Fri Feb 10 2012
By David Carducci
Record-Courier staff writer
Giorgio Morgan has worked his way back into Kent State’s quarterback picture sooner than expected.
A surprisingly quick recovery from a sprained left ankle could vault Morgan back into the starting lineup as early as Saturday night when the Golden Flashes host Miami University in their Mid-American Conference opener.
If that happens, it would be a dramatic turnaround in just a few days.
After watching Morgan limp through practice Monday, Flashes head coach Doug Martin said he doubted the sophomore would be available by Saturday and expected true freshman Spencer Keith to make his second consecutive start.
Martin also hinted Keith could end up as the Flashes’ starting quarterback for good if he continued to play as well as he did the previous week against Iowa State.
“Competition makes everybody better,” Martin said Thursday after watching Morgan practice without even the hint of a limp in his gait.
Actually, Morgan has been diligent in his rehabilitation, spending half of most recent practices on the field and the other half getting treatment on his ankle.
Morgan was sharp with his throws during a full Thursday’s practice as he split the first-team reps with Keith.
“Giorgio has really stepped it up the last couple of days,” said Martin. “I like the way he is playing, but obviously he can go down at any moment.”
A decision on a starter may not be made until just before Saturday’s kickoff. For the long term, Martin is already getting comfortable with the idea of playing both quarterbacks.
“I really like the ability to be able to play both of those guys,” said Martin. “And I have a lot of trust in both of them. It is comfortable for me, and it’ll be comfortable for our team. We will see where it leads.”
A likely scenario for the rest of the season would feature Morgan starting and then giving way to Keith for a series or two in the first half.
“Then we could go with whoever has the hot hand,” said Martin.
The injury news is not as promising for Kent State’s offensive line.
Starting left guard Michael Fay will miss Saturday’s game and probably next week’s road trip to Baylor with a torn meniscus.
“He will have his knee operated on Saturday and we think he’ll be out around two weeks,” said Martin. “It’s the same thing (wide receiver) Leneric Muldrow had in the preseason.”
Fifth-year senior Dante Campbell will start in Fay’s place.
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David Carducci can be reached at dcarducci@recordpub.com
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