Flashes Jump Back into MAC Play at Western Michigan Saturday

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Kent State concludes its three-game road swing with a pivotal Mid-American Conference game at Western Michigan Saturday inside Waldo Stadium at 7 p.m. Seven of the Golden Flashes' final eight contests will be conference games, while Saturday marks the MAC opener for the Broncos. A pair of first-year head coaches will be looking for their first Mid-American Conference victory.

Facts In A Flash
• The Flashes have won 12 of their last 14 conference games, including a 12-1 mark against current MAC teams in that span.
• Kent State has won its last four MAC road games.
• The Golden Flashes' first four opponents carry a combined record of 12-4.
• Kent State has only turned the ball over three times in four games.
• The Kent State defense held Penn State to just 2-of-15 on passing attempts in the second half.
• Senior Roosevelt Nix is second among active FBS players in career tackles for loss (58.0), fifth in forced fumbles (10) and 14th in sacks (21.5).
• Also Kent State's career leader in tackles for loss, Nix is tied for the MAC lead in TFL with 6.0.
• Senior Tyshon Goode made his 152nd career reception at Penn State, tying him for second place among Kent State's career leaders.
• Junior tailback Trayion Durham is 2-for-2 this year on converting fourth down runs into first downs. He has scored his 19 career touchdowns.
• Prior to Penn State, redshirt freshman Colin Reardon ranked fifth among FBS underclassmen quarterbacks in completion percentage.
• Behind, sophomore Anthony Melchiori the Flashes rank 19th in the nation in net punting.
• Junior cornerback Dylan Farrington made his first career interception and posted a career-high eight tackles at Penn State.

The All-time Series
Western Michigan leads the all-time series with Kent State 33-19-1. The Broncos also lead the series in Kalamazoo 17-8-1, but the Flashes defeated WMU last season 41-24 at Dix Stadium. Kent State trailed 24-17 late in the third quarter before scoring 24 unanswered capped off by an 83-yard fumble return by Luke Batton. Trayion Durham ran for 124 yards and a touchdown. The last time the teams met Kalamazoo was 2010, when when Western Michigan ended the Flashes' bowl hopes with a 38-3 victory. Despite the lopsided score, Kent State outgained the Broncos in total yards.
• The Flashes have dropped seven straight in Kalamazoo, with their last win coming in 1988.

TV/Video/Radio
Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN3 with Dan Gutowsky (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (color).
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 fourth year in a row by color analyst Rob Polinsky. Matt Miller is the sideline reporter. The iHeartRadio channel works on a PC, smart phone or tablet.

WebSite, Twitter & Youtube
For Kent State football stories, statistics, photos, video and more, visit KentStateSports.com. For daily football updates follow @ksuathletics on Twitter. For an extensive video library visit the GoldenFlashesTV channel on YouTube.

The Coaches
• Paul Haynes became the first Kent State head coach to win his debut since 1988, a feat not accomplished by the previous five head coaches. Haynes was a two-time all-conference defensive back at Kent State from 1987-91, despite joining as a walk-on. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach 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 the 2012 season as defensive coordinator at Arkansas. (For a complete Haynes bio see page 9)
• P.J. Fleck (Northern Illinois '04) is in his first season at Western Michigan after spending the 2012 season as wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fleck also coached two seasons at Rutgers and three seasons at Northern Illinois, where he was a an All-MAC First Team selection as a player in 2003. He was also a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2006, serving on the same Jim Tressel staff as Paul Haynes and Darrell Hazell.

Flashes Against the West
Saturday will be Kent State's first meeting of the season against a MAC West opponent. The Golden Flashes have won their last five conference games against West Division foes, dating back to 2011. Kent State also drew Northern Illinois and Ball State on this year's schedule.
Kent State will be playing Western Michigan for the fourth time in five seasons, more than any other West Division opponent.

Rock & Campbell Return
Kent State offensive coordinator Brian Rock will return to the Waldo Stadium sidelines for the first time since 2005, where he served as an assistant coach for 10 seasons under three head coaches. His tenure included roles as offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Current Flashes' cornerbacks coach Amp Campbell spent the previous three seasons at WMU (2010-12).

Reardon's Solid Start
Despite being a redshirt freshman, Colin Reardon did not throw an interception until his 105th passing attempt of the season, which came in the second half of his fourth game.
After winning a closely contested quarterback job for week one, he completed 75 percent of his passes (21-of-28), including his first five attempts totaling 194 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards.
The following week, he repeated his efforts of two touchdown passes, and completing his first five pass attempts. He also led the Flashes with 58 yards rushing.
At LSU, Reardon scored his first rushing touchdown and completed 20-of-29 passes for 190 yards.

They Started as Walk-ons
Among Kent State's regulars are seven players that originally joined as walk-ons, including six who have since earned scholarships. The Flashes' top three tight ends (Tim Erjavec, Casey Pierce, Mike Levandowski) joined as walk-ons along with three players in the defensive line rotation (Nate Vance, Marcus Wright, Andrew Christopher) and long snapper Chad Bushley. Levandowski was the most recent player to earn a scholarship during preseason camp and got his first career start against Bowling Green.

Melchiori's Triple Threat
Sophomore Anthony Melchiori has found success on both kickoffs and field goals in addition to his punting this season. With six kickoffs for touchbacks, Kent State leads the MAC in net kickoff coverage.
• Melchiori also made his first three field goal attempts of the season, including a clutch fourth quarter field goal from 39 yards out against Liberty.
• Aside from Dri Archer's breakthrough season, the biggest surprise of 2012 came from Melchiori, who was among the nation's best as a true freshman. This summer, Melchiori was one of 25 players named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, honoring the nation's top punter. The Flashes ranked 12th in the nation in net punting (40.0) in 2012, while Melchiori ranked third in the MAC with a 42.6-yard average. Opponents only gained yards on punt returns in 5-of-14 games. Melchiori had 16 boots of 50 yards or more and dropped 28 of his punts inside the 20 yard line. His 75-yarder at Miami was the second longest punt in the MAC last season.

Rushing Battle is Key
Since last season, Kent State is 11-1 when outgaining opponents on the ground and 1-5 when the opposition runs for more yards.

A Day of Defensive Firsts
Sophomore nose tackle Chris Fairchild and freshman linebacker Darius Redmond each made their first career start at Penn State. Freshman defensive end Terrence Waugh made his first career appearance and first tackle. Junior cornerback Dylan Farrington made his first start of the season.
• Offensively, senior tight end Mike Levandowski made his first career catch.

Previewing Western Michigan

• Three of the Broncos' four setbacks have come on the road against Big Ten opponents.

• Western Michigan's lone home loss came against Nicholls State (27-23) when a late 64-yard Bronco drive came to end on an interception in the end zone with 33 seconds left.

• The Broncos lead the Mid-American Conference in pass defense, allowing just 167.0 passing yards per game. They also rank third in the MAC in total defense and second in the conference in pass efficiency defense.

• WMU went 3-3 at home last season, highlighted by a 30-24 victory over UConn.

• Like the Flashes, the Broncos have been riddled with a number of injuries in the early part of the season.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
• Senior running back Brian Fields has been the Broncos top offensive threat. Fields has run for 264 yards and three touchdowns and has caught nine passes for 101 yards.

• Freshman wideout Corey Davis ranks fourth in the MAC in receiving yards per game (83.8). Davis has a team-high 23 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns.

• Quarterback Tyler Van Tubbergen threw for 333 yards and a touchdown last season at Kent State, the first 300-yard game of his career.

• Junior safety Justin Currie led both sides with nine tackles last week at Iowa, including seven solo stops and one tackle for loss.

• Sophomore kicker Andrew Haldeman is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts this season, including a long of 42 yards.

• Senior Dareyon Chance has combined for 403 all-purpose yards on rushing, receiving and returning.

• Senior linebacker Kyle Lark leads the Broncos in total tackles (35) and tackles for loss (3.0). He has also has one of Western Michigan's five fumble recoveries.

Flashes Jump Back into MAC Play at Western Michigan Saturday

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