1st and Ten –
From one season to the next – Man, when you see this kid,
the Kent State QB Michael Machen, the first thing you think of
is “Big”. That guy is huge with a capital H-U-G-E. 6’6” and
235 pounds worth of big. But, beyond his obvious physical
attributes, for Golden Flashes fans this season, the biggest key
is his improvement over the first year as starter in 2005.
After a long, perhaps torturous journey from the University of
Alabama to minor league baseball to junior college to Kent
State, the opportunity to settle in as the quarterback for a
second consecutive year should help provide some homeostasis for
the big fella. He flashed his big arm at times throughout the
year, which was a distinct difference to the speedy running
traits of former QB Josh Cribbs, but he also threw 18
interceptions. However, decision making for a quarterback
typically improves more in the second year than at any other
time, and that should be the hallmark for Machen this fall.
Improve game management. Get into the right play and out of the
bad one. Turn those 18 interceptions into 8 or less. The last
thing this offense can have is, okay, well, any offense for that
matter, is to consistently turn the ball over. But, Machen is
in such a better situation than he was 365 days ago – he knows
the offense, he knows his teammates and he knows what to expect
when MAC play cranks up this fall. As Randy Jackson and Paula
Abdul spout on American Idol “make this offense his own”.
2nd and Seven –
Five Alive – Last year, the star on defense was Justin
Parrish, who was first team All-MAC with 20.5 tackles for a loss
and 8.5 sacks (shoot, at that rate, Parrish was the team’s
second leading rusher, accounting for 160 yards in losses).
This year, the baton gets passed to Danny Muir, a 285 pound
defensive end, who should vie for All-MAC honors this fall,
after earning second team honors last year. Muir has been
consistent throughout his career, registering an average of 8
tackles for a loss, but with Parrish out of eligibility, Muir
becomes the defensive game changer. He maintained his
quickness, even in adding 30 pounds since his arrival on campus,
and has to be as active in the backfield as Parrish was last
season.
3rd and Three –
Going Deep, really deep – A QB with a big arm. A WR with
some serious jets. Sounds like a recipe for the deep ball. Uh,
yeah. WR Najah Pruden only had 33 catches last season, but he
averaged nearly 21 yards per catch. And, don’t expect that
number to fall this year, although the Golden Flashes would like
to see their speedy star get his hands on the ball a little more
this season. I mean, do the math – 50 catches at 21 yards per
catch, wow, that’s like a million yards. Who wouldn’t want a
player with that type Pruden production potential?
4th and One –
What’s that other thing – running the ball? Yeah, that –
Honestly, that’s got to be a joke. There’s no way that’s
right. 505 total rushing yards? In eleven games? What are
those, Arena ball stats? That’s insane. But, yet it’s 100%
real. The leading rusher for the Golden Flashes, Jerry Flowers,
ran for just over 300 yards. No other player ran for more than
100 yards. Not one. For a whole season. Shoot, the rest of
the ball carriers had a hard time totaling the remaining 200
yards. Oh man. So, is it a stretch to say that the Golden
Flashes need to be able to run the ball a little better this
year? Uh, ya’ think?