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Do IT this week: Layering
Win against rival UA Saturday will be key
By Jonas Fortune
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 09:28 p.m. EST, Nov 02, 2009
KENT: It's a bit of an odd season this year for the Kent State football team.
''All you guys are here and it's November,'' Kent State coach Doug Martin said, half-jokingly, to the seven media members who joined him for his news conference today at Dix Stadium.
''Usually in November there is one of you guys and me. So, obviously we still matter a little bit.''
The way the Golden Flashes have been playing as of late, they matter a lot.
If the Flashes (5-4, 4-1) can beat their rival, the University of Akron (1-7, 0-4), Saturday at InfoCision Stadium, they would be in great position to challenge for first place in the MAC East the following week against first-place Temple (6-2, 4-0).
The sixth win of the season would also make the Flashes bowl eligible, a rarity at Kent State. The last bowl game the Flashes played in was the 1972 Tangerine Bowl.
Not to mention, a win would bring the often-traded Wagon Wheel back to Kent State.
But don't tell Martin or the team any of that. They don't want to hear it.
''All of that will take care of itself,'' Martin said. ''What we need to focus on is just what we have done the last three or four weeks. We have been very focused and very singular-minded about each one of these games being their own championship. This one is no different.''
Who can argue with their ''one-game MAC championship'' mentality? It has produced a current three-game winning streak thus far. In fact, Kent State was just five seconds away from that streak being at four games.
Turning point
In the past, the Golden Flashes might have crumbled after giving up 19 points in the fourth quarter and eventually the game to Bowling Green a month ago. But that game became one of many turning points.
''After that loss, we just came together as a team. It just brought us closer,'' senior linebacker Anthony Mirando said. ''We realized how good we can really play . . . we have just been building and building on that.''
On Saturday, Kent State carried a 13-point lead late into the third quarter against Western Michigan and had to a chance to put the game away when senior Jameson Konz slipped past a defender for a sure touchdown, but the deep pass slipped through his finger tips.
Five plays later, Konz was stripped of the ball after a 19-yard reception.
''In the past years that I've been here, if people get down or our team is having to struggle a little bit . . . you could see the frustration on the sideline,'' Konz said. ''Now, we have a team with such team unity that if something goes wrong we have faith in each other and everyone immediately comes over and tells you to shake that off and respond the next play.''
The plays didn't ruin the Flashes on Saturday. The defense wouldn't let the Broncos score on the following possession. And the offense converted two third and 15 plays down the stretch to secure the victory.
Inspirational banner
The Monday following the loss to Bowling Green, the team also found themselves working out at the field house, where Martin made sure they all saw the one banner Kent State earned from playing in the 1972 Tangerine Bowl.
''There is only one year that they were actually able to accomplish that,'' Konz said. ''I don't know about anyone else, but that just starts a fire in your chest.
''We know how close we are to that, and I know how close I've been to that in the past here. Just seeing that only one year out of all the teams that have been here and all the hard work that we have put in, we want to be able to climb that mountain and we want to get to the top.''
Winning another ''one-game MAC championship'' this weekend will bring them one step closer to that goal.
Jonas Fortune can be reached at jfortune@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Varsity Letters high school sports blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ABJ_Preps.
KENT: It's a bit of an odd season this year for the Kent State football team.
''All you guys are here and it's November,'' Kent State coach Doug Martin said, half-jokingly, to the seven media members who joined him for his news conference today at Dix Stadium.
''Usually in November there is one of you guys and me. So, obviously we still matter a little bit.''
The way the Golden Flashes have been playing as of late, they matter a lot.
If the Flashes (5-4, 4-1) can beat their rival, the University of Akron (1-7, 0-4), Saturday at InfoCision Stadium, they would be in great position to challenge for first place in the MAC East the following week against first-place Temple (6-2, 4-0).
The sixth win of the season would also make the Flashes bowl eligible, a rarity at Kent State. The last bowl game the Flashes played in was the 1972 Tangerine Bowl.
Not to mention, a win would bring the often-traded Wagon Wheel back to Kent State.
But don't tell Martin or the team any of that. They don't want to hear it.
''All of that will take care of itself,'' Martin said. ''What we need to focus on is just what we have done the last three or four weeks. We have been very focused and very singular-minded about each one of these games being their own championship. This one is no different.''
Who can argue with their ''one-game MAC championship'' mentality? It has produced a current three-game winning streak thus far. In fact, Kent State was just five seconds away from that streak being at four games.
Turning point
In the past, the Golden Flashes might have crumbled after giving up 19 points in the fourth quarter and eventually the game to Bowling Green a month ago. But that game became one of many turning points.
''After that loss, we just came together as a team. It just brought us closer,'' senior linebacker Anthony Mirando said. ''We realized how good we can really play . . . we have just been building and building on that.''
On Saturday, Kent State carried a 13-point lead late into the third quarter against Western Michigan and had to a chance to put the game away when senior Jameson Konz slipped past a defender for a sure touchdown, but the deep pass slipped through his finger tips.
Five plays later, Konz was stripped of the ball after a 19-yard reception.
''In the past years that I've been here, if people get down or our team is having to struggle a little bit . . . you could see the frustration on the sideline,'' Konz said. ''Now, we have a team with such team unity that if something goes wrong we have faith in each other and everyone immediately comes over and tells you to shake that off and respond the next play.''
The plays didn't ruin the Flashes on Saturday. The defense wouldn't let the Broncos score on the following possession. And the offense converted two third and 15 plays down the stretch to secure the victory.
Inspirational banner
The Monday following the loss to Bowling Green, the team also found themselves working out at the field house, where Martin made sure they all saw the one banner Kent State earned from playing in the 1972 Tangerine Bowl.
''There is only one year that they were actually able to accomplish that,'' Konz said. ''I don't know about anyone else, but that just starts a fire in your chest.
''We know how close we are to that, and I know how close I've been to that in the past here. Just seeing that only one year out of all the teams that have been here and all the hard work that we have put in, we want to be able to climb that mountain and we want to get to the top.''
Winning another ''one-game MAC championship'' this weekend will bring them one step closer to that goal.
Jonas Fortune can be reached at jfortune@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Varsity Letters high school sports blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ABJ_Preps.
Comments
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Posted 10:10 PM, 11/02/2009
This team has been a pleasant surprise so far this year. The icing on the cake would to beat Akron and get to eight wins this season. A bowl invitation would be nice but I like the mindset of the coaching staff and the guys on the team. Go Flashes! P.S. I can see it coming.
Canton, OH
Posted 10:45 PM, 11/02/2009
LOL !!!!!!!!!!!! What, the Toilet Bowl !!! C'Mon, be serious. . .They gotta win the Wagon Wheel first, & that ain't gonna happen. . .
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:53 AM, 11/03/2009
Jonas they will not be bowl eligible until the team wins 6 games against FBS teams. Since their win against Coastal Carolina is against an FCS team it doesn't count. Come on man, do a little more research.
Posted 06:29 AM, 11/03/2009
"Starts a fire in the chest!"Dude must be on crack!
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 07:31 AM, 11/03/2009
ksugrad2001 - not necessarily:
"One win over a FCS team can count toward the win total each year provided the FCS team has supplied financial aid for football averaging out to at least 56.7 full scholarships (90% of the limit of 63 allowed to FCS schools) over the preceding two years."
As long as Coastal falls within this parameter, our win would count toward bowl eligibility. I would hope we wouldn't have scheduled them if the win was completely meaningless.
Posted 08:23 AM, 11/03/2009
And Ski doesn`t let me down! Just like clockwork "HE" strikes again. The anger coming from "ski" is palpable. In a weird sort of way if Akron wins, "ski" won`t carry out seppuku, and that would be a good thing. Gooooooo Flashes!!!
Posted 09:52 AM, 11/03/2009
I'll give "Slovensko" credit. He was able to assemble more than three consecutive words in his recent update! That might be a first for him. I guess that Akron U. "Lern 2 Rede" program is doing you good, huh Sko?
Posted 03:04 PM, 11/06/2009
Tells you how sorry this program is.One insignificant bowl game 35 years ago.Starts a real fire in my chest!
