A month ago, this looked like a much easier game for Northern Illinois.
Kent State wasn?t healthy, productive or winning.
The Golden Flashes were a bumbling football team that couldn?t get out of their own way.
With two wins in its past three games and the return of a healthy running back in Eugene Jarvis, Kent State (3-7, 2-4 MAC East) is relishing its spoiler role, which has Northern Illinois (5-5, 4-3 MAC West) coach Jerry Kill worried entering tonight?s 6 p.m. game at Kent State.
?They?re healthy and they?re playing very well right now,? Kill said. ?They?re playing as well as they have all year.?
The return of Jarvis is the biggest reason why. A preseason All-MAC selection, Jarvis injured an ankle on Sept. 13 against Delaware State and missed three games.
After taking a game to get his legs back, Jarvis has averaged 4.9 yards a carry in his past three games, including a 185-yard performance last week against Temple.
?It?s like chasing a rabbit all day,? Kill said. ?It?s just hard to catch. Jarvis is an excellent tailback.?
NIU senior defensive end Larry English said trying to find and stay with the 5-foot-5 Jarvis will be key for the Huskies.
?We?ve got to stay disciplined,? English said.
But Jarvis isn?t the only player that draws attention from the NIU defense. Quarterback Julian Edelman has already rushed for 1,095 yards this season.
?It?s like having two running backs every time,? said Kent State coach Doug Martin. ?Those two compliment each other very well.?
Martin said Edelman has focused on better ball security this year.
Edelman hasn?t fumbled since the second game of the season against Iowa State.
?He?s been getting out of bounds instead of taking hits, knowing when to slide,? Martin said. ?He?s been intelligent about it.?
On top of Edelman?s strengths as a runner and his ability to compliment Jarvis in the run game, Edelman has been returning punts in the past few games.
The belief is that because of the senior?s speed, he could make it to the NFL as a returner, and Martin is giving Edelman a chance to prove that with Kent State now unable to make it to a bowl game.
?It was a couple of things,? Martin said of the decision. ?No. 1 i had to get him to quit nagging me. He wants to return kickoffs, he wants to do everything. This is a young man who can play at another level. Pro scouts wanting to know if he can return punts. And it helps our football team.
?If I trusted one guy at the end of a game to field a punt, it would be Julian Edelman.?
Kent State wasn?t healthy, productive or winning.
The Golden Flashes were a bumbling football team that couldn?t get out of their own way.
With two wins in its past three games and the return of a healthy running back in Eugene Jarvis, Kent State (3-7, 2-4 MAC East) is relishing its spoiler role, which has Northern Illinois (5-5, 4-3 MAC West) coach Jerry Kill worried entering tonight?s 6 p.m. game at Kent State.
?They?re healthy and they?re playing very well right now,? Kill said. ?They?re playing as well as they have all year.?
The return of Jarvis is the biggest reason why. A preseason All-MAC selection, Jarvis injured an ankle on Sept. 13 against Delaware State and missed three games.
After taking a game to get his legs back, Jarvis has averaged 4.9 yards a carry in his past three games, including a 185-yard performance last week against Temple.
?It?s like chasing a rabbit all day,? Kill said. ?It?s just hard to catch. Jarvis is an excellent tailback.?
NIU senior defensive end Larry English said trying to find and stay with the 5-foot-5 Jarvis will be key for the Huskies.
?We?ve got to stay disciplined,? English said.
But Jarvis isn?t the only player that draws attention from the NIU defense. Quarterback Julian Edelman has already rushed for 1,095 yards this season.
?It?s like having two running backs every time,? said Kent State coach Doug Martin. ?Those two compliment each other very well.?
Martin said Edelman has focused on better ball security this year.
Edelman hasn?t fumbled since the second game of the season against Iowa State.
?He?s been getting out of bounds instead of taking hits, knowing when to slide,? Martin said. ?He?s been intelligent about it.?
On top of Edelman?s strengths as a runner and his ability to compliment Jarvis in the run game, Edelman has been returning punts in the past few games.
The belief is that because of the senior?s speed, he could make it to the NFL as a returner, and Martin is giving Edelman a chance to prove that with Kent State now unable to make it to a bowl game.
?It was a couple of things,? Martin said of the decision. ?No. 1 i had to get him to quit nagging me. He wants to return kickoffs, he wants to do everything. This is a young man who can play at another level. Pro scouts wanting to know if he can return punts. And it helps our football team.
?If I trusted one guy at the end of a game to field a punt, it would be Julian Edelman.?
