Spring Practice No. 3: Injured Golden Flashes following a creative path to their return
4/5/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
While most of Kent State's football players were hard at work on the playing field at Dix Stadium during Friday third practice of the spring, a small group of Golden Flashes spent the evening toiling in a very different way in the stadium's northeast corner.
Wide receiver Tyshon Goode, safety Calvin Tiggle, offensive lineman Terrell Johnson and a handful of other injured Flashes spent most of the session swinging sledge hammers, pulling sleds, and throwing jabs in the old 1-2-3 boxing drill.
"We are trying to keep things creative for them while also getting their bodies moving all the right muscles," said Kent State head coach Paul Haynes. "We also don't want them to be too happy over there. We want it to be hard so that they really want to get back on the field. If its really hard work, you might see guys get healthy faster."
Goode is more eager than most to get away from the sidelines and back to playing football. He missed all of last season after suffering a hamstring injury in the first week of August's preseason camp and finally had surgery last month that promised to keep him out another four-to-six weeks. After a medical redshirt last year, he can get another chance at a senior year in 2013.
"That was the first football season I've missed since I was 5-years old, dating all the way back to when I played flag football," said Goode. "To say I'm eager to come back is an understatement."
Goode knows there is still plenty of hard work ahead of him before that return can happen. There is no longer any pain in his hamstring. All of the current aches "are coming just from lifting and muscle fatigue," he said. "It's just a matter of building the muscle back up and getting in the groove."
For now, that work means giving in to some unusual techniques.
"They had me over there with the sledge hammer, doing some boxing things, and working with some chords to work out my upper body today," said Goode. "I've never boxed before, so that was a first. On other days we've done some things to work the lower body, some hip-mobility exercises … Everything is coming along good. We are trying not to rush anything and making sure everything is good before I get back out there. That's why I'm limited for the spring. Our main goal is to have me back at 100 percent for camp."
Goode ranks fourth on Kent State's all-time receiving list with 136 catches. He can move pass both Jurron Kelly (143 catches from 1998-2001) and Darrell Dowery Jr (152 catches from 2001-04) and move into second place all by himself with just 17 more catches. A receiver with that kind of experience will be a valuable outlet for an offense that will feature a new starting quarterback in 2013.
"Tyshon is working his tail off and trying to get healthy," said offensive coordinator Brian Rock. "We would love to have him come back. He can be a big piece to the puzzle."
