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Belt Loops: Dri Archer to get the ball more and an update on Keith Wenning's knee

Dri Archer will get the ball more this fall, updates on Keith Wenning's knee. Oh and a former Toledo track coach is now an actor.

By Bryan M. Vance
US PRESSWIRE

Belt Loops is our roundup of Mid-American Conference news from around the wonderful world wide web.

φ Looks like we'll be seeing even more of Dri Archer this fall — As if Dri Archer, Kent State's everything man, wasn't already doing enough, he'll have a new role in 2013: Punt returner. Archer put up video-game numbers last season, finishing fourth in the nation in all-purpose yards. It seems first-year head coach Paul Haynes want's to see the play-maker increase those numbers. It also should help Archer's Heisman campaign, as he'll need every yard and touchdown he can manage to have a legitimate shot at finishing in the top five.

φ Remember disgraced Toledo cross country coach Kevin Hadsell? Well, he's found a new gig — Seven months after Dedspin broke the story that ultimately led to his resignation after 15 years of coaching women's track and cross country at Toledo, Hadsell has found a new path in life: Acting. The 43-year-old has been spending time in New York City recently and has actually landed several small gigs. It appears he's still drinking, chasing after younger women, and basically being the same guy who admitted to carrying on relationships with his student-athletes. But as an actor, none of those things are frowned upon. He's even landed a gig in an upcoming independent film. Seriously.

φ Northern Illinois is once again being picked to sneak up into the rankings — Yahoo! Sports writer Chris Wilson pegs NIU as a dark horse candidate to end the season in the Top 25 in this video breakdown. I've already made it clear that I think NIU was spurned coming in at No. 38, and it appears some people in the national media agree. The team is loaded, and brings back the vast majority of its offense, including Jordan Lynch. If it can get past Iowa and Purdue, the Huskies have excellent odds of reaching 10 or more wins, even with an improved MAC. The NIU stuff doesn't kick in until the last minute, so feel free to skip ahead.

φ Some details have emerged surrounding Keith Wenning's knee surgery — As we reported Saturday, Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning underwent minor knee surgery and will miss some time during fall camp. He's expected to be fully recovered by the start of the season though. Turns out the surgery stems from some annoyance was feeling in his left knee. Apparently it stems from an old high school injury. Though it appears to be nothing major, the fact that an old high school injury was bothering Wenning enough to warrant arthroscopic knee surgery this close to the season still makes it seem like this has the potential to develop into something of a problem later on. Only time will tell.

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