then onto the field at game time.

We hope you like it.

Just click the image below:

Live Blog: Kent State Football vs. Army ... Homecoming 2014

FOURTH QUARTER

FINAL ... Kent State 39, Army 17

3:57 ... Kent State 39, Army 17 ... A 7-yard touchdown run by Colin Reardon should seal the first win of 2014 for Kent State.

Malcom Pannell may have already secured the victory with an interception of a deep throw by Santiago on the very first play after the Reardon-to-Pierce touchdown.

And on the very first play following the pick, Reardon hit Pierce again for 30 yards to the Army 7.

Reardon is 27-for-40 for 360 yards, three touchdowns and the lone interception. Again ... a great recovery after throwing the interception on the game's first play.



6:11 ... Kent State 33, Army 17 ... The young Golden Flashes are on the verge of securing their first win of 2014 and adding some much needed confidence for the second half of the season.

The lead now extended to 16 after Reardon finds Pierce in the end zone again, threading the needle this time from 5-yards out.

Pierce assisted on the big play of the drive ... unintentionally, though, as a throw from Reardon to Pierce bounced high into the air and into the waiting hands of James Brooks, who raced 46 yards down the near sideline to the Army 25.


12:12 ... Kent State 26, Army 17 ... Anthony Melchiori is now 4-for-4 on field goal attempts today after adding a big 32-yarder to make this a two-possession game.

Reardon found Kris White for a key 12-yard gain on 3rd-and-23, moving Melchiori closer for a field goal to put the Flashes up by two scores.

The Flashes were rolling after Reardon found White and Holley for gains of 20 and 11 yards on the first two plays of the fourth quarter.

But the second holding call of the half again threw the Flashes offense off schedule . Both times, the Flashes overcame that potential momentum killer. Yes, KSU would have loved to have a touchdown after picking up a first down at the Army 14, but after that holding call, a field goal was just enough to create a bit of breathing room.


15:00 ... The Kent State offense is on the move again and will have it at the Army 45 with a first down to open the quarter.

The Flashes rushing attack gashed Army for gains of 17 and 23 yards on first down runs at the end of the third quarter.

First it was freshman running back Miles Hibbler, who made a couple of nifty moves in the hole before exploding for 17 yards ... Shades of things to come for the young running back.

On the next play, Colin Reardon kept it for 23 yards on a misdirection rumble across midfield.

THIRD QUARTER

4:24 ... Kent State 23, Army 17 ... A 27-yard Anthony Melchoiri field goal pushes the lead back out to six points.

The three points were somewhat expensive, however, as Kent State was forced to burn two timeouts late in the 12-play, 61-yard march.

It's still just a one-possession game. Hopefully Kent State won't need those timeouts at the end.

5:21 ... The Kent State offense is on the move, picking up some big first downs on throws by Reardon  on 3rd-and-10 (a 32-yard connection on a seam route by Humphrey) and on 4th-and-5 (a 9-yard throw to James Brooks).

Add on another 10-yard throw from Reardon to Boyle for a first down and the Flashes are in the red zone, 1st-and-10 from the Army 15. Kent State has taken its first timeout of the half.

The fourth-down throw to Brooks gave Kent State a first down after a holding penalty created the potential of spoiling the 32-yard throw to Humphrey by taking the offense right off of schedule with 1st-and-20.

9:18 ... Kent State 20, Army 17 ... It didn't take long for Army to answer the Kent State score. The Flashes looked like they had solved the triple-option on the opening drive in the second half, but then had all kinds of difficulty with it on drive No. 2 as the Black Knights marched 77 yards in just 8 plays, pulling to within three points on an 8-yard run by Tony Giovannelli. The tailback took a pitch and ran untouched for the left pylon

Giovannelli set up the score by taking the pitch from Santiago and sprinting 37 yards to the Kent State 35 earlier on the drive, more than moving the chains on a 3rd-and-6 option.

12:52 ... Kent State 20, Army 10 ... Remember that bad start by Kent State way back in the first quarter?

Well, the second half couldn't have opened any better for the Golden Flashes.

The Flashes just extended their lead on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Reardon to Chris Humphrey, who spun out of a tackle at the 2 and rolled into the end zone.

The touchdown was made possible by a momentum changing start from the defense and special teams.

The Flashes showed that they may have figured out the triple option as Richard Gray and Matt Dellinger dropped Army for losses on first and second down.

A bad snap then led to punter Alex Tardieu getting dragged down at his own 8-yard line by Ernest Calhoun. The Flashes took quick advantage of the extremely short field.

SECOND QUARTER

HALFTIME 

Kent State 13, Army 10

The Flashes dodged a couple of bullets to take the three-point lead into the break.

As time ran out, Army's Xavier Moss had a great chance to pull in a 40-yard Hail Mary in the right corner of the end zone. He couldn't make the catch however on a nice heave by tight end Kelvin White, a converted quarterback who came on just to make that final throw.

The Black Knights probably shouldn't have had that opportunity. Earlier in the drive, a poor play in the Kent State secondary handed Army a first down on a desperation 3rd-and-10 heave by Santiago from his own 43. Gonzalez had to scramble just to get throw off after a shotgun snap nearly sailed over his head. Instead of punting, Army had its drive extended by a pass-interference penalty.

Some halftime numbers:

Kent State has out gained Army 194-183.

Reardon is 13-for-20 with the an interception and a touchdown to go with his 143 yards.

Two freshman wide receivers, James Brooks and Kris White have three catches each for a combined 70 yards. Their continued development is a big key to the Flashes building for the future.

Santiago has 73 yards on 12 carries to lead Army. He is 2-of-6 passing for 12 yards and Army is 2-of-7 overall through the air.

Defensively, sophomore safety Nick Cuthbert leads Kent State with 9 tackles, including 7 solos ... and that's in his first start.

Cuthbert started at safety due to the first-half suspension of Elcee Refuge.

With Refuge out, Jordan Italiano moved to the star spot while Cuthbert slipped into his position at strong safety. Italiano knows the position after playing it all of last season.

Refuge is available to play the star position in the second half.

1:31 ... Kent State 13, Army 10 ... Colin Reardon with a beautiful play-action fake and a quick strike to tight end Casey Pierce for a 10-yard touchdown, and the Golden Flashes are back on top.

Reardon continues to play well since that opening interception ... 12-of-19 since the pick for 143 yards.

The touchdown was made possible by an alert play by Reardon on 3rd-and-10 from the 19, stepping up under pressure, thinking about running, and then spotting Ernest Calhoun for a 10-yard dump off.

3:13 ... Army helps the Kent State cause for the second time today, stalling its own promising drive with a 15-yard penalty on a chop block.

Combine that with a shanked punt to the Kent State 43 and a 24-yard burst by running back Nick Holley on first down, and the Golden Flashes are in the red zone with a first down at the Army 19.

7:56 ... Army 10, Kent State 6 ...  After passing a bit more than usual in the first quarter, Army has gone back to what it does best. Running the triple option to perfection, the Black Knights marched 69 yards in 10 plays, capping the drive with a 2-yard touchdown dive by Raymond Maples.

The big play on the drive was a 27-yard keeper by quarterback Angel Santiago.

12:59 ... Kent State 6, Army 3 ... An Anthony Melchiori field goal of 29 yards has put Kent State in the lead at 6-3.

The scoring drive was the longest of the season by Kent State, measuring 84 yards in 13 plays (the 13 plays matching the most in a drive this season by the Flashes).

Colin Reardon has been sharp since the opening pick, completing 10 of his 13 throws since the interception for 116 yards. 

On this drive, he hit Josh Boyle on the numbers on seam throw for 24 yards. That throw came on 3rd-and-6. It was followed immediately by a 22-yard strike to James Brooks. The Flashes also had a nice design on a waggle throw to tight end Casey Pierce that took a nice reaction by Army to limit to just six yards.

FIRST QUARTER

0:00 ... For the second week in a row, Colin Reardon is ignoring his injured lower leg, throwing caution to the wind and leading this team in rushing.

The quarterback hurdled a defender on a 5-yard run early in this current drive, then moved the chains on a 10-yard keeper.

Throwing out of his end zone on a 3rd-and-9, Reardon also found James Brooks for a first down.

Kent State will open the 2nd quarter with a 2nd-and-6 play from its own 36.

3:22 ... Kent State has the ball back after a nice series by its defense.

Army picked up a big gain early on an option toss for 24 yards by Terry Baggett. But then the defensive front came through, ultimately stuffing Larry Dixon for a 1-yard loss on 3rd-and-3. Nate Terhune and Matthew Sommers with good leverage up front to get through for the tackle.

A good punt of 53 yards by Army's Alex Tardieu rolled dead at the Kent State 4, however, so the Flashes will start very deep in their own end.

5:25 ... Kent State 3, Army 3 ... The Flashes have tied the game with a 27-yard Anthony Melchiori field goal.

Kent State looked good on the drive until Army's Andrew King stuffed Nick Holley for no gain on 3rd-and-3 from the 10.

Bouncing back after the opening pick, Reardon hit Kris White twice for first downs, threading the needle through traffic for 13 yards as the Flashes crossed midfield for the first time with a 3rd-and-8 throw, then picking up 12 by rolling right on a throw to White near the sideline.

11:33 ... Army 3, Kent State 0 ... A Daniel Grochowski field goal of 32 yards has put Army on top.

An Army holding penalty after picking up a first and goal helped Kent State's defense limit the Black Knights to a field goal after the turnover deep in the Flashes' end.

A bit prophetic by Paul Haynes earlier in the week as he said you sometimes have to count on a team like Army to make a mistake ... fumble, penalty, whatever ... to take that type of offense off schedule.


14:08 ... About as bad a start as you could ask for by Kent State.

A holding penalty on the opening kickoff erased a nice return by Ernest Calhoun, who had sidestepped a tackle at the 15, then scampered out past the 30.

On the Golden Flashes' first play of the game, Colin Reardon threw off of his back foot, lobbing a ball towards the sideline in front of the Kent State bench. Army's Josh Jenkins came up with the easy interception.

Then on first down for Army at the 37, the Flashes jumped offsides.

The Black Knights are driving and already in the red zone.

PREGAME

The Kent State defensive line during pre-game

2:50 p.m. ... Both teams are on the field now for pre-game.

The good news so far is that, other than a very light sprinkle, the rain has yet to arrive.

This unit warming up in the photo to the right may be the biggest key to the day for Kent State. The dive play is the key to the success with an option attack like Army's, and that means the Golden Flashes defensive front will be paying particularly close attention to fullback Larry Dixon, who comes in as the Black Knights' leading rusher with 612 yards and a 5.9 per-carry average. 

Senior quarterback Angel Santiago is No. 2 on the rushing list with 466 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. Santiago and junior A.J. Schurr will both see action today at quarterback. According to Haynes, the two are similar run-first threats. Santiago and Schurr have combined for fewer than nine passing attempts and less than 100 yards per game this season.

2:26 p.m. ... Army didn't have the chance to practice at Dix Stadium yesterday. The Black Knights held their Friday workout at the University of Akron instead. Apparently, Army arrived at Dix Stadium yesterday while the Golden Flashes were just underway with their Friday walkthrough.

While the City of Kent has made tremendous strides in recent years with its reimagining of the downtown, adding some great new stores, restaurants and other businesses, it's hard to blame Army for not taking a tour of Kent the way the Golden Flashes did when they visited West Point two years ago.

That trip was one of the highlights of my career as we received a full guided tour of the United States Military Academy. Then-Kent State coach Darrell Hazell had coached at Army from 1997-98 and the academy.

That remains my favorite road trip in all of my years either working at or covering Kent State athletics. It's a beautiful campus with some great history and arguably the best setting in the country for college football. It is well worth the trip if you have never been.

2:14 p.m. ... We are working on a new feature that will be online early next week. Videographer Nick Kane, photographer David Dermer and I will have a day in the life photo essay of today's Homecoming game, picking up the team last night in its final walkthrough at Dix Stadium, following them to the team hotel and this morning's Captains Breakfast, then boarding the bus with the team on the way to Dix Stadium. We are now picking the team back during pre game, in the training room as players get taped, back to the locker room as Paul Haynes gives his final pep talk, and then onto the field. Hopefully we'll be able to cap it all with a victory over Army.

I'll post the link next week when the photo essay is complete.

1:48 p.m. ... We are inside two hours before kickoff here at Dix Stadium and the specialists for both
teams are on the field for pre game.

I spent part of the morning at the team hotel in Cuyahoga Falls where Kent State's players were joined for breakfast by 22 captains from past Golden Flashes teams. The Captains Breakfast is probably the best of the growing traditions started over the last decade here.

Roosevelt Nix and Jim Corrigall on Saturday morning

Visiting with Jim Corrigall was particularly special for me. Corrigall is one of the best defensive players ever to put on a Kent State uniform, joining a long list that includes names like Jack Lambert and James Harrison, he is also one of the true good guys on the Golden Flashes all-time roster.

Here's a photo of Corrigall with another Kent State defensive great – Roosevelt Nix.

Corrigall was a 1970 draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, but he went on to play 11 seasons with the Toronto Argonauts in a CFL Hall of Fame career.

Nix is a 2014 graduate who just signed with the Cleveland Gladiators last week. It was great to see both this morning.

Army to wear the camouflage uniforms and more notes heading into Homecoming weekend

Army's Head Equipment Manager Nick Determan tweeted a picture of the uniforms Army will wear on Saturday vs. Kent State.

The Black Knights will go with full camouflage when they face the Golden Flashes.

For those of you who like sports uniforms – and I do – its worth checking out Determan's Twitter account. He posted a tweet showing all of the different uniform options the Black Knights have for game day, and the ones they chose for Saturday at Dix Stadium are probably the sharpest of the bunch.

Camouflage from head to toe.

There was some talk early this week of the Flashes asking the NCAA to switch white at home this week since the camouflage are naturally darker than the traditional visiting whites teams wear when they come to town.

Here's the link to check out the Twitter account of Nick Determan.

Injury updates for Saturday ... We are hearing that Terence Waugh will be back this week. That is, of course, what we heard last week as well and expected going right up to Saturday. As the week wore on, Waugh felt a little less comfortable coming back, as head coach Paul Haynes said in his press conference on Monday.

And while Waugh is expected back, playing Army isn't the best situation for a defensive lineman coming back from a lower leg injury. As you've been hearing all week long, Army's offense involves lots of cut blocking, and that means blockers will be around the ankles and knees of KSU defenders all game long.

Najee Murray is also expected to be available at cornerback. How much he plays will have to wait until Saturday.

The Flashes are full go at quarterback with Colin Reardon another week removed from the injury that knocked him out of the final minutes at Northern Illinois. Nathan Strock is also available as the backup. Kent State will keep the modified Wildcat featuring Nick Holley at quarterback in the playbook, but who knows how much of Holley running the read option we'll see against Army. The Black Knights obviously are well versed at defending option attacks.



Big John in town ... I turned the corner this morning and ran into former big John Edwards earlier today here in the M.A.C. Center hallways.

One of the best things about the Kent State Men's Basketball program is the way its alumni find their way back to campus to visit with coaches and current players. Trevor Huffman from the 2002 team was in town just a few weeks ago.

Edwards, who was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 before going on to play in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers, spent the day in the basketball offices and was at practice to address the team.

Volleyball ready to rebound at Toledo and Ball State ... I spent some time with volleyball coach Don Gromala earlier this week and he is extremely pleased with the effort and attitude his team is showing in practice this week, even after another difficult weekend that saw the team lose at Miami and Bowling Green last weekend.

Gromala's squad has been dealing with some injuries and has been a bit shorthanded in practice. Shortening up practice due to depth hasn't been easy on a team that gets a lot out of the competition during the week. But as Gromala wrote in his blog, this team has shown that it can rebound, beating Akron and Buffalo back-to-back to answer a five-game losing streak.

After going on the road three of the first four weeks in MAC play, the schedule flips a bit after this weekend with the Dig For The Cure on Oct. 24 when Northern Illinois comes to the M.A.C. Center. That is followed by home matches Oct. 25 vs. Western Michigan, Oct. 30 vs. Ohio University and Nov. 1 vs. Central Michigan.

History is returning to M.A.C. Center Hallways during Homecoming week

There is obviously quite a bit going on this week here on campus as Kent State University preps for Homecoming.

Playing Army on Saturday should make the day all the more special for many of us. I have a special place in my heart for football at the military academies. Watching the Army-Navy game with my dad became a tradition in my house. My dad was in the Air Force during World War II. His brother was in the Navy during the war, so he usually rooted for Navy.

I would have loved to have been able to take him with me to see his alma mater, Kent State, when we played at Army and Navy during the last decade. 

There’s more to just the game for football fans who have an interest in the military. The National Guard will have two Humvees on site. 

We are going to do a few new things this week to thank our students for coming out to Dix Stadium on Saturday, including giving away Chick Fil A sandwiches to the first 500 students through the gates. We’ll also have a tennis-ball toss with one lucky student winning $1,000 and others taking home several other prizes, like a gift certificate to the Kent State Bookstore.

Whether you are coming to campus for the game, the parade, the 9 a.m. dedication of the new Dave and Peggy Edmonds Baseball and Softball Training Facility, or any of the day’s other events, consider stopping by the M.A.C. Center to get a look at the new display of Kent State’s Athletic History that is being assembled in the hallways. 

There are a few tweaks going on with the project at the moment, but it is close to completion. We’ve had a few issues to fix … a couple of misspellings (for example, “The Fortune Cookie” is the movie 1966 movie with Jack Lemmon that used Kent State football players as extras … not the “Forune Cookie”). We’ve also had a few of panels crack due to expansion of the metal that hinges the pictures to the wall. But all of those are being fixed. 

Even while those problems are being fixed, fans will have a chance to see some of the old photos that you have missed since the old panels were removed from the hallways last year. 

I have included a few photos of the current state of the project to give you a feel of what is going up at the M.A.C. Center. Hopefully you will all like it.

Live Blog: Kent State Football vs. UMass

Dix Stadium, Kent, Ohio

October 11, 2014

FOURTH QUARTER

FINAL ... UMass 40, Kent State 17

On the very first play after the Woodley touchdown, Reardon was picked off by UMass corner Jackson Porter, who returned it 34 yards for another score.

Flashes continue their search for their first win of 2014 while the Minutemen get their first victory of the year.

2:12 ... UMass 34, Kent State 17

UMass has sealed the win with a 10-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Woodley.

Elcee Refuge was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the play.

Too many costly penalties and too many missed opportunities


5:10 ... Another promising Kent State drive ends in a letdown. The Flashes marched to the UMass 20,  but came up scoreless when Anthony Melchiori's 37-yard field goal was blocked by Kassan Messiah.

The Flashes looked like they were going to get a first down on the play prior to the kick as Casey Pierce pulled in a pass just beyond the marker on 3rd-and-5, but had the ball ripped out of his hands as he took a second step for an incompletion.

A turnover on downs, penalties and now a blocked field goal kept the Flashes from scoring on drives deep into UMass territory today.


9:11 ... The Flashes offense is back on the field, starting this drive at the KSU 22.

UMass has 8 penalties for 90 yards compared to Kent State's 5 for 65, but the flags against the Flashes have been far more costly.


15:00 ... Too many negative plays have derailed promising Kent State drives this season. 

After a 15-yard throw from Reardon to Pierce near midfield opened this most recent drive, the Flashes were forced to swallow an illegal hands to the face penalty called against guard Wayne Scott.

As the fourth quarter opens, they Flashes will face 2nd-and-27 from their own 31.

THIRD QUARTER

1:26 ... UMass 27, Kent State 17

This time the Minutemen decide not to have a crack at the end zone on fourth down, but they still add to their lead with a 22-yard Logan Laurent field goal.

UMass is a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone today.

A nice return to the 33 by Ernest Calhoun as Kent State tries to answer ... and opens the drive with a 15-yard throw from Reardon to Pierce.


2:54 ... Aided by a phantom pass-interference call to keep its drive alive, UMass has a chance to add to its lead.

On third-and-12, Frohnapfel overthrew his receiver. Monday for Kent State was the only player with a chance at the football. The flag was thrown with little-to-no contact as Monday tried to shift his momentum in an attempt to get to the football. He barely got his fingertips on the ball as it sailed long. The penalty gave the Minutemen a first down at midfield.

UMass faces a 2nd-and-goal from the KSU 16.


7:00 ... UMass 24, Kent State 17

Colin Reardon was very sharp on the Flashes' second drive of the second half, going 4-for-4 on a drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Josh Boyle.

As for that injured ankle? Reardon chose to keep on a read-option and showed some explosiveness on an 8-yard run to move the chains early in the drive.

Chris Humphrey had a great 15-yard catch that featured three sidesteps at the end to get all the way to the UMass 5.

10:48 ... First the Kent State offense and now UMass with quick three-and-outs to start the third quarter.

An illegal block by the Minutemen helped out the KSU defense on a 3rd-and-1 running play.

SECOND QUARTER

HALFTIME ... UMass 24, Kent State 10



Another throw for a touchdown on fourth down by UMass, this time a 4-yarder from Frohnapfel to big, 6-foot-7 tight end Jean Sifrin in the back left corner of the end zone with just 8 seconds on the clock.

Kent State's defense has lost some of its swagger after a very good first quarter.

Some first-half numbers:

UMass has rolled up 275 yards in the first half with Fronhapfel accounting for 208 of them on 14-for-28 passing.

The Flashes have 139 yards of total offense, but 42 of those came on the Meray touchdown run.

Reardon is 8-of-15 for 53 yards running an offense that has been scaled down due to his injured ankle.

2:05 ... Nick Holley switched from running back to quarterback on the last possession for Kent State.

The read-option-heavy look was something we thought we may see all game long today as the Flashes began the week believing they may be without both Reardon and backup quarterback Nathan Strock.

Practiced open this week with Holley getting the bulk of the snaps at quarterback. It wasn't until Wednesday when the coaches started to think Reardon was a real possibility.

The drive with Holley at quarterback had mixed results. Holley nearly lost a fumble trying to hand to Miles Hibbler on the read option, but managed to scramble on his hands and knees to recover the loose football.

Two consecutive face-mask penalties against UMass, including one on a nice run of 13 yards by Holley, allowed Kent State to march all the way to the Minutemen 29-yard line before the drive stalled again.

A 47-yard field goal try into the wind by Melchiori fell just short of the left goalpost.



5:46 ... UMass 17, Kent State 10

Logan Laurent has added a 31-yard field goal to extend the UMass lead. The good news is that Kent State's defense held strong after taking a hit on the first play of the scoring drive when Frohnapfel found Alex Kenney for a 51-yard connection to the KSU 16-yard line.

The deep throw down the right sideline from Frohnapfel dropped right into Kenney's hands even as the UMass quarterback was under heavy pressure from Refuge – the same KSU defender who knocked him out of the game for a play earlier in the day.


9:01 ... UMass 14, Kent State 10

Fronhapfel goes 4-for-4 on a touchdown march as Kent State's pressure has stopped getting to the UMass quarterback. The Flashes have been dropping more players into coverage.

The touchdown throw came on a risky 4th-and-1 pass from the 17 yard line, hitting Williams in the right corner of the end zone.

The Flashes have done a good job of cutting down on penalties of late, committing only three last week at Northern Illinois. They have two so far today, but both have been painful.

The first was the fourth-down pass interference call that extended UMass' first touchdown drive. The most recent – a false  start after a nice 14-yard throw connection between Reardon and a Holley moved the chains – stalled a Kent State march that had reached the UMass 34.

14:42 ... Kent State 10, UMass 7

Anthony Meray has put Kent State on top with a 42-yard touchdown run, breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage, getting loose in the secondary, and then outrunning the UMass defense to the left pylon.

The run was the longest of Meray's career and the first touchdown run by a Kent State running back this season.

FIRST QUARTER

0:00 ... The Kent State offense is starting to get it going here as we close the opening quarter.

The Flashes have strung together a couple of first downs on a 9-yard Reardon throw to Casey Pierce on 3rd-and-8, then a 7-yard Anthony Meray run on 3rd-and-2.

That has Kent State in UMass territory with a first down at the 43 to open the second quarter.

Reardon has completed 5-of-8 for 24 yards.

3:32 ... UMass 7, Kent State 3

The Minutemen took advantage of a pass interference call against cornerback Demetrius Monday that eliminated an interception on a 4th-and-5 throw by Frohnapfel.

A few plays later, Frohnapfel hit running back Matt Tuleja for a 4-yard touchdown.

UMass probably should have scored earlier after Kent State bit on a double-pass. When Frohnapfel under-threw a wide open Shakur Nesmith, the wide receiver stumbled for only a 36-yard gain to the KSU 29.

Frohnapfel missed one play in the series after absorbing a hard hit by Kent State's Elcee Refuge. Austin Whipple, son of UMass coach Mark Whipple, came on for just one play.

7:14 ... The Kent State defense has picked up where it left off, forcing a third consecutive punt.

The pass rush has been getting to Frohnapfel. Richard Gray nearly came up with a sack on third down, sweeping the leg of the Minutemen quarterback just as he tried to unload on second down.

Demetrius Monday delivered the big hit on third down, dislodging the football from Elgin Long as the UMass wide receiver went high in traffic to try to catch the ball on third down.

Three drives for UMass .. two punts and a stuffed fake-punt.

Frohnapfel has yet to complete a pass ... 0-for-4, and the Minutemen have just 15 yards on 11 plays, an average of just 1.36 per play.

The Flashes haven't been much better at 26 total yards and 1.78 per play, but they took advantage of the field position from the failed fake punt by grabbing the early lead.

9:42 ... We are seeing quite a different looks already from Kent State's defense.

The Flashes have lined up without a nose tackle on a few plays.

On UMass second series, KSU chose to drop eight into coverage on third-and-10 after going all-out blitz on third down on the previous series. Both plays had the same result as UMass quarterback Blake Fronhapfel missed his target.

Fronhapfel was also dropped for a 9-yard loss on second down as KSU linebacker Darius Redmond came untouched off the edge.


11:38 ... Kent State 3, UMass 0

Break No. 1 goes to Kent State.

The Golden Flashes prepared for pass, pass, pass all week, so of course the Minutemen open with two straight runs. An all-out-blitz led to an incomplete pass and an apparent three-and-out ...

... that is until UMass decided to try to keep the drive alive with a fake punt on 4th-and-5.

Marken Michel took the snap and was dropped for a loss by Nick Cuthbert, giving the Flashes the football at the UMass 32-yard line.

Reardon did in fact start for the Flashes, and he connected on his first pass – a 5-yard throw to Casey Pierce on 3rd-and-7.

Anthony Melchiori followed with a 41-yard field goal try that split the uprights to give KSU the early lead.

15:00 ... Kent State has won the coin toss and will defer to the second half. UMass is on the field to return the opening kickoff.

We'll have to wait a little while to confirm just how the Flashes will handle the quarterback spot at the start of the game.

PREGAME

1:05 p.m. ... With almost an hour to go before kickoff, Colin Reardon is on the field and throwing passes to wide receivers during pre-game warmups.

Looks like we will see Reardon, although we are not sure if he will start today. The Flashes have been working on a few wrinkles offensively this week as the availability of both Reardon and Strock was in question, and that could lead to a few surprises.

Nathan Strock is also in uniform and warming up, although based on my talk with Paul Haynes earlier in the week, Strock is not likely to see action today. That said, Kent State used four different quarterbacks during the walkthrough yesterday.

1:21 p.m. ... I spent some time with tailgaters in the west parking lot of Dix Stadium earlier this afternoon and was happy to get to spend some time with New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Terry Malone and his family. With the Saints on a bye week, Malone and his wife Ann the chance to fly in to see watch his son Ryan, who is a redshirt-freshman tight end for the Golden Flashes.

This is the second time the Malones have been able to see Kent State play this season. Conveniently, the Flashes played at Ohio State on Sep. 13, one day before the Saints were scheduled to play in Cleveland.

1:42 p.m. ... Today is Kent City Schools day here at Dix Stadium.

It was nice to see the Golden Flashes players take the time to shake hands with all of the school children before leaving the field for one final pep talk from Haynes.

Now the kids are getting ready to welcome the Flashes back to the field as they form a large tunnel near the north stands.

Reardon and Strock not ruled out for Saturday's game vs. UMass

Head football coach Paul Haynes got a rare bit of good news this week as starting quarterback Colin Reardon and second-stringer Nathan Strock may not be as limited as first believed after both were knocked out of last week’s game at Northern Illinois.

Reardon and Strock were both at practice when I watched Tuesday’s practice at Dix Stadium, although both were relegated to the sidelines. I could not get to the early evening practice on Wednesday, but I was told earlier in the day that Reardon was determined to try to practice.

During today’s noon radio show in the Kent State Student Center, Haynes confirmed that Reardon did do some light work yesterday. Strock was also able to do some running. 

On Monday, Haynes was doubtful that either quarterback would be available for Saturday’s game against Massachusetts. Now he says Reardon and Strock would have to be considered questionable. 

The assumption earlier in the week was that the coaching staff would choose between freshman George Bollas and sophomore Jack Williams as the starter and then give that selection the bulk of the reps in practice. That hasn’t been the case so far, though, and with Reardon and Strock not yet ruled out, we may be looking at a gameday decision as to how the Golden Flashes handle the quarterback situation.

The Flashes will get healthier on the defensive side of the football on Saturday as three key players return from injury. The depth returns to the defensive line as both sophomore end Terence Waugh and freshman tackle Jontey Byrd will be back in the rotation. Against a passing offense for UMass that ranks No. 2 in the MAC at 318.8 yards per game, the Flashes will also be thrilled to have cornerback Najee Murray back in the starting lineup.

Kent State will be particularly concerned with 6-foot-4 UMass wide receiver Tajae Sharpe, who committed to Kent State as a senior Piscataway Township High School in New Jersey before changing his mind and signing with the Minutemen. Sharpe leads the MAC with 113 receiving yards per game after catching 41 passes for 678 yards and four touchdowns in six games. The Flashes need to play physical at the line of scrimmage against a wide receiver with unusual size for the MAC, and having Murray back will help.

Quarterbacks Nathan Strock, Colin Reardon and Jack Williams during pre-game at Virginia on Sep. 27

It may be Williams or Bollas at quarterback on Saturday vs. UMass

Head coach Paul Haynes confirmed during his Monday press conference that his football team will probably be without both its No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks on Saturday when the Golden Flashes host Massachusetts. 

According to Haynes, starter Colin Reardon is getting X-rays on his lower leg today while backup Nathan Strock may have a concussion.

“At this point, I would expect both to be out on Saturday,” said Haynes. 

That means either sophomore Jack Williams or true freshman George Bollas will likely take over at quarterback this week. 

Haynes said the coaching staff is still working to decide who will start assuming Reardon and Strock are not available.

Williams, who is a converted tight end, took his first snap at quarterback late in the fourth quarter at Northern Illinois after Reardon and Strock were both injured during Kent State’s final drive. Bollas, who played his high school football just a few miles from the Kent State campus  in Aurora, Oh., has not played in a college game.

“Jack hasn’t had any reps (in practice),” said Haynes. “He has been on the sidelines sending in signals. The last time he has taken reps was in fall camp. Bollas has had more reps probably because he is on the scout team. He has been able to go through the mechanics of being a quarterback.

“When you look at the body type, both are big and athletic. They are not burners by any means. Both have strong enough arms. We have to think about what package we can put together for them to execute what do they know. What can they do.”

Whoever is selected as the starter will get a significant majority of the reps this week in practice as the coaching staff tries to get them ready for the emergency start.

Offensive tackle Reno Reda is convinced “whoever is back there will do fine.”

“They are going to be ready,” said Reda. “The cadence is the same, it will just be a different voice. Lower pitch. Higher pitch. ‘On one, on two.”

Live Blog: Kent State Football at Northern Illinois

FOURTH QUARTER

FINAL ... Northern Illinois 17, Kent State 14

I was down on the field for the final five minutes, and couldn't update.

A very disappointing finish for the Flashes who lost two quarterbacks as they tried to drive for a game-winning touchdown or game-tying field goal in the closing minutes.

An interception by Jordan Italiano at the Kent State 39 on a risky deep throw by Maddie gave the Flashes their late chance.

Colin Reardon marched the Flashes to the NIU 34 with 3:33 to play, but was injured running for 8 yards on 4th-and-1 from the Huskies 42. It was a beautiful misdirection play, but at the end Reardon suffered an apparent ankle injury and needed to be helped from the field.

Nathan Strock came in for two plays, absorbing a sack on first down and then leaving the field after throwing an incomplete pass on second down.

Enter Jack Williams for his first career appearance. After a third-down incompletion, the Flashes tried for a desperation 56-yard field goal attempt by Melchiori that came up short.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened with Reardon in the game to the end. He answered some critics with an interception-free game and finished with 244 yards on 20-of-36 passing.

7:15 ... Northern Illinois 17, Kent State 14

A 7-play, 80-yard drive for the Golden Flashes ends with Colin Reardon scoring the team's first rushing touchdown of the season on a 2-yard bootleg run. Reardon then found Casey Pierce on a throwback for a 2-point conversion that pulled the Flashes to within just three points.

These young Flashes are showing a great deal of heart, learning from last week and not allowing the frustration to get to them.


10:02 ... Nate Holley is having a whale of a game at safety for Kent State.

He just made a spectacular open-field tackle on Northern wide receiver Desroy Maxwell, dropping him short of the marker and forcing the Huskies to punt.

The tackle was Holley's 16th of the game. Of those, 12 have been solo tackles.

Kent State's second leading tackler is Elcee Refuge with 5 tackles, all solo.

THIRD QUARTER

1:53 ... Northern Illinois 17, Kent State 6

The Flashes score their first points of the third quarter in 2014 on a 27-yard Anthony Melchiori field goal. Again, though, the Flashes offense had to settle after having it first-and-goal.

Kris White made two nice grabs on the 83-yard, 11-play march, including a 20-yard catch while fighting off Northern free safety Dechane Durante at the 20.

Little mistakes continue to be drive-killers though. On this drive, usually-sure-handed Chris Humphrey dropped an on-target pass on a short slant at the 5-yard line with the chance to run for at least a few more yards.

7:50 ... Turnovers are not the problem this week, but other drive killers have popped up for the Flashes.

There was the 19-yard loss on a bad snap in the first half.

Now drive No. 2 for Kent State in the second half stalled before it started when James Brooks fumbled on a hit that sent the football flying back towards the Flashes' goal line for a 14-yard loss.


9:35 ... Northern Illinois 17, Kent State 3

The Flashes need to find some offense as its defense may be showing signs of wearing down here early in the second half.

Northern sprinted 70 yards in just five plays to extend is lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by Jordan Huff – the first career touchdown for the redshirt freshman who is not listed among the four tailbacks on the Northern Illinois depth chart.

The Flashes offense suffered a three-and-out in its first possession of the first half.

13:03 ... Northern Illinois 10, Kent State 3

Kent State's defense stood tall again after a 66-yard kickoff return by Northern's Jordan Huff to open the second quarter.

The Huskies took over at the Kent State 30, but after three plays were forced to settle for a 40-yard Wedel field goal.

Matt Sommers, Nate Holley, Jordan Italiano and Elcee Refuge with some good, solid tackling after some sloppy tackling by the Flashes' special teams on kickoff coverage.

SECOND QUARTER

HALFTIME

A solid first half by the Flashes. This could be a Kent State lead or a scoreless tie if not for the back-to-back personal foul penalties that help the Huskies turn a punt into their only points.

The Flashes have 144 yards in the first half compared to Northern's 211. They also have nine first downs compared to Northern's 10.

The killer in the first half was the roughing the passer play. That handed the Huskies second life. You absolutely have to get off the field on 3rd-and-21. Instead, two plays later, Northern had its only score. The Kent State defense very nearly pitched a first-half shutout.


1:54 ... Northern Illinois 7, Kent State 3

The Flashes are on the board after a 19-yard field goal by Anthony Melchiori. With such a young offensive line, Kent State didn't dare take a shot on 4th-and-1 1/2 after Holley was dropped for a 1-yard loss on 3rd-and-goal from inside the Northern 1-yard line.

While a touchdown would have been nice, the drive by Kent State was impressive. It included a 20-yard run by wide receiver James Brooks and a perfectly thrown post pass from Reardon to Brooks that gave the Flashes a first down at the Northern 4.

Take away the 19-yard loss on the bad snap in the first quarter – which goes into the books as a running play – and the Flashes running game would have 60 yards on 13 attempts.

Reardon has played well, rebounding from a tough game at Virginia last week – 10-of-18 for 105 yards so far.

7:09 ... Northern Illinois 7, Kent State 0

Back-to-back personal fouls against Kent State have allowed Northern Illinois to get on the scoreboard first.

The Huskies faced a 3rd-and-21 from the KSU 36, and were about to get off of the football field after Da'Ron Brown dropped a pass inside the Flashes' 5. But a roughing the passer penalty against Flashes defensive lineman Nate Terhune gave Northern a first down.

On the very next play a face mask penalty on KSU star Elcee Refuge gave the Huskies another first down at the 7.  That set the stage for Brown atoning for his drop, taking an end around 7 yards for the touchdown.


10:07 ... The Flashes gambled once, then played it conservative on two fourth-down plays early in the second quarter.

For the first time all season, head coach Paul Haynes chose to roll the dice on 4th-and-1 from the Northern Illinois' 45 yard line, moving the chains on a 3-yard run by Anthony Meray behind the left side of what appeared to be an unbalanced line for Kent State.

On 4th-and-3 from the 36, however, Haynes thought about taking another shot, but ultimately chose to send Anthony Melchiori onto the field to punt the football away. The first touchback of the season by Melchiori led to just the 16-yard net.

There was one very big play on the drive by Kent State as Calhoun made a juke to get into open space. The move turned a probable 6-yard gain on 3rd-and-6 into a 25-yard pickup.

FIRST QUARTER

0:00 ... A scoreless first quarter as Kent State's defense has been very good.

Demetrius Monday made the big play to force another Northern Illinois punt at the end of the quarter, dropping Joel Bouganon for a 2-yard loss on a third-and-10 screen.

The Huskies have moved the football (133 total yards to Kent State's 18), but only one scoring opportunity so far on the missed 39-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Wedel.

1:20 ... The Flashes are hoping to avoid being forced again to try to beat two teams again ... their opponents and themselves.

Unfortunately, after briefly moving into Northern territory, a high snap by center Alex Nielsen led to a 19-yard loss, a 3rd-and-23, and ultimately a punt.

The Flashes moved the chains twice on the drive – the first-down run by Holley and then on a roughing the passer when NIU's Jamaal Bass delivered a late hit on KSU quarterback Colin Reardon.

3:42 ... Kent State's defense has stopped another promising Northern Illinois drive.

After marching to the KSU 20 where they faced a 2nd-and-1, the Huskies were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal attempt. Tyler Wedel missed that one wide left.

... and on 1st down, Nick Holley moves the chains for the Flashes, breaking several tackles on a 10-yard gain.

Holley is running hard for a kid who was limited in practice all week.

8:42 ... The Flashes offense is coming back onto the field after the defense played bend-but-don't-break on the Huskies first drive of the game.

Northern was 3-for-3 on third down before finally stalling in Kent State territory.

Kent State will start at its own 29 after a poor 7-yard punt by Northern quarterback Drew Hare ... which was actually a quick kick as the Huskies lined up as if they would go for it on 4th-and-3.

10:51 ... Kent State's cornerbacks have made an early impact as Demetrius Monday swats away a second-and-10 pass on a cornerback blitz. 

On first down, Malcom Pannell made a nice play coming up to drop Akeem Daniels for no gain after he caught a pass from Drew Hare. The Huskies love to throw to the running backs on all sorts of screens, so no surprise to see them go to it right away.

Unfortunately, a 14-yard throw on third down moved the chains. 

Kent State's offense picked up one first down on the first possession of the game as Colin Reardon found Ernest Calhoun for 8 yards on third-and-7 ... and actually, the Flashes probably benefitted by a pretty good spot on the play. 

PREGAME

4:53 p.m. ... There is some good news in terms of injuries for Kent State. Nick Holley had been limited this week due to injury, but he looked fine in pre-game.

That was a bit of a worry considering third-string back Miles Hibbler was injured last week and missed the game at Virginia.

Hibbler is back and listed as the third-stringer at running back, but his experience is obviously limited eight carries and 19 yards on the season.

Had Holley not been able to go, Hudson, Ohio native Steve Nagy might have been an option at running back. The sophomore fullback worked out at running back on Tuesday.

4:36 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes and Huskies are on the field "warming" up here at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Il.  It is only 43 degrees at the moment with rain arriving closer to kickoff.

We have a few scratches from the lineup, and all will impact the depth on defense.

Sophomore Terence Waugh did not make the trip. He had been backing up Nate Vance at the Leo spot on the defensive front and was seeing significant action in the rotation. Now freshman Matt Sommers moves up and into that spot. Sommers has been a regular on special teams this season, but he has only a handful of snaps on defense.

Freshman nose tackle Jontey Byrd is also not with the team. Byrd has been a steady riser, seeing more and more action, and moving into a backup role behind Jon Cunningham at nose tackle. Last week at Virginia, Byrd picked off the first pass of his career. Zach Singer, another fast rising freshman, is listed as the backup to Cunningham today.

For the second consecutive week Kent State will be without starting cornerback Najee Murray. Freshman Demetrius Monday will start again in that spot.

As expected, though, seniors Calvin Tiggle and DeVante' Strickland will return after missing significant time to injury. Tiggle hasn't played since the opener. He is listed No. 3 at strong safety. Strickland will see his first action of the year backing up Matt Dellinger at linebacker.

A big upcoming weekend includes the official start of basketball practice for KSU's men's and women's teams

It’s a big weekend for Kent State athletics with football returning to Mid-American Conference play at Northern Illinois, a Wagon Wheel point on the line with volleyball hosting Akron on Friday night, men’s and women’s basketball officially starting practice, and much, much more.

I spent some time with both men’s basketball coach Rob Senderoff and women’s basketball coach Danielle O’Banion over the last couple of days, and both are excited about the options the new additions to their rosters will create in 2014-15.

Length inside is the big difference for Senderoff’s team. If you read his blog, you’ll know that the addition of some serious wingspans in the 7-for-4 Blake Vedder, 6-7 Jimmy Hall, 6-10 Marvin Jones will offer a whole new dimension to how Kent State’s defense. With more players capable of defending the rim than last season, Senderoff is eager to extend his perimeter defense. That means more defensive pressure on the perimeter and, as Senderoff wrote in the blog, some new ways to limit threes by opponents.

The Flashes lost quite a bit last year defensively inside due to NCAA rule changes regarding what constitutes a charge. Darren Goodson played the bulk of the minutes at the four in the last two seasons. He wasn’t a shot blocker by any means, but as a junior he was Kent State’s best at drawing charges. Those same heady plays turned into blocking calls in his senior year. Now the Flashes will have a very different look defensively at the four.

O’Banion is also excited about a large group of newcomers who can change the way the women’s team plays. Since her arrival in April of 2012, O’Banion has wanted to play an up-tempo style. She has the players who are capable of running that style, and more. This current group gives her many more options.

While there are lots of new faces on the perimeter, two familiar faces in the post could provide an even bigger impact than they did last year. According to O’Banion, 6-4 senior CiCi Shannon and 6-1 senior Montia Johnson have both made significant improvements in their footwork. Both are more confident catching the ball on the block. They have more ways to find their own shots and are more confident beating the double team with their own movement as well as finding open shots for the teammates on the perimeter.

Men’s basketball begins practice on Saturday. Women’s basketball holds its first practice on Sunday. I’ll be in Illinois with the football team, but I’ll be looking forward to coming back and sitting in on basketball practices when I get back.