Recordpub.com - Golden Flashes host Buffalo today, aspiring to become bowl eligible

By David Carducci

Record-Courier staff writer

Most of Kent State’s hopes and dreams for the 2009 season have evaporated in the last few weeks.

There is no more talk of a championship after back-to-back losses at Akron and Temple.

The Golden Flashes can no longer finish with a winning season, and they won’t be going to a bowl game, but there is still one goal very much within reach.

If they can beat Buffalo today in the regular-season finale at Dix Stadium, the Flashes could finish at .500 and consider themselves bowl eligible for the second time in four years.

In Kent, finishing at 6-6 would still be a pretty satisfying accomplishment.

“I don’t think that’s happened since back in the 1970s at Kent State,” said KSU head coach Doug Martin. “So, it’s a pretty big deal for us to try to get that done. We are going to have to do it shorthanded, since at the quarterback position we won’t have Spencer Keith.”

Keith’s season suffered an early end last week when the true freshman separated his right shoulder early in the second half at Temple.

The injury to Keith should put the Flashes’ offense in the hands of fifth-year senior Anthony Magazu, who would become the third KSU quarterback to start a game this season because of injuries at the position.

The good news is Magazu has been in this position before. In fact, he was in almost this exact position back in 2007 when injuries to Julian Edelman and Giorgio Morgan forced him to start the season finale at home against Buffalo.

Magazu performed admirably in that opportunity, completing 12-of-22 passes for 184 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while leading the Flashes into overtime against the Bulls. KSU eventually lost 30-23.

“Anthony has a really good mind for the game,” said Martin. “His dad is an NFL coach, so he has been raised around football. He knows how to handle situations. He won’t get overwhelmed by anything. Our players have confidence in him. They understand he can get them in the end zone.”

Magazu was supposed to compete with sophomore Giorgio Morgan for the starting job in preseason camp, but an elbow injury kept that battle from developing. When Morgan was hobbled by an ankle injury early in the season, Keith emerged as the starter for both the present and the future.

Morgan is healthy and could see action today, but his struggles in relief of Keith last week (0-for-6 with an interception and a fumble) has given Magazu the edge to start his final game in Kent.

“(Morgan) having that injury early in the season, it really took him weeks to get over it,” Martin said. “It set him back and it set our team back. But at this point, you have to go with who gives you the best chance to win.”

Magazu is eager to get another chance.

“I’ve been here five years ... and my only start since I’ve been here was against Buffalo in 2007,” said Magazu. “We lost, so I’d like to come back and redeem myself. I’d definitely like to go out with a win, more than anything.”

Kent State could also mix in some wildcat offense with redshirt freshman wide receiver Matthew Hurdle at quarterback. Hurdle, who was recruited to KSU as a quarterback and played the position on the scout team last season, saw some action in the wildcat in the Flashes’ 36-35 loss to Bowling Green on Oct. 10.

“We’ve kept that alive (in practice) all year, so we could do that with not much problem,” said Martin. “We are going to have to, because chances are one of these guys (Magazu or Morgan) is going to get hurt in this game, and we’ll have to have someone to finish it.”

If Magazu does start, it will mark KSU’s 17th change at the starting-quarterback position in Martin’s six seasons as head coach. Most of those moves have been forced by injuries.

“Buffalo will line up and blitz us on every snap with us going into this game with a new quarterback,” said Martin. “There are going to be 18 men at the line of scrimmage on every snap in this game. We are going to have to throw the ball over their heads, and Anthony can give us that.”

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David Carducci can be contacted at dcarducci@recordpub.com