head couch for Illinois got dismissed under citing player abuse (playing injured players), happened maybe two weeks ago.
correction: Kent State QB is a JR but probably better if he did not return, LOL
plagerized online article:
KENT: Kent State kicks off its 2015 season with a tough matchup against Big Ten opponent Illinois on Friday.
Coming off a 2-9 season that did include a 27-24 victory over rival Akron in the season finale, the Golden Flashes are in search of a baseline of leadership in coach Paul Haynes’ third season at Kent State.
It begins and ends with junior quarterback Colin Reardon, who has been Haynes’ starting quarterback during the last two seasons. Last year, Reardon completed 57 percent of his passes and threw for 2,466 yards. He threw 14 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.
The issue, at times, stemmed from Reardon’s competitiveness. An interception here or there resulted in a visual sign of disappointment. The competitive nature is good, but Haynes is looking to Reardon to exemplify more of a composed quarterback as the leader of the offense.
“Colin is a competitor. A lot of times, you wear it on your sleeve and I don’t think you can do that as a quarterback because everyone’s watching, everyone’s looking to see how you react to negative signs, so you have to have a positive attitude,” Haynes said. “Plus, you also have to get guys to do the right thing. You may lose a couple friends during the three hours of the games but everyone knows it’s in the best interest of the team.”
Reardon watched film of himself both during and after plays and eventually saw what Haynes was talking about.
“I think it was a maturity thing, still growing up a little bit,” Reardon said. “Watching film from last year, I saw it from the outside. What helps is that this offense is a lot faster, so you don’t have time to dwell on things. I think the combination of maturity and tempo has pushed me past that now.”
The faster offense is the product of new offensive coordinator Don Treadwell’s scheme. It’s a bit of a full-circle situation for Reardon, as he almost committed to Treadwell when he was the head coach at Miami. Treadwell came to Kent State as running backs coach and was promoted to quarterbacks coach and now offensive coordinator.
The uptick in tempo has put more of a focus — and concern — on the Flashes taking care of the football. That’s especially true any time a Mid-American Conference school goes up against the Big Ten.
“They’re already good enough to beat you, you can’t help them,” Haynes said. “You have to execute. I’ve played Illinois a bunch through my years of coaching — they’re going to be strong, they’re going to be fast, so they have that advantage. That matchup is going to come down to how we execute.”
The Flashes are also planning on using a running-back-by-commitee system after injuries ravaged the backfield last year.
Reardon will be handing off to as many as five running backs against Illinois, including last year’s returning leader Nick Holley (557 yards, three touchdowns), Trayion Durham (missed all of 2014 after foot surgery), Myles Washington, Miles Hibbler and Raekwon James.
“I sat here and said we were in good shape at running back and we went from the penthouse to the outhouse real fast with the lack of numbers,” Haynes said. “We’re not going to beat those guys up. They’re going to share the wealth.”
The Flashes were recently picked by MAC coaches to finish last in the MAC East Division, so starting the season against a Big Ten opponent isn’t ideal. Illinois is in a bit of turmoil after coach Tim Beckman was recently fired and Bill Cubit was named interim coach.
It’s that uncertainty at a leadership position that Kent State is trying to address. Haynes has said that it all sounds nice until the bullets start flying, and that’s not until Friday night.