Sophomore English major Will Kucinski has no qualms about the decidedly pro-Buckeye garb he will be donning at tomorrow’s Ohio State vs. Kent State football matchup in Columbus.

“I love Kent, but I’m going to be in scarlet and gray that day,” said Kucinski, who will make the two-hour trek to Columbus tomorrow to attend the game with his girlfriend, an Ohio State student.

For many like Kucinski, the dress code for the game at Ohio Stadium will be strictly scarlet and gray — no matter where the tuition money goes. But other Kent State students will spend tomorrow walking the fine line between cheering on their favorite team and being loyal to their alma mater.

Chris Sanford, a sophomore justice studies major, will attend the game clad in his best Ohio State attire. He said he enrolled at Kent State for its academics, but he will always have a soft spot in his heart for the Buckeyes.

“I’ve loved Ohio State my whole life — its like a tradition I grew up in,” Sanford said. “But I was thinking of wearing Kent State stuff underneath.”

While many Kent State students profess an affinity for Saturday’s opposing team, others, like Samantha Uhas, a freshman exercise science major, aren’t so quick to abandon the Golden Flashes.

“I think I’m going to be wearing Kent State stuff,” Uhas said. “I go here, so it’s hard to decide.”

Uhas said its not surprising many Kent State students will root for the Buckeye’s in Saturday’s game.

“Its Ohio,” Uhas said. “You grow up rooting for Ohio State. You don’t grow up rooting for Kent State, unless maybe you live in Kent.”

And while Ohio Stadium will be awash with fans decked out in Ohio State’s scarlet and gray and Kent State’s blue and gold, Caitlin Rosborough, a sophomore business marketing major, said she plans to stand out in a mix of the two.

“I’m wearing my Ohio State Buckeyes jersey and my Kent State sweat pants,” Rosenborough said. “I’ll be rolling up my sweat pants, and I’ll have one red sock and one blue sock. I’ll also have a Kent State lei and a Buckeye decal on one of my cheeks and a Kent State decal on the other.”

Rosenborough said she shares a sense of enthusiasm about both universities.

“I’ve never been to a Ohio state game or a Kent State game, and what better time than to see them play each other?” she said.

Steve Donnelly, a sophomore integrated mathematics major, feels the Buckeye-Golden Flashes game is a win-win situation for those who double as both Kent State students and Ohio State fans.

“I’ll be rooting for Kent, but I’ll be wearing Ohio State stuff,” Donnelly said. “We live in Ohio, so either way its OK. And you never know, Appalachian State did beat Michigan.”

Contact news correspondent Jenna Staul at [email protected].