The Roost

Q&A with Kent State's Martin

Kent State head coach Doug Martin joined me for a few questions last week. The Oak Ridge, Tenn., native played at Kentucky from 1981-84 and then embarked on a long coaching career with the Wildcats in 1986. After spending four years at ETSU, including the final three as offensive coordinator, he joined Steve Logan at East Carolina, spending the final two-thirds of his 12 years in Greenville as offensive coordinator. Here are some of the highlights of that interview:

Who's in the starting 22?

I asked both coordinators today who had locked up starting positions in advance of next week's season opener with Kent State. Offensive mastermind Kevin Brown was much more willing to answer than his defensive counterpart, Curtis Walker, but it was obvious where the questions marks are even before I talked to them.

It's game week

We are now less than a week from the 2009 football opener at Kent State. I'll have plenty on the Flashes over the course of the next week, including excerpts from interviews with tailback Eugene Jarvis, the team's undisputed star, and coach Doug Martin, a longtime assistant coach at East Carolina. Here is a depth chart for the Flashes, who will start redshirt sophomore Giorgio Morgan at quarterback.

Friday Links

Here are a few links to pass along: Former Coastal safety Quinton Teal has impressed with the Carolina Panthers this year and has suddenly been thrust into the starting lineup; a writer with NFL.com believes former Coastal quarterback Tyler Thigpen has plenty of upside to offer; and Liberty has announced that former South Carolina quarterback Tommy Beecher will start this season for the Flames.

Web site to stream Coastal-KSU

Coastal Carolina's season-opening game at Kent State will be streamed live on the Internet. The game will be broadcast through mac-sports.com and costs $7.95. Coastal visits Dix Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3, one week from today.

Preview Section

In case you haven't already, you can pick up a copy of today's newspaper for our college football preview section. The pullout section has several stories on Coastal, information on Clemson and South Carolina and schedules for each FBS school in the country.

ASU announces Breeze

BOONE, N.C. (Associated Press) -- New Appalachian State coach Buzz Peterson is getting two high-scoring transfers from Big South schools.

Thigpen on the move?

Kansas City and Jacksonville are discussing a potential trade for Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen, according to a report by NFL.com. The former Coastal Carolina standout, who started 11 games in 2008, has been mentioned in potential trades since the Chiefs acquired Matt Cassel in the offseason.

Bennett pushing team

After a 90-minute practice on Monday night, Coastal practiced for a solid two hours on Tuesday afternoon, working on a mix of the running and passing games after several periods of individual drills. If there has been a theme to both practices, it's been the intensity that coach David Bennett has required from his players.

Chants on national TV

Coastal Carolina's men's basketball team will play on national TV during the 2009 season, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday. The Chanticleers will meet Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Coastal hasn't played on ESPNU since the 2006 Big South Conference tournament.