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OSU's loud crowd not what Kent State fears
Thursday, October 11, 2007
COLUMBUS — If Kent State football coach Doug Martin is sounding a bit hoarse these days, it's not because he's suffering from a case of laryngitis.
Martin is in his fourth year of trying to rebuild a downtrodden program, and he knows his voice will need to drown out the doubters to change the losing culture.
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"What our players hear are negative things about football here from fans," he said, "because that's what the tradition has always been. I have to be the steady voice that's always positive. I have to scream louder than everyone else to make sure the players hear that."
The Golden Flashes are emerging from one of the most pitiful stretches in college football history. They've had just one winning season since 1987 and posted a 16-115-1 record from 1989-2000.
They'll take a modest 3-3 mark into their game Saturday against third-ranked Ohio State, but Martin is seeing slivers of hope. They upset Iowa State 23-14 on the road — their first win against a BCS conference team in 20 years — and played Kentucky to a first-half tie before unraveling.
Asked what it will take to build a consistent winner, Martin said: "Acquisition of talent is No. 1, but we've already done that. If you look at our quarterback and running back, those are probably the best in the (Mid-American Conference)."
Running back Eugene Jarvis is fifth in the nation in rushing with an average of 141.8 yards per game (5.9 per carry). And quarterback Julian Edelman has rushed for 358 yards this season while throwing six touchdown passes, although he's been intercepted eight times.
KSU has never beaten a ranked team, and playing before 105,000 fans could be daunting. But Edelman believes the team is rattle-proof.
"We played at Kentucky when there was about 70,000 and Iowa State when there were about 50,000," he said. "They're close in. It may not be the Horseshoe, but they were pretty loud, and we were able to do well with that. That won't be a factor."
The bigger worry for Martin is the Buckeyes' defense, which has given up the fewest points in the nation (7.2 per game).
"I was at East Carolina for 10 years, and we played Miami of Florida twice," he said. "And this is the best college defense I've seen in all my years of coaching."
| KENT STATE FOOTBALL |
| Since 2000 |
| Year Overall MAC |
| 2007 3-3 1-2 |
| 2006 6-6 5-3 |
| 2005 1-10 0-8 |
| 2004 5-6 4-4 |
| 2003 5-7 4-4 |
| 2002 3-9 1-7 |
| 2001 6-5 5-3 |
| 2000 1-10 1-7 |
Next game
Who: Kent State at Ohio State
When: Noon Saturday
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: WING-AM (1410)
