Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

It's been three years and Eugene Jarvis is still angry.

Angry at Pitt for giving his scholarship to a bigger running back. Angry at West Virginia for going in another direction. Angry at every coach that took one look at him and decided the 5-foot-5, 170-pound sparkplug was too small to play major college football.

So, every time Jarvis steps onto the field he runs with a purpose to show what everyone but Kent State missed out on.

"I've been criticized about my size my whole life pretty much," said Jarvis, a junior with the Golden Flashes. "Coming from high school to college that was always a big issue in recruiting. I had a lot of coaches that backed off me because of my size. At the same time, I just use that as motivation. Every game I go out with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove people wrong."

So far the motivation has worked.

Jarvis rushed for 1,669 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He's the nation's top returning rusher in yards per game. The only reason most don't know about him is because he plays for a Kent State team that finished 3-9 in a quarterback-centric Mid-American conference.

But trust that Jarvis is one of the quickest, smartest and most elusive backs in the nation. Jarvis put up nine 100-yard rushing games last year, including five over 150 yards and a 230-yard effort against Ohio. He rushed for more than 100 yards against Iowa State and Kentucky and rushed for 84 against Ohio State -- in the first half -- before being taken out because the game was so far out of hand.

"I like running inside more than outside, between the tackles," Jarvis said. "I feel like if you can make just one person miss you could really split right through the middle and things like that."

Jarvis credits his vision as his strongest attribute. Because he's so small, he can use offensive linemen as screens while he finds holes in the defense. When he hits those hole, he turns on the speed and his low center of gravity makes him tough to tackle.

Jarvis also has become know for his durability. He carried the ball 279 times last season without injury.

Associate head coach Jerry McManus said he didn't know last summer that he was watching would be the nation's best returning receiver, but he knew he was watching something special. He notes Jarvis' work ethic and drive and is thankful that Kent State took the chance when other teams passed.

"On a national scale, it would be kind of hard to believe that you'd have a back like him [as the top returning back]," McManus said. "But right now, with what he did last year, I'd put him with the top five backs in the country. I don't care BCS or non-BCS, that doesn't have anything to do with it. Just turn on the tape and watch him run. He can run with anybody in the country."