DaytonDailyNews.com

During a week in which his team will face the country's third-ranked squad in one of college football's legendary venues, Kent State football coach Doug Martin has been talking about building his own tradition.

Martin, the Golden Flashes' fourth-year coach, has a lot of ground to cover.

In 1972, KSU won a Mid-American Conference championship under coach Don James by closing the regular season with wins against Miami and Toledo.

The Flashes later lost to Tampa in the Tangerine Bowl, one of two postseason appearances in the program's 84-year history (the other was called the Refrigerator Bowl).

Since that '72 season, Kent State has won just 111 of 376 games and posted a total of two winning seasons.

The Flashes came close last season, starting 5-2 before closing the season with losses in four of their final five games.

And this season, they're 3-3 with wins against Iowa State, Delaware State and Ohio (and losses to Kentucky, Akron and Miami).

"As I've watched Doug and his program ... I think he's done a heck of a job and they got it rolling pretty good last year and got banged a little bit and lost a few at the end that kept them from going to a bowl," OSU coach Jim Tressel said.

Several preseason publications picked Kent State to win the MAC's East Division and go to another bowl this season.

Regardless, KSU Athletic Director Laing Kennedy signed Martin to a four-year contract extension in the offseason that runs through 2010, giving him a few more years to build his tradition.

Quick hits

• No. 3 Ohio State is the highest-ranked team Kent State has ever played. The Golden Flashes are 0-19 against ranked opponents.

• Running back Eugene Jarvis has rushed for 851 yards in six games. That total is more than MAC members Miami (824), Buffalo (771), Western Michigan (755), Eastern Michigan (647), Ohio (614), Akron (607), Temple (583) and Bowling Green (431) have gained this season.

• The man Martin replaced as Kent State's head coach was Dean Pees, who is now the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

• Kent State is statistically better than Ohio State in both rushing yards per game (230.5 to 203.5) and total yards per game (420.7 to 416.2). However, the Golden Flashes did it against defenses that rank Nos. 44, 64, 76, 90 and 106 nationally. And, Division I-AA Delaware State.

• Last season, cornerback Usama Young became the first KSU player drafted since 2000 when the New Orleans Saints chose him in the third round.

• When Kent State defeated Iowa State 23-14 to open the season, it was the Golden Flashes' first win against a Bowl Championship Series conference school since 1987.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389

or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com

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