2008 Woodie Awards
Senior Spotlight: Ballantyne looks to catch on in NFL
Nate Owen
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Sports
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Ask head football coach Rocky Hager what he will remember most about Kendrick Ballantyne and you won't have to wait long for a response.
"A play. Fourth-and-five. Overtime, New Hampshire. The catch, break a tackle, score a touchdown," he said.
The 6-foot, 4-inch senior tight end's 20-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback John Sperrazza put the Huskies within one point in the Oct. 21 game. Minutes later, a Sperrazza pass to sophomore halfback Alex Broomfield gave the Huskies a stunning 36-35 homecoming win over then-No. 6 New Hampshire.
Ballantyne had five catches for 71 yards in the game, including two touchdowns, contributing to his team-leading total of 39 catches for 655 yards and seven touchdowns. He established himself as one of the top tight ends in the Atlantic-10, while being named All-New England by the New England Football Writer's Association, and also named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference second team. But the fact that Ballantyne even played for Northeastern is almost serendipitous.
The Gorham, Maine native originally attended the University of Maine. But his involvement in a fight at a football party landed him and five other players on the fast track off the team. He got a second chance with Hager, starting his first year at Northeastern.
"I saw him on film and he showed some athleticism. The one thing that we did identify was that as a tight end, he was not much of a blocker and he's worked very hard to develop himself to be an adequate blocker."
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Ballantyne had to redshirt his first year as a Husky. But he didn't let this hold him back at practice.
"The year he was redshirted, he was scout player every day," Hager said. "He lined up and he went every day. When he got banged up a little bit he kept going. He showed a degree of toughness that was desirable for any football program."
He finally hit the field his junior year as a Husky, posting 18 catches for 182 yards and a score in six games before dislocating his elbow against William & Mary Oct. 15, 2005.
"A play. Fourth-and-five. Overtime, New Hampshire. The catch, break a tackle, score a touchdown," he said.
The 6-foot, 4-inch senior tight end's 20-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback John Sperrazza put the Huskies within one point in the Oct. 21 game. Minutes later, a Sperrazza pass to sophomore halfback Alex Broomfield gave the Huskies a stunning 36-35 homecoming win over then-No. 6 New Hampshire.
Ballantyne had five catches for 71 yards in the game, including two touchdowns, contributing to his team-leading total of 39 catches for 655 yards and seven touchdowns. He established himself as one of the top tight ends in the Atlantic-10, while being named All-New England by the New England Football Writer's Association, and also named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference second team. But the fact that Ballantyne even played for Northeastern is almost serendipitous.
The Gorham, Maine native originally attended the University of Maine. But his involvement in a fight at a football party landed him and five other players on the fast track off the team. He got a second chance with Hager, starting his first year at Northeastern.
"I saw him on film and he showed some athleticism. The one thing that we did identify was that as a tight end, he was not much of a blocker and he's worked very hard to develop himself to be an adequate blocker."
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Ballantyne had to redshirt his first year as a Husky. But he didn't let this hold him back at practice.
"The year he was redshirted, he was scout player every day," Hager said. "He lined up and he went every day. When he got banged up a little bit he kept going. He showed a degree of toughness that was desirable for any football program."
He finally hit the field his junior year as a Husky, posting 18 catches for 182 yards and a score in six games before dislocating his elbow against William & Mary Oct. 15, 2005.
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