No. 1 Alabama Hosts Flashes Saturday

Game Notes Golden Flashes Radio ESPN3/SEC Network

Coming off its strongest all-around performance in the last 12 months, Kent State closes out non-conference play Saturday, visiting No. 1 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Golden Flashes held an opponent under 10 points for the first time since 2013 and shut the Hawks out in the first three quarters.. Both sidelines will be led by former Kent State safeties and alums Paul Haynes and Nick Saban.

Facts In A Flash
• Senior safety Nate Holley ranks second in the nation with 15.7 tackles per game and his 9.0 solo tackles per game leads the nation.
• Senior defensive end Terence Waugh ranks second in the nation in sacks (5.0), eighth in tackles for loss (8.0) and 11th in solo tackles (26).
• Junior receiver Nick Holley made seven catches, including two touchdowns against Monmouth for the second multi-touchdown game of his career.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Mylik Mitchell completed 14-of-18 passes against Monmouth and added 77 yards rushing. He has five touchdown passes in his last two games.
• Senior linebacker Elcee Refuge intercepted a pass against the Hawks, giving him a hand in a turnover in three straight games.
Sophomore running back Myles Washington scored his first career touchdown on a 7-yard run.
• Five Kent State offensive linemen have made a combined 105 career starts.
• Sophomore center Stefano Millin was chosen to wear the No. 54 jersey (see page 6).
• Senior linebacker Nick Cuthbert, who had just one B in his undergraduate career, earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors last season.
• Kent State returned 10 Academic All-MAC selections and three MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes.
• Picked to finish last in the MAC East in both the media and coaches polls, the Flashes will play a familiar role of underdog throughout the year.

All-time Series & SEC
Kent State and Alabama will meet for just the second time in the history of the programs. The Crimson Tide topped the Flashes 48-7 in the 2011 season opener after jumping out to a 21-0 first quarter lead. Kent State is 0-12 against the SEC, with seven setbacks coming against Kentucky. Most recently, the Flashes fell to No. 8 LSU, 45-13 in 2013.

TV/Video/Radio
Saturday's game can be seen on SEC Network and ESPN3 with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline). All Kent State games can be heard live on 640 WHLO and Golden Flashes Radio on iHeartRadio. Ty Linder will handle the play-by-play duties and is joined in the booth for the seventh year in a row by color analyst Rob Polinsky. Jacob Pavilack will be the sideline reporter. iHeartRadio can be heard on a computer, smart phone or tablet.

The Coaches
• Paul Haynes is in his fourth year at his alma mater. In 2013, Haynes became the first Flashes' head coach to win his debut since 1988. He was a two-time All-MAC safety at Kent State from 1987-91, despite joining as a walk-on. He returned as an assistant in 1999 and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2000. After seven seasons on an Ohio State staff that won six Big Ten titles (2005-11), Haynes spent 2012 as defensive coordinator at Arkansas. His current tenure has also brought Kent State's academic achievements to new heights with the highest term and cumulative team grade point averages in program history.
• Nick Saban (Kent State '73) carries a record of 103-18 in 10 years at Alabama and 194-60-1 at four FBS head coaching posts. Getting his start as a graduate assistant with the Golden Flashes under Don James in 1973, Saban is among the elite in college coaching history with five national titles. Four of those crowns have come in previous seven seasons with the Tide. After winning a national title at LSU in 2003, Saban spent two years as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Saban's start as a head coach began with a MAC title at Toledo in 1990, before he served as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns for four seasons.

Previewing Alabama
• Despite early season opponents like USC and Ole Miss, Alabama ranks sixth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 64.3 yards per game.
• The Crimson Tide is just as dangerous on offense, ranking 11th in scoring with 46.0 points per game.
• Since 2011, Alabama has gone 65-7, winning three national titles.
• The Tide is outscoring opponents in the third quarter 45-6.
• Over the last five-plus seasons, Alabama has been dominant in non-conference home games with 24 points being its smallest margin of victory.
• Six players on the Tide's defense have either intercepted a pass or forced a fumble.

Key Players To Watch
• Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for 146 yards on 18 carries Saturday at Ole Miss. He also threw for 158 yards on 31 attempts without an interception.
• Sophomore running back Damien Harris rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries at Ole Miss.
• Senior tight end O.J. Howard was the offensive MVP of last year's CFP title game after making five grabs for 208 yards.
• Sophomore receiver Calvin Ridley set Alabama freshman records last year with 89 catches for 1,045 yards.
• Senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards for a score at Ole Miss. The All-SEC First Team selection has 21.0 career sacks.
• Senior linebacker Reuben Foster has made 129 career tackles and leads the Tide with 22 stops this season.
• Senior defensive back Eddie Jackson has made nine career interceptions.

Hitting 27 Helps
With their win over Monmouth, the Flashes improved to 6-0 when scoring 27 or more points in regulation. Since the beginning of the 2013 season. Kent State is 4-28 when falling short of 27 during that time.

Winning the Run Game
Kent State's 235 yards rushing against Monmouth were the most in their last 11 games. The Hawks' 67 yards rushing were lowest by an opponent in the Flashes' last 13 games.

And Third Down Conversions
The Flashes' success on both sides of the ball in the run game resulted in more success on third downs. Offensively, Kent State went 8-of-16 on third downs, by far its best conversion rate of the year. The Flashes' defense held Monmouth to 2-for-15 on third down attempts.

Hynes in the Clutch
Prior to a blocked kick against Monmouth sophomore kicker Shane Hynes had made nine straight field goal attempts from inside 50 yards. In wet conditions against NC A&T, Hynes went 3-for-3 on field goals, including a pair of clutch field goals in overtime from 40 and 42 yards out.

Holley on Bednarik List
Nate Holley was one of 90 FBS players and two MAC players on the Preseason Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. Holley ranked in the nation's top five in tackles per game in 2014 and 2015, claiming All-MAC First Team honors in both seasons.
Holley has made 15 or more tackles in five of his last six games, including 17 against Monmouth (13 solo). He's made 362 career tackles and is on pace to crack the program's top 10, which includes Paul Haynes at No. 7 with 440 tackles. After making 17 tackles at Penn State, he was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.

Waugh On Hendricks List
Senior Terence Waugh is on the Ted Hendricks Watch List for the second consecutive season. Waugh is one of 28 FBS players on the list that honor's the nation's best defensive end. He finished seventh in the nation in sacks per game last season and was among the MAC's leaders in tackles for loss.
Picking up where he left off last season, Waugh now has 14.0 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss in his last 13 games played. His forced fumble at Penn State resulted in a touchdown.

Supporting MD Research
Kent State and Alabama coaches will join football staffs around the country wearing a Coach to Cure MD patch to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans can donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999. Coach to Cure MD is the national game day charity project of the American Football Coaches Association.

Fackler's Night to Remember
Senior tight end Brice Fackler had career-highs of 58 yards receiving and two touchdowns against NC A&T. He also matched a career-high of three catches and became the first Golden Flash in the previous 12 games with two TD grabs in the same contest.

Immediate Impacts
True freshman running back Justin Rankin rushed for 82 yards on only 13 carries (6.1/carry) in his first career start at Penn State. It was the most rushing yards by a Kent State back in the team's previous six games. Rankin scored his first career touchdown in overtime against NC A&T.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Mylik Mitchell also made his debut at Penn State and showed the ability to move the offense down the field. Mitchell threw three touchdown passes in his first career start against NC A&T, matching the most in a game by any Kent State quarterback since 2004 (Josh Cribbs).

Players Mentioned

Nick Cuthbert

Brice Fackler

Nate Holley

Nick Holley

Shane Hynes

Stefano Millin

Mylik Mitchell

Justin Rankin

Elcee Refuge

Myles Washington

Terence Waugh

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