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By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 11:52 a.m. EST, Nov 06, 2009
They are still teenagers and were in high school just six months ago.
Yet they will be central figures in the circle-the-calendar game between the University of Akron and Kent State today at InfoCision Stadium as the quest for the Wagon Wheel trophy continues for the 39th time.
In a hotly contested rivalry such as this, seasoned quarterbacks would be the preferable alternative. Instead, 19-year-old freshmen Patrick Nicely of the Zips and Spencer Keith of the Golden Flashes will start in a Mid-American Conference game always full of emotion and fervor on the field and in the stands.
Both are short on experience and were elevated because of injuries to sophomore starters. But both have shown enough savvy and potential to engender optimism among teammates, coaches and fans.
Still, this is the game of the season for both sides.
''It's not the ideal situation for either of us,'' Zips coach J.D. Brookhart said. ''You always want to have a veteran in there, a guy you have groomed along the way. But that's not what the situation is.
''Both are talented kids and you see them making progress each week. It's an unusual situation.''
Kent State coach Doug Martin echoed the sentiment.
''We have both been kind of forced into that hand . . . with injuries,'' Martin said. ''It is one of those things that happen sometimes. Both are really quality quarterbacks, capable of playing really well.''
Nicely, a Willoughby South High graduate who turned 19 on Oct. 27, was essentially fourth on the depth chart in the preseason and was being redshirted. But the dismissal of senior Chris Jacquemain for a violation of team policy and then a serious knee injury to sophomore backup Matt Rodgers meant an activation for Nicely, who will make his fourth college start today.
Keith, who turned 19 on Sept. 25, is a Little Rock, Ark., resident who was behind sophomore Giorgio Morgan in the preseason and early season. But an ankle injury to Morgan gave Keith his chance and he has thrived, starting the past four games.
Nicely, with far less preparation time and a lesser supporting cast than Keith, has completed 53-of-109 passes for 613 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions for the last-place Zips (1-7, 0-4).
Brookhart likes what he has seen of Nicely but wants more, given his 0-3 record as the starter.
''For a freshman quarterback, with what we are doing . . . a lot of stuff, he is doing a good job, a very good job,'' Brookhart said. ''But we need him to get better faster.''
Keith, playing for the second-place Flashes (5-4, 4-1), has completed 120-of-204 passes for 1,538 yards and 11 touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He is coming off his best performance last Saturday in a 26-14 triumph over Western Michigan, going 24-of-34 for 373 yards and two touchdowns.
''He is really bright, a 4.0 student. He has a great mind for the game. He understands offense and defense,'' Martin said. ''A lot of young players, when you call plays, they just go out and run them. Spencer understands why you call that play.''
Nicely and Keith share the expected commonality of being high school phenoms. But both also share the fact that they had originally planned to play at schools other than UA and KSU.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Nicely was ranked as the No. 20 pro-style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. He was a two-time all-state selection at Willoughby South, setting career school records for completions (348), touchdowns (53) and yards passing (5,515).
Nicely orally committed to Bowling Green last fall but changed his mind in December when Falcons coach Gregg Brandon was fired.
The 6-2, 190-pound Keith put up otherworldly statistics at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, aided somewhat by the philosophy of coach Kevin Kelley never to punt on fourth down.
In 14 games as a senior in 2008, he completed 396-of-625 passes for a national-best 5,310 yards in leading Pulaski to a AAAAA state championship. Keith, who threw for 4,768 yards as a junior, was a two-time all-state selection.
Keith was determined to play in the Ivy League and had made that intention known to recruiters. However, late in the recruiting process, he decided to play at a higher level. KSU recruiting coordinator Zane Vance had kept in contact with Keith, and he eventually picked the Flashes over Vanderbilt.
Nicely and Keith will have their hands on the ball more than anyone else today, but the ultimate outcome made be determined by others.
To a man, both squads understand the importance of this one.
Kent State needs a victory to stay in contention in the MAC East. The Flashes, who are three-point favorites, share second place with Ohio (6-3, 4-1), behind leading Temple (7-2, 5-0).
Meanwhile, the Zips hope to end a six-game losing streak, as well as spoil the title chances of their archrival.
Also at stake is possession of the Wagon Wheel trophy that first went to the winner in 1946. UA has won the past two games in the series and 10 of the past 12.
''Throw the records out. It's a rivalry game, always a battle,'' Brookhart said. ''Our kids enjoy it. I think their kids enjoy it. A lot of guys know each other, so this is something each and every year that is a focus for both teams.''
Both the Zips and the Flashes have Temple as the next game on their schedule. UA meets the Owls at home Nov. 13. KSU has a bye week and plays at Temple on Nov. 21.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Zips-Flashes by the numbers
Comparative statstics for the University of Akron and Kent State. The numbers are per-game averages. MAC rank in parentheses.
Category: Zips — Flashes
Rushing offense: 97.13 (11) — 127.22 (7)
Passing offense: 177.25 (9) — 210.33 (7)
Total offense: 274.38 (13) — 337.55 (7)
Scoring offense: 17.25 (11) — 21.33 (9)
Rushing defense: 182.38 (11) — 118.11 (4)
Passing defense: 167.63 (2) — 229.00 (10)
Total defense: 350.01 (6) — 347.11 (5)
Scoring defense: 26.50 (7) — 20.56 (4)
Sacks: .75 (13) — 3.33 (1)
Sacks allowed: 2.88 (11) — 1.33 (3)
Source: Mid-American Conference
They are still teenagers and were in high school just six months ago.
Yet they will be central figures in the circle-the-calendar game between the University of Akron and Kent State today at InfoCision Stadium as the quest for the Wagon Wheel trophy continues for the 39th time.
In a hotly contested rivalry such as this, seasoned quarterbacks would be the preferable alternative. Instead, 19-year-old freshmen Patrick Nicely of the Zips and Spencer Keith of the Golden Flashes will start in a Mid-American Conference game always full of emotion and fervor on the field and in the stands.
Both are short on experience and were elevated because of injuries to sophomore starters. But both have shown enough savvy and potential to engender optimism among teammates, coaches and fans.
Still, this is the game of the season for both sides.
''It's not the ideal situation for either of us,'' Zips coach J.D. Brookhart said. ''You always want to have a veteran in there, a guy you have groomed along the way. But that's not what the situation is.
''Both are talented kids and you see them making progress each week. It's an unusual situation.''
Kent State coach Doug Martin echoed the sentiment.
''We have both been kind of forced into that hand . . . with injuries,'' Martin said. ''It is one of those things that happen sometimes. Both are really quality quarterbacks, capable of playing really well.''
Nicely, a Willoughby South High graduate who turned 19 on Oct. 27, was essentially fourth on the depth chart in the preseason and was being redshirted. But the dismissal of senior Chris Jacquemain for a violation of team policy and then a serious knee injury to sophomore backup Matt Rodgers meant an activation for Nicely, who will make his fourth college start today.
Keith, who turned 19 on Sept. 25, is a Little Rock, Ark., resident who was behind sophomore Giorgio Morgan in the preseason and early season. But an ankle injury to Morgan gave Keith his chance and he has thrived, starting the past four games.
Nicely, with far less preparation time and a lesser supporting cast than Keith, has completed 53-of-109 passes for 613 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions for the last-place Zips (1-7, 0-4).
Brookhart likes what he has seen of Nicely but wants more, given his 0-3 record as the starter.
''For a freshman quarterback, with what we are doing . . . a lot of stuff, he is doing a good job, a very good job,'' Brookhart said. ''But we need him to get better faster.''
Keith, playing for the second-place Flashes (5-4, 4-1), has completed 120-of-204 passes for 1,538 yards and 11 touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He is coming off his best performance last Saturday in a 26-14 triumph over Western Michigan, going 24-of-34 for 373 yards and two touchdowns.
''He is really bright, a 4.0 student. He has a great mind for the game. He understands offense and defense,'' Martin said. ''A lot of young players, when you call plays, they just go out and run them. Spencer understands why you call that play.''
Nicely and Keith share the expected commonality of being high school phenoms. But both also share the fact that they had originally planned to play at schools other than UA and KSU.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Nicely was ranked as the No. 20 pro-style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. He was a two-time all-state selection at Willoughby South, setting career school records for completions (348), touchdowns (53) and yards passing (5,515).
Nicely orally committed to Bowling Green last fall but changed his mind in December when Falcons coach Gregg Brandon was fired.
The 6-2, 190-pound Keith put up otherworldly statistics at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, aided somewhat by the philosophy of coach Kevin Kelley never to punt on fourth down.
In 14 games as a senior in 2008, he completed 396-of-625 passes for a national-best 5,310 yards in leading Pulaski to a AAAAA state championship. Keith, who threw for 4,768 yards as a junior, was a two-time all-state selection.
Keith was determined to play in the Ivy League and had made that intention known to recruiters. However, late in the recruiting process, he decided to play at a higher level. KSU recruiting coordinator Zane Vance had kept in contact with Keith, and he eventually picked the Flashes over Vanderbilt.
Nicely and Keith will have their hands on the ball more than anyone else today, but the ultimate outcome made be determined by others.
To a man, both squads understand the importance of this one.
Kent State needs a victory to stay in contention in the MAC East. The Flashes, who are three-point favorites, share second place with Ohio (6-3, 4-1), behind leading Temple (7-2, 5-0).
Meanwhile, the Zips hope to end a six-game losing streak, as well as spoil the title chances of their archrival.
Also at stake is possession of the Wagon Wheel trophy that first went to the winner in 1946. UA has won the past two games in the series and 10 of the past 12.
''Throw the records out. It's a rivalry game, always a battle,'' Brookhart said. ''Our kids enjoy it. I think their kids enjoy it. A lot of guys know each other, so this is something each and every year that is a focus for both teams.''
Both the Zips and the Flashes have Temple as the next game on their schedule. UA meets the Owls at home Nov. 13. KSU has a bye week and plays at Temple on Nov. 21.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Zips-Flashes by the numbers
Comparative statstics for the University of Akron and Kent State. The numbers are per-game averages. MAC rank in parentheses.
Category: Zips — Flashes
Rushing offense: 97.13 (11) — 127.22 (7)
Passing offense: 177.25 (9) — 210.33 (7)
Total offense: 274.38 (13) — 337.55 (7)
Scoring offense: 17.25 (11) — 21.33 (9)
Rushing defense: 182.38 (11) — 118.11 (4)
Passing defense: 167.63 (2) — 229.00 (10)
Total defense: 350.01 (6) — 347.11 (5)
Scoring defense: 26.50 (7) — 20.56 (4)
Sacks: .75 (13) — 3.33 (1)
Sacks allowed: 2.88 (11) — 1.33 (3)
Source: Mid-American Conference
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Posted 03:53 PM, 11/06/2009
notice the difference? Nicely isn't allowed to throw the ball ever. Let the kid throw, he has the ability to destroy defenses.
Akron, Oh
Posted 04:51 PM, 11/06/2009
the game is tomorrow and not today. nice going ABJ
North Hill, OH
Posted 05:26 PM, 11/06/2009
Time for another wagon wheel victory. It's weird to have to be the "spoiler."
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 10:45 PM, 11/06/2009
Sorry Zippos, the Wheel is heading East this year.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:36 AM, 11/07/2009
nicely done, Nicely is from AKRON you idiots
Canton, OH
Posted 08:05 AM, 11/07/2009
Let's keep the Wheel where it belongs : in Akron. . .
FEAR THE ' ROO. . .
Posted 12:50 PM, 11/07/2009
Somebody better change that photo caption. You have Nicely playing for Kent and Keith playing for Akron. It's the other way around. Here's how the caption appears, right now:
Freshman quarterbacks Patrick Nicely from Kent State University and Spencer Keith from the University of Akron will face each other at InfoCision Stadium Saturday. (Akron Beacon Journal photos)
Akron, Oh
Posted 12:12 AM, 11/08/2009
Say that again, cfoflash99. We didn't hear you.
University of Akron - 28 University of Kent - 20.
That wagon wheel traveled east alright...from the UA Student Union to the UA football stadium and no further.
Go Zips!
