Recordpub.com - KSU quarterback Keith to make first start over injured Morgan

Giorgio Morgan threw the ball well during practice Wednesday at Dix Stadium.

The injured Kent State quarterback offered only a hint of a limp as he ran on and off the field for his turn running the Golden Flashes offense, and he appeared to have little trouble stepping into his sprained ankle as he hit open receivers down the field.

Despite those positive signs, the sophomore won’t step under center Saturday when Kent State hosts Iowa State.

“Spencer Keith is going to start his first college game,” KSU head coach Doug Martin confirmed.

It’s the right decision. With the Mid-American Conference season starting the following week, there is no reason to risk Morgan’s season against a non-conference opponent, as winnable as Saturday’s game may be.

Facing Iowa State could also prove to be a valuable experience in Keith’s development. As he prepared to take over as the Flashes starting quarterback this season, Morgan said he had benefitted from a brief chance to start against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois

in place of the injured Julian Edelman back in 2007.

“I played pretty well, and that’s good for my confidence now,” said Morgan. “I have a better idea of what to expect, and I know I can be successful.”

Morgan had been primed for a redshirt in 2007. Instead, he sat out the 2008 season, studying Edelman and Anthony Magazu as they ran the KSU offense and preparing for his possible chance to start this season.

Keith is now on a similar track. The true freshman will start against Iowa State and serve as the primary backup to Morgan when he returns.

The plan now is for Keith to redshirt in 2010.

“The thing I’m telling Spencer is that this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” said Martin. “I don’t expect him to go out there and instantly be John Elway. He is going to have his difficult moments ... It’s important for him to believe that we are going to put him in good position to succeed.”
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A CALL TO ARMS? ... As one of the small handful of reporters who was in attendance at Doug Martin’s Monday press conference, I was more than a little bit surprised to see Martin’s “call to arms” in support of injured running back Eugene Jarvis make national news on the front page of the USA Today’s Wednesday sports section.

Speaking just a few hours after learning Jarvis would miss the rest of the 2009 season with a lacerated kidney suffered Saturday at Boston College, Martin was more than a little emotional as he said the NCAA should grant the fifth-year senior a rare sixth season of eligibility.
After making the case, he said “if this kid doesn’t get a sixth year, everybody in Kent should storm the NCAA and we should burn the place down.”

USA Today chose to print the quote on page one of its sports section, and then again in a separate story on page 8 where an NCAA official as calling Martin’s comments as being “irresponsible and uninformed.”

It’s a shame such a non-event has become such a big story.

Could Martin have found a better way to emphasize how much he believes Jarvis deserves a sixth year? Sure, but anybody who was in the Varsity K room at Dix Stadium Monday knew he wasn’t really calling on Kent State fans to march on Indianapolis. He was trying to stand up for one of the players he loves. In an emotional moment, he said the first thing off the top of his mind.

This was the closest I have ever seen Martin to crying in my six years covering the coach. Kent State fans can criticize Martin’s coaching decisions, but they can’t call into question his love for his players. KSU athletic director Laing Kennedy compared Martin’s relationship with Jarvis to that of a father and son.
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MIXED NATIONAL REVIEWS ... The first wave of college basketball’s preseason national publications hit the newsstands this week with Kent State getting mixed reviews.

Athlon picked Kent State to finish in second place, just behind Akron in a battle of rivals at the top of the East Division. Lindy’s Rodney McKissic, however, picked the Flashes to finish a distant fifth, behind Akron (first), Buffalo (second), Bowling Green (third) and Miami (fourth).

Both publications picked senior guard Chris Singletary to their preseason All-MAC squads. Athlon put Singletary on its first-team, while Lindy’s selected him on the second-team.