VOLLEYBALL: Don Gromala Video Blog previews Thursday vs. Ohio University

Head coach Don Gromala takes a look back at a 1-1 weekend vs. Miami and Bowling Green before previewing a big home battle with Ohio University on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Wear your Kent State colors for what will be a GOLD OUT game vs the Bobcats.

On Saturday, the Flashes will go on the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play, taking on Central Michigan at 8 p.m. in Mount Pleasant.



Thursday's volleyball match is the first event in a big Homecoming Weekend at Kent State that will see KSU Soccer host games vs. Western Michigan on Friday and Northern Illinois on Sunday while KSU Football welcomes Miami to town at 3:30 pm on Saturday for the annual homecoming game.

BASEBALL: Lauer on Cape Cod League, Scout Day

After posting "video game statistics" in the Cape Cod League this summer (according to D1Baseball), Eric Lauer has received a lot of recognition and is slated to be a top draft pick in 2016. Kent State recently hosted a Scout Day where about 50 professionals came out to see Lauer's abilities and take a look at some his teammates. The junior left-hander took some time to talk about his summer in the Cape, the Scout Day experience and handling the pressure.

FOOTBALL: Kent State vs. Marshall wrap up

By David Carducci

Director of New Media

The questionable calls and the near misses of Saturday were heartbreaking, but there is still reason to be excited about the future of Kent State Football following Saturday's overtime loss to Marshall.

I would have loved to see what would have happened if Holley and Murray were on the field at the end. Both were disqualified from the game on questionable personal foul penalties while last week's MAC defensive player of the week left the field on a far more dangerous rugby ruck that probably should have blown dead when forward progress had been stopped.

The play of some younger defensive backs in the absence of the starters should have KSU fans excited about the depth on that side of the football. The relentless work from the front seven in the absence of those veteran defensive backs showed some impressive grit. To take pressure off of the young replacements in the secondary, the Flashes pass rushers pinned back their ears and attacked the quarterback. Along the way, Waugh further established himself as the next in a long line of dominant pass rushers at Kent State in the mold of James Harrison, Monte Simmons, Justin Parrish, and many others.

The defensive line is physical, strong, athletic and deep. That's exciting.

While the offense may not be quite where the fans would like to see it, the offensive line is improving with every game. That unit opened some big holes on Saturday. The running back corps is as deep as we have seen in a very long time at Kent State. How many times in years past have watched a Kent State team lose its top ball carrier and then watched young backs who weren't ready to take over the rushing load struggle in that absence?

The Flashes would love to be better than 1-3 right now, but after taking Minnesota and Marshall down to the wire in back-to-back weeks there is reason to believe Kent State can be a factor in the Mid-American Conference.

Nobody in the MAC is going to have any fun playing against this defense.

It's an entertaining football team, and I'm already looking forward to next week's Homecoming game against Miami.

Here are links to what others had to say following yesterday's game:

• Elton Alexander's take in the Plain Dealer
• Michael Bevin's piece in the Akron Beacon Journal
• Allen Moff's game story in the Record-Courier

FOOTBALL: Live Blog, Kent State has 19-14 lead over Marshall at end of 3Q

By David Carducci

Director of New Media

A potentially critical turnover for Kent State arrived just inside the four-minute mark when Raekwon James lost the ball at the end of a 17-yard slant throw from Colin Reardon. Marshall recovered the ball at midfield with the hope of cutting into the Flashes’ 19-14 lead.

Demetrius Monday made sure that wouldn’t happen with a brilliant recovery and pass breakup to force a three-and-out.

The fumble by James came as Kent State’s passing game was starting to find some life. The Flashes had taken a 19-7 lead on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Reardon to Ernest Calhoun. The score was set up by a 36-yard throw from Reardon to Dixon. On that first hookup with Dixon, Reardon used play action, then waited patiently for Dixon to clear the zone before lofting the ball to the freshman on a seam throw.

Unfortunately for KSU, Deandre Reeves answered quickly for Marshall with a 93-yard kickoff return.

The Flashes are 0-for-2 on two-point conversions. Hopefully that won’t come back to haunt the Flashes.

KSU is starting to gash Marshall a bit in the running game. Offensive line is opening some holes while Durham (18 carries for 67 yards) and Washington (9 carries, 52 yards) are finishing runs and dealing the bigger hits in collisions with Herd linebackers and defensive backs.

Washington had a key third-down run to move the chains just before the start of the fourth quarter, avoiding flipping the filed back to Marshall after starting a drive at the KSU 5.

FOOTBALL: Live Blog, Kent State leads Marshall 13-7 after 2Q

By David Carducci

Director of New Media

Trayion Durham has 42 yards on 14 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that is the difference in Kent State’s 13-7 halftime lead.

The Flashes have continued to be run first with 140 yards on 28 carries as a team compared to 70 yards on 5-for-13 passing by Colin Reardon.

After the offense had struggled following Dixon’s 48-yard touchdown run, the passing game jump started things with a few big plays as the Flashes marched to their second-quarter. Reardon hit James for 39 yards and Washington for 14 on the march.

Pittman has been a one-man show for Marshall, gaining 84 yards on 13 yards including the 9-yard touchdown in the first quarter that accounts for the Herd’s only score. 

Litton was brilliant in his first start for Marshall last week, but the freshman has struggled against the Flashes, going 5-for-16 for just 16 yards, including an interception by Jordan Italiano on the very first pass of the day.

KSU corners Demetrius Monday and Najee Murray have been fantastic in coverage against Marshall’s receivers. 

The KSU defense has forced six Marshall punts. Kent State has punted eight times.

Turnovers have been the big difference, though, as Italiano’s pick turned into the Dixon touchdown and a forced fumble on special teams led to Durham’s score.

Clay Miller popped Marshall return man Deandre Reaves near midfield on a second-quarter punt. DeVante Strickland recovered at the KSU 47, giving the Flashes a somewhat short field.

FOOTBALL LIVE BLOG: Marshall 7, Kent State 6 after 1Q

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

Marshall leads Kent State 7-6 after one quarter, but Antway Dixon was the early star.

The freshman wide receiver has played two games at Dix Stadium. He has scored on his very first touch in both of them, including a 48-yard reverse run for a touchdown that saw him outrun Marshall’s entire defense down the east sideline.

Unfortunately, the Flashes failed on a two-point conversion that saw backup quarterback George Bollas get hauled down on a run attempt. The Flashes have tried an unusual number of two-point conversions this season.

Defensively, the Flashes got off to a good start, limiting big back Devon Johnson to just 11 yards on his first five carries. They’ve had a hard time with backup Tony Pittman, however. 

Pittman has a 9-yard touchdown run to give the Herd its one-point lead. And while Johnson has had trouble at the line of scrimmage, Pittman has slipped through some holes on his way to 45 yards on six carries.

Kent State’s offense has struggled since the Dixon touchdown at the 11:33 mark. 

The focus has been the running game with only two of the first 13 plays through the air. Colin Rearson was 1-for-5 for zero yards after one quarter while the running game had 84 yards on 13 attempts. 

FOOTBALL LIVE BLOG: pregame, Kent State vs. Marshall

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

2:45 pm ... For those of you who are believe in this sort of thing, the Golden Flashes have some good karma on the rare occasions that they have worn their white pants with the blue jerseys at home.

They'll wear that combination today against Marshall. The last time they did was the 2014 season-ending win over Akron.

2:30 pm ... While Clint Van Horn is listed No. 1 at right tackle on the flip card handed out in the Dix Stadium press box this afternoon, we are hearing the 6-foot-5, 322-pound NFL prospect will miss his second consecutive game for Marshall today.

If Kent State has a matchup advantage today, it might just be with the defensive front that played so well against Minnesota last week going up against a Thundering Herd offensive line that is a bit young and inexperienced on the right side of the line.

Slowing tailback Devon Johnson, who is a roadgrader at 243 pounds and averaging better than 120 yards per game, will be a key for the Flashes. Do they dare freshman quarterback Chase Litton to try to throw over the top while crowding the box for a second consecutive week? That’s a possibility.

The Flashes have their own injury problems as Nick Holley is out at running back after suffering an injury at Minnesota. That means Trayion Durham returns to the top of the depth chart, making this game an interesting battle of big backs. At 248 pounds, Durham is even bigger than Johnson. Is he ready to carry the load again?

Kent State may use its own freshman quarterback, redshirt George Bollas of nearby Aurora, a bit more than in previous weeks. Bollas has seen action in each of the Flashes first three games in scripted relief of starter Colin Reardon.

WRESTLING: Four Weeks Down

It’s hard to believe we just finished up our fourth week of preseason conditioning. Before you know it we will be loading up the bus and hitting the road for the Eastern Michigan Duals in early November.   The guys are more than excited for the first day of official practice starting Oct. 10.  

For the most part our guys have been extremely focused on getting better every day regardless of the task we put in front of them.     Running day after day can be very boring and monotonous and at times, some of our guys remind us that they are not track athletes.  That being said, I just let them know it’s a long season and the work they put in now will pay off in March.  But for the most part our guys are willing to run through a brick wall to get better.    That’s why I’m excited for this season. 

The team culture is strong and everyone is on the same page. We started a team motto back in May to establish that culture; it’s O.W.E. (Out-Work-Everyone).  It’s simple and straightforward; continually have the mind-set that your opponents are doing more then you to get better every day.   Then use that perception to Out-Work-Everyone on and off the mat!!!   So far, it’s been a great coaching tool and helps the guys keep each other motivated when things get tough.  

Once again, I’m eager for the season to begin and looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor spill out onto the mat this season.   Time will tell but so does hard work and effort.  

Go Flashes,

Matt Hill 

FOOTBALL: Paul Haynes on cornerback play, Demetrius Monday's big day, and more

Head football coach Paul Haynes discusses Demetrius Monday's big day at Minnesota in which he picked off two passes and forced and recovered a fumble that he returned 80 yards for a touchdown.

Haynes uses Monday's performance to point out exactly what leads to great play at the cornerback position and forcing turnovers.

He also talks about team building, a visit from Kent State President Dr. Beverly Warren, and a team afternoon out at the movies to see Black Mass.




Don't forget, the Golden Flashes are back home on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when they will renew their rivalry with former MAC member Marshall.

SOCCER: Rob Marinaro video blog reviews non-conference season and previews Friday vs. Akron

There has been a lot to like about Kent State Soccer's non-conference season, including back-to-back-to-back wins over Butler (2-1), Cleveland State (2-0) and Eastern Kentucky (2-1) coming into Friday night's Mid-American Conference opener at Akron.

That game with the Zips is the first between any Kent State and Akron teams this season, so it kicks off the 2015-16 Wagon Wheel Challenge.

In Rob Marinaro's video blog for this week, the Golden Flashes head coach reviews the team's non-conference performance and discusses plans heading into the MAC season and specifically Friday's matchup with the rival Zips.

VOLLEYBALL: Don Gromala video blog looks at the start of MAC season

The Golden Flashes head coach previews the start of Mid-American Conference play. Miami visits the M.A.C. Center on Friday and Bowling Green on Saturday.

FIELD HOCKEY: Coach Wiler on the team's trip to Michigan and a home preview

Head coach Kathleen Wiler checks in with a video blog taking a look back at last week's trip to play Penn State and Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich., then previews Sunday's return home to play Longwood.

FOOTBALL: Paul Haynes Video Blog looks at improvements from week 1 to 2, and a brief preview of Minnesota

Paul Haynes was pleased with some of the improvements from week 1 to week 2, although he still wants to see the Flashes do a better job of protecting the football. In this week's video blog, the Flashes head coach discusses what got better against Delaware State and then takes a brief look at Saturday's matchup at Minnesota.

BASEBALL: Fall Ball Video, "The Hitting Belt"

Reilly Hawkins has won the team's hitting belt in the daily competition three times in a row.  Hear about what receiving the belt means and how Hawkins has managed to lead the pack below.

FIELD HOCKEY: Kathleen Wiler previews this weekend's trip to Michigan

Head coach Kathleen Wiler checked in with a video blog prior to the team's departure for Ann Arober, Mich.

The team's difficult early schedule continues with battles against Penn State on Saturday and host Michigan on Sunday. 

Wiler was pleased with her team's effort last weekend in Iowa, and in today's video she discusses how the team is building towards the MAC season and another run at the NCAA tournament. Check it out:

FOOTBALL: April Goss becomes 2nd female ever to score in FBS

By David Carducci

Kent State has a 36-6 lead going into the break, but only one of those points will make the national headlines.

With 4:30 to play before halftime, April Goss became just the second female ever to score a point in an FBS game when she added the extra point to put the Golden Flashes ahead 29-6 following a 5-yard touchdown run by second-string quarterback George Bollas.

Players mobbed Goss after her kick, and KSU coaches were waiting on the sideline to hug her.

Head coach Paul Haynes promised he would get Goss into a game this season, and he followed through.

We are hearing that Goss has already been asked to appear on the Ellen Degeneres Show sometime this week.

The other stats are pretty shocking as KSU's defense has dominated.

Delaware State has -40 yards total offense (5 yards passing and -40 rushing).

The lone Hornets score came after a fumble by Miles Hibbler was scooped up and returned 65 yards by William Burton.

The Flashes have added touchdown runs of 1 yard by Trayion Durham and 5 yards by Bollas along with a 18-yard Reardon-to-Nick Holley touchdown pass just before the break.

The Flashes are outgunning Delaware State 375-to-(-40)

FOOTBALL: Delaware State at Kent State, 1st Quarter

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

Kent State’s defense is dominating the action after one quarter here at Dix Stadium.

On their three drives of the quarter, Delaware State has negative-25 rushing yards and negative-5 passing yards. Their negative-30 total yards on 12 plays has the Hornets averaging a 2 1/2-yard loss per play.

The defense also has a touchdown to help Kent State to its 16-0 lead. Nate Terhune recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone.

Here as the 2nd quarter is starting, the Flashes and Hornets have traded two more turnovers. Colin Reardon fumbled away the football on a quarterback sneak to the Delaware State 10. Nate Holley gave KSU the ball  right back, though, picking off a tipped ball and rumbling down to the Hornets 3.

We’ve seen Reardon find some new young receivers, including wideout Antwan Dixon, who opened the scoring with a 20-yard catch and run on a bubble screen for a touchdown. Dixon was questionable due to injury, but he showed his speed and why the Flashes coaches think he can be a difference making playmaker.

Redshirt freshman quarterback George Bollas has a pair of 2-point conversions, throwing one to Brice Fackler, then running for the second. Apparently the Hornets are giving KSU a look they like on conversions.

FOOTBALL: Delaware State at Kent State Pregame

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

5:30 p.m.

We are hearing that Dri Archer and Roosevelt Nix of the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to be on the sideline at some point in today's game.

The two former Golden Flashes opened their NFL season on Thursday night in New England – a game that featured five KSU alumni in all with James Harrison, also of the Steelers, and the Patriots' Julian Edelman and Josh Kline.

5:15 p.m.

The Golden Flashes and Hornets are on the field for pregame warmups.

I talked with Paul Haynes during the week and while he was disappointed in the performance at Illinois, he was extremely pleased by how his team escaped almost injury free. In fact, the Flashes hope to get a couple of players back from injury this week with junior tight end Ryan Malone and freshman wide receiver Antwan Dixon.

Haynes hedged a bit on Dixon's return as we got closer to gameday, but we could see him today. I see Dixon's No. 1 on the field during warmups.

Delaware State struggled against the run in a week one loss to Liberty, so look for the Flashes to work hard to establish the running game today. 300-pound Anthony Pruitt is listed No. 1 on the depth chart at right guard today after playing, but not starting, last week at Illinois due to a nagging injury. Having his size against a Delaware State defensive line that has only one of the eight players listed the depth chart weighing over 265 pounds should be an advantage. KSU goes 294, 300, 206, 300 and 290 on the starting offensive line.

Look for the Flashes to play as many as five running backs with Nick Holly, Myles Washington, Miles Hibbler, Trayion Durham and Raekwon James all listed on the depth chart – the most on a KSU two-deep in the last two decades. I'm hoping to see Durham (listed fourth) eventually move back into a feature back role based on his success prior to missing 2014 to injury and the fact that (at 248 pounds) he is different than most backs outside of the power five conferences.

What are your thoughts about today's game?


4:45 p.m. 

If you are not a subscriber to head coach Paul Haynes' newsletter, here's a look at what he wrote to fans yesterday in anticipation of today's home opener with Delaware State.

Dear Kent State fans, This is a new week. We made too many mistakes in the season opener at Illinois. We've made corrections, and now guys are looking forward to getting back on the field. The thing that is tough about football is that you have to wait a whole week to make up for it after a disappointing performance. Everyone wants to win. But you can handle a loss sometimes when you go out and feel like you played to your full potential. We didn't give our best effort at Illinois. The good news is that was week one. Week one is over and now it is on to week two. I've played and coached on a lot of teams where we didn't play the way we wanted to and lost a big game at the start of the season. Two of those teams won national championships.  Our guys are ready to put on a good performance, and they are looking forward to doing it in front of our home crowd. We need your support. We would love to come out on Saturday night against Delaware State and see the student section and our fans going crazy. Our players have been working extremely hard, and they need that support. Delaware State is a good team. In preparation for them, we've been working on several things that didn't go as well as we would have liked. I'm going to be looking specifically for us to do a better job of blocking on the perimeter. We need to run on the perimeter better than we did last week. Defensively, we have to do a better job of not giving up the big play. Three of the touchdowns by Illinois came on one-play drives after turnovers. That's not good enough. I hope to see you at Dix Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Go Flashes! Sincerely Paul Haynes Head Coach Kent State Football

FOOTBALL: Kent State at Illinois, Second Half

There isn't a whole lot to say about the 52-3 loss at Illinois.

The good news is the Flashes came out of the game relatively injury free. Here's a quick look at the game story from KentStateSports.com:


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Too many turnovers and a rash of other mistakes combined to crush Kent State's hopes early in a 52-3 loss to Illinois in Saturday's 2015 season opener at Memorial Stadium.

The Fighting Illini turned three interceptions and a muffed punt by the Golden Flashes into 28 quick points while building a 38-0 halftime lead. Three of the four scores off of turnovers arrived on one-play drives lasting fewer than than seven seconds each.

The frustrating opener followed an exhausting Friday night that saw Kent State and Illinois endure a long lightning delay before finally postponing to Saturday.

"When you play against a team on paper that is more athletic than you and then you turn the ball over, don't play well on special teams and make other mistakes, a game can get away from you early," said Kent State head coach Paul Haynes. "The good thing is that when you go through that locker room, there are not a lot of guys hanging their heads. Yes, we were disappointed. But we are going to grind it out and compete.

"It was tough to get down to a good football team the way we did. I don't want to say (the postponement) was part of what happened. They made plays. We didn't. We turned the ball over, and we made mistakes...That's it."

After a Wes Lunt-to-Tyler White touchdown pass of 2 yards opened the scoring for Illinois just three minutes into the first quarter, Illinois transformed KSU's four first-half turnovers into a 34-yard Lunt-to-Matt Murdock touchdown pass with 11:04 to play in the first, a 21-yard Lunt-to-Josh Ferguson touchdown six minutes later, and a 34-yard Lunt-to-Geronimo Allison score with 10:36 to play in the second quarter.

Kent State Colin Reardon suffered three interceptions before the game was 20 minutes old. A muffed punt by Ernest Calhoun accounted for turnover No. 4.

The Golden Flashes played turnover-free football in the second half, but by then the damage was already done.

The lone points of the day for Kent State were provided by redshirt freshman Shane Hynes on a 43-yard field goal with 8:30 to play in the fourth quarter.

Poor blocking on an earlier field goal attempt of 22 yards spoiled Hynes' hope of breaking the shutout just before halftime. The missed assignment up front came two plays after a false start penalty robbed the Flashes of a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Trayion Durham. That scoring opportunity was setup by one of the few bright spots provided by Kent State's offense – a 55-yard pass from Readon to Kris White, who was hauled down at the Illini 11. Durham followed by carrying a slew of tacklers 10 yards before finally getting dropped at the Illini 1.

A 27-yard touchdown pass from George Bollas to P.J. Simmons late in the fourth quarter was also nulified by a false start.

"I saw some things to build on today," said Haynes. "We scored a couple of touchdowns and had them negated by two freshmen moving early. We had a lot of young guys out there. Six or seven of them were true freshmen who are going to be good players for us in the future."

A total of 21 players made their debut for Kent State within the game's first three quarters. The Flashes also escaped Saturday relatively injury free.

"Only a few minor bumps and bruises," said Haynes.

Reardon completed 15-of-34 passes for 156 yards and eight KSU ball carriers combined for 59 yards on 38 carries attempts as the Flashes were outgained 342-245 by Illinois.

Lunt threw for 162 yards on 11-for-19 passing for the Illini before giving way to backup Chace Crouch in the third quarter.

An acrobatic interception by Demetrius Monday on a long throw by Crouch in the third provided the day's defensive highlight for Kent State.

The Golden Flashes open their home season next week when Delaware State visits Dix Stadium for a 6 p.m. Saturday kickoff. AMETEK will provide postgame fireworks.

FOOTBALL: Kent State at Illinois, First Half

By David Carducci

Director of New Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – There were not many positives to touch on after Illinois dominated the first half to the tune of 38-0.

I was on the field taking some photos for the first 10 minutes, and by the time I got to back to the press box it was 21-0 Illini. That was not the start the Golden Flashes expected after coaches preached "first five minutes" in the pregame locker room.

By the end of the first quarter, Illinois led 28-0. That is a first-quarter scoring record for Illinois dating back at least to the 1960s. The Illinois sports Information staff is still searching back through their record books.

The only real positive of the first 30 minutes for Kent State was a 58-yard pass from Colin Reardon to Kris White late in the second quarter. The negatives, however, were plentiful.

Four turnovers led to 28 quick points for the Illini. Three times, they scored on one-play drives following turnovers.

Special teams were a major issue with a slew of penalties, missed tackles and, worst of all, a blocked short field goal late in the second quarter that was the result of poor blocking up front. Shane Hynes never had a chance on the first field-goal attempt of his career as the Flashes let hi down up front.

A false start penalty two plays earlier negated what would have been a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Trayion Durham (4 carries for 10 yards in limited work). All 10 of Durham's yards came on one run as he moved the pile down to the 1 yard line moving the chains. Sadly, the Flashes could not score from a yard out.

The secondary has had problems with Illinois receivers, who either got behind the secondary, or leaped up through double and triple coverage to make plays.

Reardon is off to a very tough start in 2015 with three interceptions in a 5-for-12 first half. The first pick did not appear to be his fault as a receiver tipped a catchable ball into the air. Interception No. 3 probably should have been a defensive holding penalty against Illinois as a defender grabbed Ernest Calhoun on a quick slant.

Turnover No. 4 was a muffed punt by Calhoun.

FOOTBALL: Opening dat at Illinois... Take 2

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

12:52 p.m. 

It looks like everyone in the Kent State travel party has arrived at Memorial Stadium.

We are told that Illinois entire team managed to keep the hotel it stayed in the previous night.

The Illini players are about to take the field for pregame, and I notice one change. Instead of the blue pants with the orange jerseys, the Illini has switched to white pants with orange jerseys.

I'm told they are not expecting a big crowd today at Memorial Stadium.

The Illinois band will also not be in attendance.

10:20 a.m. 

It's gameday once again here in Champaign, and the local forecast is calling for zero chance of rain.

Based on yesterday's zero-percent prediction, I'm going to say it's actually about a 50-50 chance that we'll have more storms. I've never seen a forecast change so quickly the way it did yesterday. It flipped from all clear to end of the world in no time.

Kent State's support staff did a great job of handling the delay and postponement nightmare.

We vacated our team hotel a few hours before the expected kickoff time on Friday. The plan was to fly home right after the game.

With no reservations, a team led by director of football operations Nolan Jones and special assistant to the athletic director Kaitlyn Vincek quickly secured rooms for the entire party 145.

Players, coaches and some support staff were sent to hotels in Bloomington, IL. Other members of the party, including radio team, sports information, athletic administration and boosters who traveled with the team were put up in hotels within a half hour of Memorial Stadium.

In all we were spread out over five different hotels.

Due to other commitments for the company with which we contracted our transportation here in Illinois, we are down four to now three buses. Those buses are now transporting the team from Bloomington back to the stadium to get ready for kickoff. The rest of us are busy securing taxis.

When it's all said and done, there will be football today, and we'll all get to the stadium somehow.

Check back throughout the day for updates as we finally get this 2015 season started.

FOOTBALL: Kent State at Illinois pregame... Or the long, long wait

By David Carducci
Director of New Media

8:35 p.m. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Well, I spoke too soon in my earlier blog entry. The earlier promise of clear skies throughout the evening was flawed.

Kickoff is only a half hour away and yet we already in a weather delay at Memorial Stadium. The rain is light, but lightning strikes can be seen beyond the north stands. Both teams have been ordered back to the locker rooms, and the fans have been asked to find shelter in the east and west Great Hall.

Hopefully we are not in for a nightmare similar to the one that turned last night's Toledo vs. Stony Brook game into a "no contest" with the
game being called due to ongoing lightning delays around midnight.

8:45 p.m. UPDATE

It looks like we could be in for a long delay. Every lightning strike within 8 miles brings a reset of the 30-minute clock. Settle in.

9:47 p.m. UPDATE

Photo by David Dermer

We've had more than an hour of this (see photo the right). The rain is still falling in sheets and lightning strikes continue.

Every strike means almost another hour wait... 30 minutes until the all clear, 25 minutes to warm up, then the coin flip and lining up for kickoff.

Hopefully you were able to tune in live on Periscope as we checked in with Ty Linder, Rob Polinsky and Matt Miller in the Kent State Radio booth. We had more than 260 live viewers, which is pretty exciting for just our fourth Periscope broadcast ever, following the Paul Haynes Coach's Corner at Water Street Tavern, last night's walkthrough, and a Q&A with athletic director Joel Nielsen this afternoon.

We'll have more of that this year for all sports, including more behind the scenes broadcasts during road trips for Kent State Football and Men's Basketball.

I've had several friends and family members text me to ask if there's a chance that we would stay until tomorrow to play the game. My guess is we would. But that's just a guess.

Toledo wanted Stony Brook to agree to stay to play today after last night's game could not be played due to similar storms. Stony Brook reportedly refused.

Our videographer Nick Kane brought up a good point, by the way. This delay could favor Kent State.

"Other than the freshmen, everyone in that Kent State locker room has been through this kind of thing before," Kane said, referencing last year's delays in Buffalo. "They know how to handle this."

Hopefully we aren't soaked in for several days the way we were snowed in last year in Buffalo.

10:30 p.m. UPDATE

Well, there will be no football tonight.

The game has been postponed until Saturday at 2 pm EDT (1 pm CDT).

The hotel situation is being sorted out at the moment. I'm off to figure out what's next.

FOOTBALL: News of Nix making Steelers 53-man roster provides spark

BY DAVID CADUCCI

Director of New Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – There was a buzz of excitement in the hallways of the Hawthorne Suites hotel just after 3:40 p.m. in Champaign on Friday following a string text-message pings hinting that former Kent State star Roosevelt Nix had made the final 53-man roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A tweet by Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.NBCsports.com confirmed the news.

Nix cemented his spot on the roster last night with a blocked punt in the Steelers final preseason game, completing the long shot and transforming himself from a college defensive lineman into an NFL full back. News of his big play on special teams reached the Kent State contingent in Illinois late in the team's 8 pm walkthrough at Memorial Stadium.

What Nix has accomplished is inspiring to everyone here. It follows in the long tradition of undrafted free agents from Kent State making NFL rosters. Could the news help to inspire another surprise as Kent State tries to upset the Fighting Illini?

Next Thursday's NFL opener will be all the more exciting for Kent State fans with five former Golden Flashes on the rosters of the Steelers and Patriots – Nix, James Harrison and Dri Archer with the Steelers and Julian Edelman and Josh Kline with the Patriots.

FOOTBALL: Morning update from Champaign, IL

By DAVID CADUCCI
Director of New Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Some scorching temperatures reaching the mid-90s today are expected to just above 80 by tonight's 8 pm Central kickoff at Memorial Stadium.

After reading about the severe storms that forced the "no contest" of Toledo's game with Stony Brook last night, we'll take the high temperatures as long as they come with the mostly clear skies predicted through tonight.

Breakfast ended just a little while ago here at the team hotel. Players are gathering outside the meeting rooms now to go over the gameplan.

After lunch, they'll review film for the last time. The buses leave for the stadium just after 6 pm.

While today is a long one filled with patiently waiting in the hotel bedrooms, meeting rooms and dinging hall, yesterday was busier than usual for a travel day. The 8 pm walkthrough at Memorial Stadium saw players get in more work than usual as they fielded punts and caught passes to get used to the stadium lights. A typical walkthrough lasts less than a half hour with players taking a brief walk on the field and getting comfortable with the locker room while coaches get to know the path from the locker room to their booth in the press box.

Spirits seem to be high while players appear to be taking a very businesslike approach to this one.

I hope many of you had the chance to tune in to our live broadcast of last night's walkthrough from Memorial Stadium. We were happy to have coach Haynes join us for a few minutes. Haynes is a big reason we have added Periscope to our social media package this year. The coach is always trying to stay up to date on the next new thing, and he asked for us to give Periscope a try. Based on the early feedback, it looks like fans will enjoy getting more behind the scenes with the Periscope broadcasts. We'll do more with football and other sports as the year moves along.

Check back here later for photos and more information from Gameday here in Champaign. We are also planning another live Periscope broadcast.

Have a great Blue and Gold Friday!

Dave

VOLLEYBALL: Don Gromala previews the Golden Flashes Classic

Kent State looks to build on last week's strong showing in Maryland as it hosts the Golden Flashes Classic at the M.A.C. Center. On today's Kent State Volleyball Video Blog, head coach Don Gromala checks in with a preview of a tournament that should see the Flashes get a look at a three very different styles. 

KSU hosts Indiana State on Friday at 5 pm, then returns on Saturday to face Albany at 11 am and Oakland at 7 pm.

FOOTBALL: On the Road with Kent State

By DAVID CADUCEI
Director of New Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The first road trip for Kent State Football is about to get underway with team buses leaving Dix Stadium beginning just after 1 pm.

Our sports information team will be bringing you photos and live video from the trip, including a live look in on periscope from the team's walkthrough at Memorial Stadium. That live video from the University of Illinois should hit the air at almost 8 pm.

This should be an interesting trip. The Golden Flashes are that rare (and I think exciting) mix of young and yet experienced.

I'm confident the defense will be solid this season. The secondary is deep, talented, and led by a group of satires (nine on this trip) with high football IQs. The still-young linebacking corps made some strides towards the end of 2014. They should stay clean thanks to a beefed up defensive line fortified by the return of Chris Fairchild.

The offense should also benefit from added strength provided by the return of Wayne Scott up front. His return, along with a more experienced offensive line that has had a chance to play together, should lead to significant improvements in the running game. Trayion Durham's return will help, but Paul Haynes and his staff are very high on the entire stable of running backs. Nick Holley should be a perfect foil for Durham. But there are also four other backs on this trip in Miles Hibbler, Raekwon James, Sam Kukura and Myles Washington. While all could see action and all are capable of running any play in Don Treadwell's playbook, some of the younger backs may cut their teeth early on special teams.

What are you most interested in seeing tomorrow night when Kent State opens the season at Illinois?

Check back throughout the day for more photos, video and news from the travel to to Champaign.

One Kent State Athletics Blog ... To Rule Them All? Too Tolkein-ish?

By David Carducci
Director of New Media
Kent State Athletics

We are all extremely excited about the start of a new athletic year here at Kent State.

One of the changes in 2015-16 will be with the blogs. We've listened to the input offered by Golden Flashes fans and decided to combine the blogs of all sports into one Kent State Athletics Blog.

I'll be checking in more often with "The PressBox" feature, offering some information on all of the Golden Flashes programs while also serving as something of a moderator for the entire site. I'll still be blogging live from all football and men's basketball games.

You'll also be able to keep up with video and more traditional blogging from our coaches and student athletes right here. The first one you will find below as soccer coach Rob Marinaro checked in with a look back at last week's 2-2 tie with Louisville and a preview of this weekend's tournament at Vermont.

We hope you'll enjoy the new format.

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Go Flashes!

SOCCER: Rob Marinaro Video Blog previews trip to Vermont

Head soccer Rob Marinaro checked in this week with a video blog discussing last week's battle with Louisville as well as previewing the team's upcoming trip to Vermont.

Following last week's 2-2 tie with Louisville, the Flashes will face Vermont on Friday and New Hampshire on Sunday.

The team showed some great fight against Louisville, and Marinaro is looking forward to seeing how that carries over to the road.