Kent State coach Darrell Hazell’s first opportunity to show off his new team in today’s Spring Game did not go smoothly, as the Blue team edged the Gold team 6-0.

The Blue got the game’s lone touchdown at the beginning of the second half when a walk-on running back carried the team down the field.

Junior running back Larry Dawson, an Akron native and former walk-on at Akron, carried the ball five times in the second half’s opening drive and scored on a 3-yard touchdown run.

Dawson finished the spring game with 108 yards on 16 carries, and fumbled a second near-touchdown in the first half.

The Flashes’ defense on both teams struggled against the run with a depleted line backing corps. The team lost two starters at the position coming into spring, and are awaiting the arrival of several recruits this summer before the position is solidified.

Both teams combined for 259 rushing yards, but fumbled the football on five different occasions.

The biggest storyline heading into today’s game was the position battle at quarterback. Junior Spencer Keith, Senior Giorgio Morgan and freshman Cedric McCloud are competing for the job and all three excelled at times.

Keith, who was the first pick of the spring game’s draft, saw limited action, completing 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards. Morgan also threw for 48 yards, while McCloud completed 15-of-21 passes for 117 yards for the Gold team.