RE: South Alabama game
Another Kent State football road trip, another top-level opponent
By Allen Moff | Staff Writer Published: October 17, 2013 4:00AM
A brutal schedule, a rash of key injuries and a third conference loss have collectively forced the 2013 Kent State football team to make some ultimate goal adjustments.
Dreams of winning a second straight Mid-American Conference East Division title and a return trip to the MAC Championship Game were dashed in heartbreaking fashion last Saturday, when Ball State came from behind to defeat the Golden Flashes 27-24. That setback gave Kent State (2-5, 1-3) three conference losses -- all to teams that are currently unbeaten in the MAC -- which effectively means elimination from the league title chase.
Now the Flashes have set their sites on a lofty consolation prize: A second straight bowl bid, following a 40-year absence from the college football bowl scene.
"We're hurting cause we had chances to win (at Ball State), but there's no reason to sulk about it. We've gotta move forward," said first-year KSU coach Paul Haynes. "You still have a chance to go to a bowl game, you still have a chance to finish it out right. We've got five games to go that we've gotta win. That's the situation we're in, so that's how we're gonna attack it."
The Flashes need six victories to become bowl eligible, so technically the South Alabama game is not a must-win since they could still win their last four games and go 6-6. But no one associated with the Kent State program considers Saturday's game anything but a must-win.
"We've got a five-game season, and we've gotta go 5-0 for us to achieve our goal and make sure we're bowl-eligible," said Haynes. "So every game is a big game for us right now, and our guys understand that."
To get back on the postseason track, the Flashes will have to knock off a drastically improved Jaguars squad that has already equalled its win total from a year ago. They're currently 2-3, and could easily be 4-1 as two of their losses (Southern Utah, 22-21; Troy, 34-33) were decided in the final minute. They're other setback was actually a strong loss, 31-24 at Tennessee.
"We've got a big challenge this week going on the road again against a very good South Alabama team," said Haynes. "They've been in every game they've played. It'll be a tough battle for our guys."
The Jaguars feature a fast-paced spread offense that's producing 30 points per game, spearheaded by a pair of multi-threat quarterbacks in senior Ross Metheny and junior Brandon Bridge.
"They have two very athletic quarterbacks," said Haynes. "They use a two-quarterback system. Both play significantly in the game, and at any point and time, you may see either one of them. They have a controlled passing game I would say -- a lot of short routes, then they take a bunch of shots up top. They're no-huddle, fast-paced and they run their quarterback a lot."
South Alabama is a typical southern team built on speed.
"Just looking at their roster, they've got a lot of guys from Alabama, Georgia, Florida. When you look at that, you see a lot of good athletes, because that's real athletic high school football in those areas," said Haynes, who served as defensive coordinator at Arkansas last year. "They're not very big (defensively) -- they're 275, 280 on their front -- but I'm sure they're fast and athletic."
Chasing the Jaguars will be a difficult chore for a gimpy group of Golden Flashes.
Starting quarterback Colin Reardon (ankle) and star punter/kicker Anthony Melchiori (hamstring) are doubtful due to injuries sustained in last Saturday's loss at Ball State, while several other key performers, including three-time All-MAC defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix (back) and standout strong safety Luke Wollet (knee, shoulder), are playing, but are not even close to 100 percent.
"We may have to practice playing two-hand tag this week," said Haynes.
But even though the Flashes have lost five games and several key performers, they haven't lost their fight. They intend to keep on swinging as they play the final five games of the season for a potential bowl bid -- and for each other.
"Our backs are kind of against the wall, but I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else. I love these guys in this locker room," said senior defensive end Mark Fackler. "It's gonna be a five-week season, and we're looking forward to it. We're gonna fight until the end and see what happens."
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