By Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

Size is overrated. It really is.

Everything in our society is getting smaller and more efficient. Cars, I-Pods, phones- you name it. While it may not have been intentional, it seems that the days of the big, bruising, college running back may be going the way of the gun as well.


In recent years, NCAA teams have rolled out their new line of quick-compact-efficient running backs. West Virginia has the sporty Noel Devine, Middle Tennesee features the sleek Desmond Gee, and Southern Miss proudly displays the 175-pound Damion Fletcher.The list goes on and on, but in the small town of Kent, Ohio, best known as the birthplace of Buffalo Wild Wings, you'll find a running back who may be the smallest in D-1 football. But as the Kent State Golden Flashes look to Junior speedster Eugene Jarvis to carry them to the top of the MAC East standings, the nation may soon learn that this 5'5" stick of dynamite has the highest payload in his class.

The Pittsburgh native took a few minutes to discuss the advantages of being small, the importance of consistency and whether he thinks 2,000 yards are in his future.

Pigskinpress.com: Coming out of High School you had some interest from schools like West Virginia. Ultimately, why did you pick Kent State?

Eugene Jarvis: “Actually, West Virginia had a lot of running backs, but by the time I was done making our state playoff run, a lot of running backs had a chance to visit so ultimately they ended up not having a spot for me. I was ready to go to Akron, but they wouldn’t offer me a grey shirt and I felt slighted by that. But Kent State, they were first to offer me, they really wowed me through the whole process, and told me I had a scholarship regardless and I felt comfortable going there.”

PP: Looking back, do you think you made the right choice?

EJ: “Most definitely I made the right choice. I feel comfortable where I’m at. Things haven’t been as good as we like as far as our team record, but we have two more years to put things like that together, so it’s a process.”

PP: It’s no secret that Kent State has had limited success in recent years. Talk a little about the attitude in the locker room, and how you start to shake the tradition of losing?

EJ: “Last year we had a lot of injuries and things of that nature. Right now the energies positive and were doing everything in our power to change things. This year will definitely be different because we caught a lot of bad breaks as far as injuries at the quarterback position and with the turnovers, but we just need to overcome those things and put it all together.”

PP: What’s the biggest misconception that defenses make when the see a 5’5” running back lined up across from them?

EJ: “I use it to my advantage. From what I hear, a lot of defenses can’t see me when I’m hiding behind my big offensive lineman, that’s just an advantage that I have.”

PP: As a running back that is not the ideal size, what players have you looked up to for inspiration over the years?

EJ: “Guys like Barry Sanders, Garrett Wolfe, Darren Sproles, Maurice Jones-Drew. Guys like that-we are all similar in size but one thing we don’t lack is production. Those guys made it to the NFL and paved the way. I’m just trying to follow in there footsteps.”

PP: With smaller backs, having experience in the return game is usually helpful to make it in the NFL. Any chance we’ll see you doing some returning in 2008?

EJ: “I would like to. I’m not sure though because Coach Martin doesn’t want to take a chance on me returning kicks and getting hurt. I would think maybe in an emergency situation if somebody gets hurt, but as far as me doing it all the time-I highly doubt it.”

PP: You were able to rack up over 1600 yards on the ground last season. In high school you topped 2,000 rushing yards, do you think about cracking the 2,000 yard mark before you graduate?

EJ: “No. A lot of running backs who have said that they want to get to 2,000 yards they barely struggle to get to 1,000 yards so I don’t want to have that plateau or goal hanging over my head and have people saying , “oh, he said he’s gonna’ get 2,000 yards,” or something like that. I would rather just let it flow. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I don’t want to add any extra expectations.”

PP: You have a new Offensive Coordinator this season in AJ Pratt. What will your role be in his offensive scheme?

EJ: “The offense isn’t really going to change, it’s just changing hands. I’m pretty sure we’ll definitely try to throw the football more and try to stop teams from stacking 8 or 9 in the box to stop the run. But in his offense it will be the same. I might catch the ball in the backfield a little more, but as far as running the ball it will all still be the same.”

PP: Last season started well with a win at Iowa State and then the wheels fell off. What needs to change in 2008 for this team to be successful?

EJ: “We’ve gotta’ win our rivalry game against Akron. I think that game will set the tone for the season. We should have won the game last year and we didn’t. We bounced back and beat a good Ohio team, and showed glimpses of the team that we could be but we didn’t carry that through the whole season. I think starting the season off we need to stay strong, stay together, and not make the same mistakes that we did last year. We can build off of last season, and try not to make the same mistakes twice.”

PP: Defenses have been able to focus on you a lot since the passing game has been struggling. Have you and Julien discussed ways to take some of that pressure off of you?

EJ: “Not really. We have chemistry; we’re both playmakers and were both out there trying to make plays regardless. We know coming into games that the defense is trying to take me and him away. So, as playmakers we try to go out there as much as possible and just take what the defense gives us.”

PP: How encouraging is it for you and your teammates to see some KSU players get drafted in the past three seasons?

EJ: “The talent has never been an issue at Kent State, but now teams are starting to realize that we have a lot of athletes and players that can play at that next level and now we’re finally being recognized even though our record hasn’t been good. We know with a good record, well be recognized even more. Good (talent) will be found regardless.”

PP: You kick off the season in Cleveland against Boston College. What would winning that game do for your program?

EJ: “It would do an awful lot. There calling it the Patriot Bowl, it’s being played at Cleveland Brown’s stadium. What more can you ask for? If you can’t get up for this, I don’t know what would get you going. Hopefully we can pull the win out; that would be big for the program. We just have to use it as a spring-board going into the next week because we have another tough game against Iowa State, a team we beat last year. We know they’re gonna’ try to keep that from happening this year, they’re gonna’ come out harder than they did last year. Week in and week out we definitely will be challenged.”

PP: What is one thing people don’t understand about playing in the MAC?

EJ: “A lot of people think the MAC is a drop-off, but it’s not. There are a lot of talented players who get rejected from big schools, even though they have the talent to play at an ACC school or something like that. It’s very talented and competitive; it’s not a walk over conference.”

PP: Let’s fast-forward to the 2010 NFL Draft. If I’m an NFL GM looking for a running back in the late rounds why should I take Eugene Jarvis over the other guy?

EJ: “Productivity. A lot of people will say my size is a problem, but that’s something I can’t control. What I can control is my productivity and my actions on and off the field.”

Kent State kicks off its 2008 camapaign against the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, August 30th. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU