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Horseshoe excites Flashes' Haywood

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David Carducci
October 12, 2007

Christen Haywood is expecting a dream debut Saturday when he dons a Kent State uniform and plays in front of 102,000-plus fans at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

The famed "Horseshoe" on the campus of The Ohio State University is just a 10-minute drive from Haywood's childhood home.

While the 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore wishes an injury late in training camp didn't limit his availability in the first six weeks of Kent State's season, it's hard to imagine a better place for a kid from Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus to get his first collegiate carry.

"It's really exciting," said Haywood. "I grew up going to games and watching games there. I'm also excited to have the chance to play next to the (Kent State teammates) I've been cheering for all season. Now that I actually get to play with them, so it is going to be even more fun."

Haywood saw limited action as a bit player on special teams as a freshman, but earned a chance to play as a backup to starting tailback Eugene Jarvis during an impressive training camp. Kent State head coach Doug Martin called Haywood "one of the surprises of camp," before his bid to win a job in the Flashes' backfield rotation was derailed by a knee injury.

True freshman Andre Flowers had been targeted for a red-shirt this season prior to Haywood's injury, but instead stepped into the role as Jarvis' primary backup two weeks into the season. Now Haywood is healthy and eager to get his chance to complement both Jarvis and Flowers. He said he considers himself a mix of the Flashes other running backs.

"I think I'm similar to Flowers. We both have similar playing styles," said Haywood. "Jarvis is like a scat-back. He's real shifty. I'm shifty, too, but I'm more of a power back."

Martin has offered more than a hint that Haywood will be a part of the game plan when Kent State takes on No. 3-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. The Flashes' plan to use every player who makes the the two-hour trip south to Columbus in an attempt to keep fresh players on the field, limit the potential for injuries and hopefully find a chance to stay close enough to the Buckeyes to have a shot at pulling off a late upset.

When Haywood takes the field and lines up at running back for the first time, he'll have plenty of hometown fans in the stands to witness it.

"It's going to be a good number there. Probably about 10 or 15 (friends and family) are coming to the game," said Haywood.

He will also have an old friend on the opposite sideline. Former Hilliard Davidson high school teammate Bo DeLande is a freshman walk-on at running back for the Buckeyes.

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EAGER FOR THAT BIG STAGE -- Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman can't wait to take the field at Ohio State.

He is still stinging after missing his first chance to play against a nationally-ranked team when the Golden Flashes traveled to Virginia Tech last year. Edelman did not play in that game because of an injured shoulder.

"This is the reason you play Division-I football," said Edelman. "When you go to school, you see all the guys around here wearing Ohio State Buckeyes gear. Now we finally get the opportunity to play them and see what we are made of ... It's going to be really exciting to play in front of 102,000 people."

Edelman said he is also eager to use a game against the second-ranked defense in the nation to show Kent State is continuing to improve offensively by avoiding the turnovers and mental mistakes that have plagued the Flashes in their 3-3 start.

"A lot of guys are going to have to grow up quick in a (game) like this," said Edelman. "They are solid at every position and guys are going to have a chance to play against All-Americans all over the field ... We can't make the crucial mistakes, the bad throws, the dropped balls, the penalties. We are going to have to play a very clean game."

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RECOMMENDED READING -- Oprah has her book club. Why shouldn't I recommend some further reading on topics touched on in this column?

If you are interested in how other other leagues hold their football officials accountable after reading Tuesday's column regarding the shabby state of Mid-American Conference officiating, Google a story by Associated Press writer Aaron Beard with the headline, "ACC Keeps High-tech Eye on Officials' Performance."

The ACC records every game, charting all penalties and every controversial play, then forwards the videos of correct and incorrect calls to be evaluated during the week. Officials are held accountable for their mistakes, but they also use their own review of videos to improve their performance.

That's the difference between the ACC and the MAC. One league strives to get better, the other does its best to keep its problems hush-hush.

Kent State fans interested in seeing how Western Michigan is dealing with another case of incompetent officiating should check out the Broncos Insider at the Kalamazoo Gazette's website and the excellent work of beat writer Graham Couch.

He tells the story of how officials robbed the Broncos of a win over Akron on Saturday, and how the MAC ended up apologizing to another head coach. Of course, the league didn't say it was sorry in public. Just as Doug Martin did two weeks ago, Western Michigan's Bill Cubit chose to reveal the fact he received an apology from MAC coordinator of officials Carl Paganelli during his weekly press conference.

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ONE BIG POSITIVE FROM HOMECOMING -- Most of the 17,000-plus fans who attended Kent State's Homecoming game last week may have been disappointed in the final score, but they seemed to love the atmosphere that greeted them when they first arrived at Dix Stadium.

I keep hearing positive reports of the scene at "Tailgate Alley," the pre-game festival outside the stadium's southwest corner that is now in its second year.

"I think the university and the community teamed together to make a great Homecoming event at Dix Stadium," said Pete Mahoney, Kent State's associate athletic director in charge of external affairs. "We had several thousand fans in Tailgate Alley. It seemed like everyone who came through the stadium came through Tailgate Alley."

Kent State encouraged community involvement by inviting the Kent Roosevelt choir to perform during pre-game, both in Tailgate Alley and on the field with the singing of the national anthem. It added a nice touch to the event.

The university needs to continue to find creative ways to encourage community involvement in Kent State athletics and get even more fans through the gates.




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