MAC Football Media Day Round-up
7/27/2018 9:05:00 AM | Football
Ty Linder- The radio voice of the Golden Flashes hosted the MAC's only live radio program on Tuesday morning in Detroit, the following is a recap of the afternoon.
The Mid-American Conference family reunion was held on July 24 at Ford Field – home of the annual MAC Football Championship game.
Or perhaps more accurately put, the league's football coaches, select student-athletes, broadcasters and print media scribes all gathered for the annual MAC Football Media Day. It's the annual mass congregation of the conference's who's who, and the first sign the lazy days of June and July will soon give way to the chaos and excitement of another busy sports year.
STATE OF THE UNION
The ninth-year commissioner of the MAC, Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, addressed the throngs in attendance for 20 minutes and covered a variety of topics. He first recapped the 2017-18 season while highlighting the accomplishments of various teams – including Kent State's men and women's golf teams.
Steinbrecher also praised the NCAA transfer rules, citing the change to a notification system and registry as "significant, meaningful and appropriate." He also went on to address the hot topic of sports wagering, adding serious consideration should be given on where the proverbial line should be drawn.
THE GOOD GUYS
First-year head coach Sean Lewis was joined in Motown by veterans Matt Bahr and Justin Rankin. We spoke with all three of them at length on their mentality as training camp approaches. The Flashes will report next week.
Rankin, a junior tailback who has been KSU's leading receiver and rusher the last two seasons, respectively, said he was looking forward to a bigger workload as well as taking on more of a leadership role.
"I don't say much," he said. "I like to lead by example and how I carry myself on and off the field, but when I need to be vocal, I will be."
Bahr, one of two recipients of a single digit jersey, will switch from the number 29 to the number six in 2018. He is coming off an injury and will also be looked upon to lead the KSU defense. He was recently named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List for the 2018 campaign. The trophy is awarded to the player who best combines community service with athletic and academic success.
Lewis said his staff's first year will try and answer the question of "what's going on?" He wants to find out what kind of players he has, how they can be complemented in recruiting efforts and how best they can help the team. He told us he hopes to have the program where he wants by the midway point of the 2019 season.
"We won't be to the speed that I want to be until week five, six or seven of year two," he explained. "In year two we get into the how and why in respect to what we are asking them to do."
KSU opens the season on Labor Day weekend against Illinois. The home opener is a week later against Howard. MAC play starts on Sept. 29 with a visit to Ball State.
OPPOSITION POSITION
Ball State's Mike Neu and Ohio's Frank Solich spent segments on our radio show to preview and discuss the upcoming season.
Like KSU, the Cardinals couldn't overcome a bevy of injuries in 2017 and staggered to a 2-10 record. Ball State's depth at quarterback was tested severely with several injuries at that position. Kent State has not visited Schuemann Stadium since the 2013 season.
"It was a failure, no matter how you look at it. And if we allow ourselves to be okay with it, it'll happen again. And the good thing is, I don't see our guys being okay with it."
The Flashes and Cardinals do battle Sept. 29 in Muncie.
Solich's Bobcats were named the favorite to not only win the MAC East but to also win the MAC Championship game.
"It's a nice sign of respect from the writers that we've built a solid program and have good players but we still have to win games. And that is always going to be hard in this league. We have had some really physical games with Kent State down through the years," the veteran head coach said.
This year's KSU/OU match-up takes place Oct. 6 in Kent and will serve as the Golden Flashes Homecoming contest.
ODDS AND ENDS
The MAC's deal with ESPN has allowed for most football and basketball games to be streamed across many of the network's platforms. This year, expect the games to also air on the new ESPN+. This new subscription-based ($4.99 a month) channel is available online, much like the ESPN3 venue current fans are accustomed to.
The Kent State Radio Network has also exercised a one-year option with iHeart Media in Northeast Ohio. This means fans will continue to be able to follow the Flashes on flagship station WHLO 640 AM and the exclusive Golden Flashes iHeart Radio Channel. Last year, a record number of live broadcasts aired on the channel, including the NCAA Division I Baseball Regionals.
The first athletic event for Kent State in 2018-19 will be a home soccer match on Aug. 16 at Robert C. Dix Stadium.
