2013 Kent State Spring Football Analysis

Kent State Golden Flashes 2013... Head Coach: Paul Haynes

Kent State Golden Flashes

2013 Schedule
8/29 Liberty
9/7 Bowling Green
9/14 at LSU
9/21 at Penn State
9/28 at Western Michigan
10/5 Northern Illinois
10/12 at Ball State
10/19 at South Alabama
10/26 Buffalo
11/2 at Akron
11/9 OPEN DATE
11/13 Miami Univ.
11/19 at Ohio
11/30 OPEN DATE

Why To Be Excited ... Dri Archer. The terrific team of last year loses a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and new head coach Paul Haynes has a ton of work to do, but one of the nation’s top playmakers returns in the backfield. Archer and fellow running back Trayion Durham should form a deadly 1-2 punch even with the O line needing to be revamped. Only four starters are back on defense, but Roosevelt Nix should be the league’s best defensive lineman.

Why To Be Grouchy ... Seven starters are gone from a defense that wasn’t necessarily a rock in the first place. It was great at taking the ball away, and it was terrific at generating pressure into the backfield, but top pass rusher Jake Dooley is gone as is big tacklers Luke Batton and fellow linebacker C.J. Malauulu. The offense has to find a replacement for steady starter Spencer Keith along with three offensive linemen including tackles Brian Winters and Kent Cleveland.

What Needs Working On ... The secondary has to be tighter. It didn’t give up a ton of huge plays on a regular basis, but it was among the worst in the MAC in yards allowed giving up 272 per game and 200 or more in each of the last eight outings. While the pass defense gave up 27 scores, it made up for it with 23 picks and has to prove it can keep on ball hawking. Making things worse is the loss of corners Sidney Saulter and Norman Wolfe along with free safety Leon Green. Fortunately, playmaking strong safety Luke Wollet returns.

Non-Conference Games: Liberty, at LSU, at Penn State, at South Alabama
Games Against The West: at Ball State, Northern Illinois
Realistic Best Case Record: 8-4
Worst Case Record: 4-8
Likely Finish: 5-7

Pre-Preseason Projected Wins: Liberty, at South Alabama, Buffalo, at Akron, Miami Univ.

Pre-Preseason Projected Losses: Bowling Green, at LSU, at Penn State, at Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, at Ball State, at Ohio

Schedule Analysis: Liberty is a nice and breezy way to start out the year, but it gets extremely ugly very fast. The Golden Flashes get an awful break of facing two of the toughest teams from the West – Ball State and Northern Illinois, but that’s not nearly as bad as going to LSU and Penn State in early September. To make matters worse, the NIU showdown is the only home date in a run of six with Ball State and South Alabama coming after the MAC championship rematch. Fortunately, Buffalo, at Akron and Miami University should allow for a bit of a breather before closing out at Ohio.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Golden Flashes have plenty of work to do even after an 11-3 season. Seven starters have to be replaced on defense, five on offense including quarterback Spencer Keith and three starters on the line, and new head coach Paul Haynes has to fill some huge shoes. The passing game that was the worst in the MAC has to be more efficient, and the secondary has to be stronger after allowing 272 yards per game. Overall, the team has to keep doing what got it to the cusp of a BCS game, and it'll all start by owning the turnover margin again.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... The offensive backfield. The Golden Flashes aren't exactly building on their amazing 2012 season, but they're getting a couple of decent players here and there with linebackers Ryan Seibert and Dustyn Moore to eventually be main tacklers, and tight end Brock Macaulay a shining star for the passing game. The stars of the haul are on offense with running back Roman Clay talented enough to eventually carry the workload, while quarterback Nathan Struck is the star of the class with a live arm and tremendous upside.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 96. That Class Was Heavy On ... Talent. After bringing in a few lousy recruiting classes, the Golden Flashes have to find players and this class has them. There might not be any star power, but it’s a big class that has a little something for almost every spot. The highest-rated prospect is kicker Anthony Melchiori, and he’ll push Freddy Cortez for the starting job this year. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 116. That Class Was Heavy On ... Quarterback. Apparently, new head coach Darrell Hazell, an offensive coach, wants someone to get the anemic passing game moving. The last recruiting class came up with some strong receiver prospects, and now the hope will be for Evan Shimensky and Jordan Tarver to deliver the ball. They aren't big, strong passers, but they have good potential and nice mobility.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 115. That Class Was Heavy On ... The defensive front seven. After working on doing something for the passing game with last year's class, this year was all about the defense and especially the line with six decent prospects to try to generate even more of a pass rush. LB Steve Mehrer and safety Calvin Tiggle will play huge roles over the next few years. Offensively, quarterback got attention with the pickup of Gabe Henderson and Cedric McCloud.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 107. That Class Was Heavy On ... Wide receivers. There aren’t a lot of them, but a team that has been so reliant on the running game got a few decent targets to help the passing attack. Is Tyshon Goode a running back or a receiver? It doesn’t matter; he’s the best incoming playmaker who could make an impact right away in a variety of ways. The defensive line was all but ignored.