Flashes Playing for Bowl Eligibilty Friday at Temple
11/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Complete Notes in PDF
Looking to become bowl eligible, Kent State closes out its regular season Friday against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Both teams enter Friday with a 4-3 Mid-American Conference mark looking to secure sole possession of second place in the East Division. The Golden Flashes are riding a four-game wining streak and look to win five straight MAC games in a season for the first time in the history of the program. Kent State is 3-0 in the month of November for only the second time since 1976.
Facts In A Flash
• Junior quarterback Spencer Keith has thrown seven touchdowns in his last four games with no interceptions. During that span, Keith moved into third place among Kent State's career leaders in passing yards (5,781) and touchdowns (32).
• The 1-2 punch of true freshman Trayion Durham and senior Jacquise Terry have combined for 515 yards rushing in the last four games on 113 carries. Durham ran for a career-high 107 yards against Akron, one week after going for 90 yards against Central Michigan.
• MAC Defensive Player of the Year Roosevelt Nix has matched his career-high of six tackles in each of his last two games. The sophomore had 4.0 tackles for loss against EMU, raising his career total to 37.0 (9th in KSU annals). Nix also had a sack, raising her career total to 14.5 (7th in KSU annals). He has also forced seven fumbles in two seasons.
• Sophomore safety Luke Wollet is tied for the MAC lead in total interceptions with four, which is tied for 18th in the nation. Cornerback Norman Wolfe leads the MAC in interceptions per game (0.43).
• Junior middle linebacker Luke Batton leads the team with 91 tackles, which ranks ninth in the MAC. Batton has blocked a field goal, recovered a fumble and made 7.5 TFL.
• Senior punter Matt Rinehart is a two-time first team All-MAC pick. This season, he has had 15 boots of 50 or more yards, including three Saturday against Eastern Michigan.
• Junior receiver Tyshon Goode made catches for 70, 27 and 24 yards against Eastern Michigan, posting season highs of five grabs for 129 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
A Glance At The Series
Friday's game will mark the sixth all-time meeting with the Owls in a series that started in 2006. Temple holds a 3-2 advantage, winning each of the last two meetings and each of the last two in Philadelphia. (For the complete series history see page 12.)
Radio
For the fifth 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 Sports Network from IMG College. Ty Linder will handle the play-by-play duties and is joined in the booth for the second year in a row by color analyst Rob Polinsky. Kent State senior Dan Scotchmer joins the team this year as the sideline reporter.
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
• Darrell Hazell (Muskingum '86) is 5-6 in his first season as a head coach, assuming the reins at Kent State on Dec. 20, 2010. Hazell spent the previous seven seasons at Ohio State and is in the midst of his 26th season on the collegiate sidelines. (For a complete Hazell bio see page 11.)
• Steve Addazio (Central Connecticut State '81) is in his first season at Temple after spending the previous six seasons as associate head coach at Florida where he was also the offensive coordinator in 2010. Addazio also spent three seasons at both Indiana and Notre Dame and four seasons at Syracuse.
As Keith Goes, So Goes The Team
For the fifth time this season and fourth consecutive game, junior quarterback Spencer Keith (Little Rock, Ark.) did not throw an interception Saturday against Eastern Michigan. Kent State is 5-0 this season and 9-1 since 2010, when a Keith pass is not picked off. Conversely, the Flashes have dropped 12 straight when Keith throws an interception.
Up Next
Kent State looks to join the 65 teams, including Temple, that are already eligible for one of the 70 open bowl slots. The Mid-American Conference has three primary bowl tie-ins and four secondary bowl tie-ins.
