The swagger is finally back for Ashton Watson.

After a trying first three years, the senior cornerback has finally regained his confidence and the results have shown on the field.

He is expected to be starting at left cornerback when MSU opens its season Saturday against Kent State.

"I'm stronger mentally," Watson said. "I've gotten beat, I've made some plays, but my mentality now is that I'm coming?back.

"Two years ago, I might have went down a hole if I got beat, gone into a shell."

Both Watson and MSU head coach John L. Smith agreed that being a cornerback requires a lot of confidence. Knowing that Watson has a positive attitude has helped put his coach at ease.

"That makes me feel better," Smith said.

The biggest improvement Watson has found in himself is maturity, and that is helping him take his game to a whole new level.

"I always thought I had the ability," he said. "These coaches wouldn't have put me in the situation I'm in now if they didn't believe in my ability. They brought in 10, 11 corners and I'm still here."

Lining up opposite of Watson is expected to be junior Demond Williams, someone that Watson feels very comfortable with on the field.

"We've got a good relationship on and off the field," Watson said. "He carries me just like I carry him. I want to make plays, he wants to make plays. If he's not doing what he needs to do, I'll get on him and vice versa."

Besides confidence, Watson has undergone another noticeable change - he's bulked up.

"He's bigger and stronger than he has been," Smith said. "Rather than being a buck 50, he's up to 185...he looks a little chubby like me."

With senior Jaren Hayes currently not on the team because of an off-field incident, Watson has stepped up and filled that spot.

"I really think he's accepted this challenge," Smith said. "He wants to have a big year and he's worked his tail off. Now he has to go to the field and make plays."

Personnel department

Smith still expects Hayes to report with the walk-ons, but does not know exactly when that will happen, as some walk-ons don't report until after the first game.

Defensive lineman David Stanton has been ruled ineligible because of issues involving his transfer from junior college.

"I don't really want to get into it because I'll either start to cry or swear, one or the other," Smith said.

Smith said they are trying to exhaust all means of getting Stanton on the field, but are prepared to move on without him.

"We would have never recruited him and had him here if we had not totally expected him to be eligible."

Injury update

Smith expects that sophomore cornerback Irving Campbell will be back in time for the game Saturday.

"Irving has been practicing, he's not been taking any contact," Smith said. "But I expect the shoulder to make a lot of progress."

Smith does not expect Campbell to start in place of Williams.

"I would not project that," he said.

Tickets available

The athletic department announced that as of Monday afternoon, there were still 1,000 tickets left for Saturday's game priced at $46 each.