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Coach seeks wins, but also to evaluate players
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008
KENT: Kent State football coach Doug Martin still has some things he wants to accomplish this season.
• Win the final three games for a .500 league record.
• Finish in second place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
• Get his standout players in position to finish strong.
• Take a peek at players for next season.
The final stretch for the Golden Flashes (2-7, 1-4 in the MAC) starts at 8 tonight at Dix Stadium against Temple.
''There's still a lot of football to be played,'' Martin said. ''With three football games to go, we could be .500 in the MAC East and finish
second. To do that two of the last three years would be a great achievement for our football team.''
In the past, Kent State's problems on the field had more to do with its lack of talent than anything else. Last year, a rash of injuries (specifically those at the quarterback position) did in the Flashes.
In a show of support for Martin, who is in his fifth-year leading the Flashes, Athletic Director Laing Kennedy came out publically Friday to declare that Martin's job was safe.
The message was clear: It's time for the student-athletes to step up, as there will be no scapegoat.
''It's been a very frustrating season for the coaches because talent-wise, for the first time, we're there,'' Martin said. ''This year, we're good enough to go down to Miami and win.''
Martin also believes the Flashes are good enough to beat Temple (3-6, 2-3). The Owls are one spot ahead of KSU and Miami in the weak East Division. The University of Akron and Buffalo are atop the division with matching 5-4 overall and 3-2 league records.
KSU senior quarterback Julian Edelman is still in position to produce a record season.
Thanks to a career-high, 170-yard rushing performance Nov. 1 at Bowling Green, Edelman is close to joining Joshua Cribbs, the former Kent State standout and current Browns return man, in an exclusive club.
In the 86-year history of KSU football, only Cribbs has thrown and rushed for 1,000 yards in the same season. He did it twice, compiling 1,516 passing yards and 1,019 rushing yards in 2001 and 1,014 passing yards and 1,057 rushing yards in 2002.
Through nine games this season, Edelman has 1,348 passing yards and 951 yards on the ground. Edelman's 21 touchdowns (11 passing and 10 rushing), are just eight shy of Cribbs' record set in 2003 when he passed and rushed for 14 apiece and caught another as a receiver.
''He's gonna get his numbers because he's an excellent football player,'' Temple coach Al Golden said of Edelman. ''He can beat you in myriad ways. We have to tackle well, which has been a tough task for everybody in the league against him.
''We have to do some things to prevent him from getting such big plays. And we have to keep him in the pocket and not let him create because he can make a broken play into a big momentum play.''
If Temple's defense does limit Edelman, KSU can turn to junior running back Eugene Jarvis.
After missing three games with a sprained ankle, Jarvis appears to be back to his usual jitter-bug self, gaining 143 total yards at Bowling Green (89 rushing and 54 receiving). He needs just 52 yards rushing to reach 3,000 for his career.
''That's what makes them so difficult to contain [on run defense] because Jarvis is back and healthy to complement Edelman,'' Golden said.
The Flashes' defense, which has struggled much of the season, is not without its standouts.
Senior linebacker Derek Burrell leads the team with 90 tackles, and his 10 tackles per game are second in the MAC and 15th nationally.
Defensive back Brian Lainhart is tied for the nation's lead with six interceptions, all coming in the past four games. He is third in the league (19th in the nation) with 9.56 tackles per game.
''We haven't played as well as a whole on defense like we expected,'' Martin said. ''But guys like Burrell and Lainhart have done an outstanding job. We just have to find others who can also step up and play.''
With the Flashes' season reduced to three games, Martin hinted that personnel changes could be underfoot with an eye to weeding out who can and cannot be counted on next season.
''We've still got a lot to play for,'' Martin said. ''At the same time, we've got to find players we can count on to show up every game, every series and on every play.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
KENT: Kent State football coach Doug Martin still has some things he wants to accomplish this season.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:55 AM, 11/12/2008
Maybe sometime we can see the Flashes START strong too...
