Flashes Host Zips With Possession Of The Wagon Wheel On The Line
9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Kent State (1-4, 0-1) vs.
Akron (2-3, 0-1)
Saturday, October 4, 2008 • Noon EDT
Dix Stadium (25,000/FieldTurf) • Kent, Ohio
Television: ESPN Plus/ESPN GamePlan (Michael Reghi & Doug Chapman)
Radio: WNIR 100.1 FM (Tom Linder, Reggie Crook & Ty Linder)
The Opening Kick
It's rivalry week in Northeast Ohio as Kent State and Akron meet on the gridiron for the 51st time - and the 38th battle in which the Wagon Wheel Trophy will be up for grabs. The contest will air in much of Ohio on ESPN Plus, in addition to running as part of the ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view package and ESPN360.com across the country.
After playing four of their first five games away from the friendly confines of Dix Stadium, the Golden Flashes begin a stretch that will see them play four of their next six contests at home. KSU turned in a dominating, 37-15, victory over the Zips in 2006 at Dix.
Close Quarters
With their respective campuses a scant 12 miles apart, Kent State and Akron have the distinction of being one of the closest football rivalries in the nation. Only Rice and Houston (6 miles) and ACC foes Duke, North Carolina & N.C. State (all within 10 miles of each other) are closer. Saturday's contest will mark the 51st time the schools have faced each other on the gridiron - a rivalry that dates all the way back to the first meeting in 1923.
Flash Facts
• Julian Edelman has completed 53.0 percent of his passes en route to throwing for 665 yards and five TDs in the first five games. He is also the team's leading rusher with 374 yards and five more scores.
• Shawn Bayes had one of the best games of his career at Ball State, tallying 172 all-purpose yards. On the year, he leads the Flashes with 15 catches for 297 yards and three TDs.
• Eugene Jarvis missed his second straight game, sitting out the contest at Ball State with a sprained ankle suffered on Sept. 13. Jarvis stands in fourth place on the KSU career charts with 2,674 yards rushing. Next up is current Cleveland Browns star Joshua Cribbs at 3,670 yards.
• Derek Burrell and Brian Lainhart lead the Flashes with 51 tackles each. Lainhart has made 24 stops the last two games to join Burrell in a tie for second in the MAC with 10.2 tackles per game (T-18 in the nation).
• With Saturday's contest on ESPN Plus, Kent State continues its run of having six of its final eight games on television.
A Glance At The Series
Meeting for the 51st time, Akron leads the all-time series by a 28-20-2 margin. The Zips have surged ahead in the series by claiming nine of the last 11 meetings, including a 27-20 decision last year in the Rubber Bowl. The Golden Flashes have won 12 of the 19 previous contests in Kent. Saturday will mark the 38th time the squads have met for the Wagon Wheel, with KSU owning a 19-17-1 advantage.
Television
Saturday's contest will mark Kent State's second straight appearance on the MAC TV Game of the Week which airs on ESPN Plus and will also be a part of the ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view package and on ESPN360.com. Michael Reghi will call all the action while Doug Chapman will handle the color analyst duties.
Radio
For the second straight year, the excitement of Golden Flashes football can be found on flagship station WNIR 100.1 FM in Northeast Ohio as part of the Kent State ISP Sports Network. New for this year, Tom Linder slides over from the analyst chair to handle the play-by-play duties, with Reggie Crook (defensive back at KSU, 1998-01) joining the team as the color analyst. Once again, Ty Linder will roam the sidelines for all of the broadcasts.
Web Site
Live audio for all Kent State football game broadcasts, live video of select games and live stats are available via the K-Zone on the official athletic department web site (www.kentstatesports.com).
The Coaches
• Doug Martin (Kentucky '85) is in his fifth season as a head coach, owning a 16-35 record at the helm of the Golden Flashes. He was promoted to head coach March 1, 2004, after serving as Kent State's offensive coordinator in 2003. (For a complete Martin bio see p. 13.)
• J.D. Brookhart (Colorado State '88) has a 24-29 record in his fifth season at Akron. In 2005 - his second year at the helm of the Zips - Brookhart guided Akron to a victory in the MAC Championship and a berth in the school's first ever bowl game.
Up Next
The Golden Flashes close out their brief two-game homestand by welcoming Ohio to Dix Stadium next Saturday (Oct. 11) for Homecoming. The game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m., will air on Fox Sports Net Ohio. The Bobcats lead the overall series, 37-21-2, although Kent State earned a 33-25 victory last year in Athens and has won three of the last five meetings.
| Complete Akron Notes (PDF Format) |
