The Kent State football team was unable to break its losing streak against Western Michigan (5-3, 4-0) after losing 52-21, which extended the streak to 17 games. The defeat kept the Flashes in last place in the CBS Sports College Football rankings.
“It came down to key errors and mistakes by some of our younger players. On defense, guys not being in the gap they’re supposed to be. On offense, execution in our pass game and throwing the ball down the field,” coach Kenni Burns said.
Once again, Kent allowed the opponent to score first. Western Michigan scored the first 38 points of the game. The Broncos scored on six of their first seven drives.
The Flashes got on the board with a touchdown late in the first half, but the damage was already done as the 38-7 halftime deficit was insurmountable.
Kent State had a bye week, and then the team will start its three-game weeknight schedule when it hosts the Ohio Bobcats (5-3, 3-1) on Wednesday.
Two of the three losses for the Bobcats came against Syracuse and Kentucky. Ohio’s conference loss came at the hands of Miami Oct. 19 in a 30-20 defeat.
The Flashes and the Bobcats have no common opponents to date.
“A good challenge for us, coming back home and starting MACtion. I know our kids are excited to play, and play on national television, and it should be a fun atmosphere and a fun time for them and a chance for us to get better,” Burns said.
Quarterback
Junior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski struggled for a second straight game, completing 12 of his 24 passes for 114 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. In the first half, he had just 31 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a fumble.
Senior quarterback Parker Navarro will take the snaps for Ohio. He has played in seven of the team’s eight games this season, throwing for 1,217 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rating of 138.5 is fifth in the Mid-American Conference.
This will be the third straight matchup for the Flashes against a quarterback who has a rating within the top five in the MAC.
Running back
Though the team had just 3.49 yards per carry last week, the 136 yards on the ground were the team’s most since Oct. 14 of last season against Eastern Michigan.
Senior running back Ky Thomas led the way with 62 yards on 15 carries for an average of 4.13 yards per carry.
“We’ve definitely improved in the run game and I think that’s something our O-line’s built to do,” Burns said. “They’ve gotten better, and we’ve put them in better situations, and we’ve gotten the ball to Ky a little bit more, which has been great.”
The defense will be facing the MAC’s second-leading rusher in senior Anthony Tyus III. Tyus has picked up 610 yards and five touchdowns on 112 carries, averaging 5.45 yards per carry. He is eighth in the MAC in yards per carry among rushers with at least 40 carries.
“He’s a really talented player, and he fits in well with what they’re doing,” Burns said.
Though Navarro averages just 173.86 yards per game through the air, he is the Bobcats’ second-leading rusher with 515 yards on 82 carries. His 6.28 yards per carry lead the team among carriers with multiple attempts. He is second in the MAC in yards per carry among ball carriers with at least 40 attempts.
Receivers
The Kent State receiving duo of redshirt sophomore Chrishon McCray and graduate student Luke Floriea were unable to heavily impact the game, combining for just 66 yards on six catches. Despite neither receiver having a big game, the two are both in the top 10 in the MAC in receiving yards.
McCray sits at seventh in the conference with 566 yards while Floriea is ninth with 499 yards. The two are in the top five in yards per catch in the MAC, as well. McCray is third with 18.26 yards per catch, and Floriea averages 16.63 yards per catch.
“We have to figure the passing game out and find a way to get higher percentage passes, and quite honestly, we have to play better,” Burns said. “We have to play better and execute the call that’s made.”
Sixth-year senior Coleman Owen is Ohio’s leading receiver with 682 yards on 44 receptions. He is responsible for 47.2% of the team’s receiving yards. Owen is third in the MAC in receiving yards, fifth in receptions and sixth in yards per catch with 15.5. Owen has also pulled in five touchdowns.
The Bobcats also lean on sophomore receivers Chase Hendricks and Rodney Harris II, who are both over 200 yards on the season. Hendricks has 22 receptions for 283 yards while Harris has 16 catches for 204 yards.
Defense
Against the Broncos, the Kent defense had its worst performance in MAC play, allowing 579 yards and extending its streak of allowing over 400 yards to nine games. The Flashes are last in the MAC in yards per game allowed, rushing yards per game allowed and points per game allowed. They are only better than Ball State (3-5, 2-2) in passing yards per game allowed.
On a national scale, the Flashes are last in yards per game allowed, rushing yards per game allowed and points per game allowed. They sit at 129th out of 134 FBS teams in passing yards per game allowed.
“We have guys who are a little bit inexperienced,” said Burns. “They are making some mistakes that are rookie mistakes and are hurting the core of our defense.”
The Bobcats are a top-three MAC defense in yards per game allowed, giving up 337.75 yards per game. They are sixth in passing yards per game, allowing opponents to throw for 220.25 yards per game. Ohio is one of the hardest defenses in the MAC to run against, giving up 117.5 yards per game, second only to Northern Illinois (4-4, 1-3). The Bobcat defense surrenders 23.25 points per game, placing them fifth in the conference.
“Guys have to step in and do the job they’re asked to do, and the next man up mentality has to happen with our football team,” Burns said. “No time to be weary and down. All you can do is get better and change your best. We always talk about being creative and positive in our approach and I talked to our coaching staff about doing that moving forward and challenged our players to do the same.”
Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
