Heading into the 2007 season, Kent Sports Report will compare Kent State's talent at each position to that of every opponent on the schedule. Last week we looked at the quarterback position. Now it's time to compare Eugene Jarvis to the ball carriers on the Golden Flashes' schedule in 2007. Of Kent State's 12 opponents, nine teams return a running back with at least 100 carries in 2006. Miami senior Brandon Murphy was limited by an injury last season, but he was second-team all-Mid-American Conference in 2005 after rushing for over 1,000 yards. Listed below are each opponents probably starters for the 2007 season and where Jarvis fits into the pack: No. 1: Kalvin McRae, Ohio McRae finished last season ranked 31st in the country in total rushing yards. He carried the ball 258 times for 1,252 yards, tops among all backs on Kent State's schedule, and scored 15 touchdowns. He added 29 receptions for 280 yards making him one of the most complete backs in the country. His 1,532 total yards from scrimmage rank him among the nation's Top 100 players in total offense. TOP 5 RUSHING YARDS 1 Kalvin McRae OU 1252 2 Dennis Kennedy AKR 914 3 Eugene Jarvis KSU 798 4 Chris Bullock BGSU 769 5 Ontario Sneed CMU 764 TOP 5 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS 1 Kalvin McRae OU 15 2 Dennis Kennedy AKR 9 3 Chris Wells OSU 7 4 James Stark BUF 6 5 Chris Bullock BGSU 4 5 Ontario Sneed CMU 4 TOP 5 YARDS PER ATTEMPT 1 Montell Clanton NIU 8.50 2 Lennox Norville DSU 6.22 3 Ontario Sneed CMU 5.66 4 Chris Wells OSU 5.54 5 Kalvin McRae OU 4.85 TOP 5 RECEPTIONS 1 Ontario Sneed CMU 52 2 Dennis Kennedy AKR 39 3 James Starks BUF 34 4 Tim Brown TEM 33 5 Rafael Little KEN 31 TOP 5 RECEIVING YARDS 1 Ontario Sneed CMU 415 2 Rafael Little KEN 392 3 Kalvin McRae OU 280 4 James Starks BUF 226 5 Tim Brown TEM 218 TOP 5 TOTAL YARDS 1 Kalvin McRae OU 1532 2 Ontario Sneed CMU 1179 3 Dennis Kennedy AKR 1107 4 Rafael Little KEN 1065 5 Tim Brown TEM 949 No. 2: Ontario Sneed, Central Michigan A big part of Central Michigan's MAC title run, Sneed accumulated 1,179 yards from scrimmage. He averaged an impressive 5.66 yards per carry and caught 52 passes for 415 yards. His 11 total touchdowns were the second most among backs on KSU 's 2007 schedule. No. 3: Chris Wells, Ohio State Wells, a high school all-American, split carries with NFL draft pick Antonio Pittman but still averaged 5.54 yards per carry and scored seven times in just 104 carries. A big, bruising ball carrier, Wells caught just two passes but should be featured more on third downs in 2007 giving him the opportunity to add more catches. With his workload expected to increase twofold this season, Wells should easily surpass 1,000 yards. No. 4: Rafael Little, Kentucky While Kentucky quarterback Andre' Woodson gathers all the headlines, Little quietly produced a 1,000 yards season in 2006. He carried the ball 140 times for 673 yards and caught 31 passes for 392 yards. He scored five touchdowns-three on the ground and two through the air. No. 5: Brandon Murphy, Miami Murphy missed four games in 2006 and spent the rest of the season hobbled by an ankle injury. The 2005 second-team all-MAC performer carried just 81 times for 280 yards and averaged just 3.46 yards per carry. A complete off season should give Murphy the chance to return to form as an all-conference performer. No. 6: Dennis Kennedy, Akron Kennedy's total offensive production of 1,107 yards ranked third among all backs on KSU's 2007 schedule. He rushed 226 times for 914 yards (4.04/carry) and scored and impressive nine touchdowns. He also hauled in 39 passes for 193 yards for the Zips. No. 7: EUGENE JARVIS, KENT STATE The diminutive back bobbed and weaved his way to 798 rushing yards and three scores. He added 16 receptions for 126 yards. Jarvis' numbers were limited by the production of quarterback Julian Edelman, who rushed for 658 yards. Now the featured back, and physcially stronger than last season, Jarvis should see more carries and more opportunities to increase his numbers. No. 8: James Starks, Buffalo Starks fell just short of reaching the 1,000-yard marker in offensive production. He rushed for 704 yards and added 226 through the air for a total offensive output of 930 yards. He scored six touchdowns. No. 9: Chris Bullock, Bowling Green Bullock turned in a solid season for the Falcons in 2006. He rushed 160 times for 769 yards and scored four touchdowns. He added 14 receptions for 119 yards. No. 10: Tim Brown, Temple Brown was one of the bright spots for the Owls in last season's disappointing 1-11 finish. He carried 182 times for 731 yards and added 33 receptions for 218 yards. He scored just two touchdowns on the season, both on the ground. No. 11: Lennox Norville, Delaware State Norville's playing time was minimal last season but he did rush 46 times for 286 yards with an impressive 6.22 yards per carry average. He scored just two rushing touchdowns and added two receptions for eight yards. No. 12: Montell Clanton, Northern Illinois With NCAA rushing leader Garrett Wolfe ahead of him on the depth chart, Clanton's opportunities to carry the ball were almost non-existent. When he did get his chance, though, he made the most of it. Clanton could easily shoot up this chart if he continues to produce now that he's slotted as the No. 1 guy coming out of spring. Last fall he carried just 12 times but averaged 8.5 yards a carry; tops among all backs on KSU's 2007 schedule. His 102 rushing yards accounted for just one score, but NIU's success with running backs looks like it will continue with Clanton. No. 13: Jason Scales, Iowa State Scales carried 54 times for 176 yards last fall. His 3.26 yards per carry average ranked dead last among all backs KSU will face in 2007. He did score two touchdowns, but his four receptions for 26 yards doesn't make him much of a threat out of the backfield.

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