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.