Recordpub.com - Flashes can't avoid injuries

By David Carducci
Record-Courier staff writer
Just a few short weeks ago, Kent State was counting on Eugene Jarvis and Jameson Konz to be two of its most dangerous offensive weapons during the 2008 college football season.
Now the Golden Flashes are preparing for life without their star running back and their once-promising tight end for yet another week.
Jarvis missed Saturday's 44-27 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend with a high ankle sprain, while Konz sat out for the third consecutive week because of his own ankle injury.
During his Monday afternoon press conference, Kent State head coach Doug Martin did not seem optimistic either player would return to action Saturday, when the Flashes open Mid-American Conference play at Ball State.
Martin initially called Jarvis "day-to-day," perhaps trying to cling to some hope the nation's top returning rusher from 2007 would find his way back to the lineup sooner rather than later.
After a few minutes, however, he revealed the more likely scenario while talking about the potential of another running back " true freshman Jacquise Terry.
"We are starting to feel better and better about having (Terry) in the game," Martin said. "He will obviously play a lot this week with Eugene being out. It will be he and Andre (Flowers), primarily."
Flowers has taken over as KSU's primary ball carrier since Jarvis was injured in the first quarter of the Flashes' 24-3 win over Delaware State Sept. 13. In fact, with 42 carries for 184 yards, Flowers is currently second on the team in rushing attempts behind only quarterback Julian Edelman (59 for 304 yards). Terry has run the ball 11 times for 49 yards in two appearances.
Konz, meanwhile, has just two catches on the year for 12 yards " both in the season-opening loss to Boston College when he was initially injured.
His absence is a big reason KSU's passing game is nowhere near where Martin hoped it would be this season. At 6-foot-3, 222 pounds and possessing soft hands and the fastest 40-yard-dash time on the team, Konz was supposed to breath new life into what was the worst-ranked pass offense in the MAC last season with his ability to stretch the middle of the field.
Instead, the Flashes once again sit at the bottom of the MAC's passing ranking, averaging just 162 yards per game through the air.
This was supposed to be Konz's only season at tight end after he was switched from linebacker for his senior year. But after going this long without him, the Flashes are starting to talk about bringing Konz back next season as a redshirt.
"We would have to get a medical redshirt, but yeah, we could," said Martin. "He played in the first game, so we would have to get an appeal on that, which we should get since he only played in one game. But absolutely, if he misses one more game, we definitely have to look at that."
The injuries to two key players are frustrating for a team that saw a promising 2007 season go down the drain due in part to a rash of injuries.
Of course, when Martin considers what his team's upcoming opponent is dealing with this week, the Flashes' injuries seem pretty minor.
Ball State star receiver Dante Love may never play football again after injuring his spine during a win at Indiana University on Saturday. Love underwent a five-hour operation Sunday for a broken spine and an injury to his spinal cord.
"Due to the injury Dante sustained, his football career is expected to be over," coach Brady Hoke said at his Monday press conference. "He should have normal and healthy functions for the rest of his life. He touched a lot of lives, and he will continue to do so."
Ball State officials said Love could move his arms and legs after the surgery.
"You hate seeing any player get hurt, particularly a great player like (Love)," said Martin. "We are just praying and hoping for a speedy recovery for him. ... Any time you have something like that happen, as a coach it is your worst nightmare. I've been on the field with one of those before, and it is scary."