KENT, Ohio -- With six wins and bowl eligibility already in the books, Kent State coach Darrell Hazell can take a second to reflect to on the good old days for Kent State football.
No, not the likelihood of the Flashes playing in a bowl game for the first time in 40 years. Mostly, the time when opposing teams would actually kick the ball to Dri Archer or let him line up at wide receiver without double coverage.
Three or so weeks ago. You know, the good old days.
"They just won't kick to him," Hazell said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't blame them."
Archer's days of being a secret weapon are long over, but the 5'8 junior is most definitely a weapon. He's turned his fresh legs into two of the most dangerous legs in college football, sparking the Flashes to a 6-1 start with 14 touchdowns, three via kickoff return, and a 47.1 yard per return kick return average that both leads the country and has led to opponents simply kicking it away from him.
Far, far away.
"I find teams trying to key on me," Archer said. "We break the huddle and I see the linebackers trying to point me out. When I run a route they double team me. It's part of the game."
He has scored a touchdown in all seven games this season, so they haven't quite figured it out yet. A running back by usual position and by preference, Archer is second in the nation in yards per carry (10.6) and has lined up everywhere from the slot to receiver. He's even thrown a touchdown pass and has four multi-touchdown games.
"He's one of the more dynamic players in the country," said Rutgers coach Kyle Flood, who's likely to be next to not kick to him this Saturday. "His production and statistics are like a video game."
How he got here is pretty remarkable, too.
A native of Laurel, Fla., Kent State was Archer's only FBS scholarship offer. By the time he signed in Feb. 2009, the assistant coach who recruited him, Scott Booker, was gone to Western Kentucky. He played two years under head coach Doug Martin, then was anxious for a new start last season when Hazell, a longtime Ohio State assistant took over. Just before the 2011 season, though, Archer was ruled academically ineligible.
There was an administrative issue, something involving Archer changing majors and needing to retake a class. Archer thought he'd done everything he needed to and was preparing to play until one day he got a call from Hazell to come to the coach's office.
When he found out he was going to have to miss the season, he was devastated.
"It was hard," Archer said. "I was always down. My teammates, my mom, my coaches, they all kept telling me I'd come back strong."
He admits there were times he doubted himself, but he didn't want to let down those who supported him. He spent extra time in the books and with the weights, specifically with his lower body. He brought home a 3.3 GPA last spring. His 115 combined rushing and receiving yards last weekend against Western Michigan actually go down as a quiet game.
"The whole thing didn't kill me," he said. "It lit my fuse."
He's certainly on fire, and over the last month-plus he's gone from secret to superstar. In Kent State's nationally-televised win over Buffalo last month, Archer certainly looked like the fastest player in the Mid-American Conference. What he's done since suggests he might be the fastest player in college football not in the SEC -- or at Oregon. He's not afraid to think he can run with those guys, too.
"I'll race anybody," Archer said. "I've always been one of the fastest guys I know. I started playing football when I was six years old, and I was usually the fastest. I wore No. 20 for Barry Sanders. I didn't want people to catch me."
Hazell was the position coach for Ted Ginn Jr. at Ohio State, so he knows fast. Hazell shies away from comparing Ginn and Archer, preferring to say that both "are very, very fast." At 5'11, Ginn had long, sprinter's strides and often looked like he was gliding while creating separation from defenders when he was at Ohio State.
"Dri looks like that sometimes, too," Hazell said.
Archer never ran track until his senior year at Venice High School, and even then he said he did it just to prepare himself for college football. He was so good, so soon, that Clemson and Arkansas offered track scholarships. He made the Florida state track meet in the 100 meters.
"I finished second," Archer said. "Denard Robinson was third."
Robinson, Michigan's senior quarterback, has 900 rushing yards so far this season -- 283 more than Archer, but he's done it on 121 touches. Archer is averaging 11 yards per touch, second-most of anyone in the country with more than 300 rushing yards.
"Especially after sitting out last year, it's just great being on the field with my guys," Archer said. "Being compared to (Robinson) and all these guys, people saying I'm maybe the fastest guy in college football, that's just side stuff."
With defenses -- and opposing kicking teams -- adjusting to Archer's skill set, Kent State is trying to stay ahead of the game. They keep finding new formations and new positions for Archer. His nine touches last weekend were a season-low, so that chess game continues.
"You have to be really careful," Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said last week, a few days before his team didn't kick to him. "Archer just has a knack for getting loose and making the big play. He might be the most exciting guy in the conference."
Cubit went on to say he hasn't coached against a player like this since Antonio Brown, now of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was at Central Michigan.
"That's an honor," Archer said. "I just heard about that."
Lots of people are hearing about Archer now. It's keeping up with him that's the problem.
