Kent State University
Ohio University
Flashes Visit MAC East Preseason Favorite Ohio Saturday
10/17/2017 3:14:00 PM | Football
Game Notes  ESPN3  Live Stats  Golden Flashes Radio
Fresh off a 17-14 comeback victory, Kent State looks to seize another opportunity against a Mid American Conference East Division rival Saturday, visiting Ohio University at Peden Stadium. Despite a 1-5 start to the season, the homecoming victory put the Golden Flashes in a tie for third place in the MAC East. A win Saturday would move Kent State into a second place tie with the Bobcats.
Facts In A Flash
• The Oct. 21, Week 8 matchup will be Kent State's final Saturday contest of the regular season.
• Junior quarterback George Bollas took over in the second half against Miami, completing 9-of-14 passes for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Junior linebacker Jim Jones ranks fifth in the MAC with 8.3 tackles per game.
• Freshman Elvis Hines and sophomore Jamal Parker each made their first interceptions of the season, giving Kent State 10 picks on the year, which ranks fifth in nation.  Â
• Senior cornerback Demetrius Monday has 11 career interceptions and ranks ninth in the nation with four picks in his last six games.Â
• Junior kicker Shane Hynes is in 5th place among Kent State career leaders with 28 field goals made.
• Sophomore Derek Adams ranks 14th in the nation in punting average.  One of only seven sophomores on the The Ray Guy Award Watch List, Adams has pinned 14 punts inside the 20.
• Sophomore safety MannyLawrence-Burke matched a career-high of 11 tackles against Miami.
• Senior Nathan Puthoff was chosen to wear the No. 54 jersey in honor of late teammate Jason Bitsko.  Puthoff is also on the Rimington Trophy Watch List, honoring the nation's best center.
• Kent State returned 12 players who have earned Academic All-MAC honors in their career and three MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes.
• Kent State ranks 31st in the nation in time of possession at 32:05.
All-Time Series
Ohio leads the all-time series with Kent State 42-25-
2 and has won the last three meetings. Â The Bobcats hold a 20-14 edge in Athens, including the last meeting at Peden Stadium, a 27-0 victory in 2015. Â The Bobcats rushed for 333 yards in that contest. Â Last season at Dix Stadium, the Flashes trailed 14-3 at halftime and came up three yards shy of completing a fourth quarter comeback in a 14-10 loss.Â
TV/Video/Radio
Saturday's game game can be seen on ESPN3 with Dave Weekley (play-by-play) and John Gregory (analyst). Â The game can be heard live on WHLO 640 and Golden Flashes Radio on iHeartRadio. Ty Linder will handle the play-by-play duties and is joined in the booth for the eighth year in a row by color analyst Rob Polinsky. Â Jacob Pavilack will be on the sideline. iHeartRadio can be heard on a computer, smart phone or tablet.
Big Play Carrigan
In the first half against Miami, sophomore receiver Mike Carrigan ran 61 yards on a reverse for Kent State's longest carry of the season. Â In the second half, he caught an 84-yard touchdown pass, marking the longest offensive play in the MAC this season. Carrigan finished the game with a career-high 162 yards of offense.
On Third Down
Kent State's offense has seen its struggles on third downs, ranking 113th in the nation. However, when the Flashes have had success on third downs, its been reflected in the final score. Â KSU went 8-for-15 on third downs in their win against Howard. Saturday against Miami, the Flashes went 6-for-9 on third down attempts in the second half.
Go-to-Guy on Third Down
On Kent State's 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive against Miami, sophomore running back Justin Rankin kept the chains moving with a pair of clutch third down catches. Then on 3rd-and-goal at the four, Rankin caught a TD pass from Bollas to finish the drive.
Long Drives
The Flashes third quarter touchdown drive against Miami was their longest of the year in both plays (14) and duration (6:17). Â KSU's second quarter field goal drive was its longest of the year in yardage (90).Â
Winning the Run Game
With its win over Miami, Kent State improved to 22-6 since 2012 when out-gaining opponents on the ground. Conversely, the Flashes are 3-37 when the opposition runs for more yards in that span.Â
Game 7-Miami Significance?
Kent State looks to mimic what Miami did last season when the teams also met in week 7. The RedHawks started their year 0-6, before a close home win over the Flashes ignited a six-game Miami winning streak.
Scoring in the Third
In its first six games, Kent State had only scored two points in the third quarter, but the Flashes came out firing after halftime against Miami with 14 third quarter points.
Hitting 27 Helps
Saturday's win over Miami marked the first time since 2015 the Flashes won without scoring at least 27 points in a game. Â Kent State is 9-1 when scoring 27 or more points in regulation since the beginning of the 2013 season. Â Kent State is 5-39 when falling short of 27 during that time.Â
Overcoming 1st Half Deficit
After overcoming a 14-3 halftime deficit, Kent State moved to 2-35 when trailing at the break since 2012. Kent State is 20-6 when leading at halftime during that stretch.
Don't Run at Cunningham
Senior defensive tackle Jon Cunningham made a career-high seven tackles against Miami, including five solo stops. Â Six of the seven tackles were for gains of two yards or less.
Sack Becomes a Weapon
Through their first five game, the Flashes had only three sacks on the season. Â However, in its last two games, Kent State has combined for 7.0 sacks.
Previewing Ohio
• The Bobcats rushed for 335 yards this past Saturday in a 48-30 road win at Bowling Green.
• Ohio scored touchdowns on all four of its trips to the redzone against the Falcons, improving to 29-of-35 on the year for touchdowns when reaching the redzone. Â
• The Bobcats are 16th in the nation in scoring offense at 39.7 points per game.
• Ohio ranks 21st in the nation and second in the conference in rushing offense at 229.3 yards per game.
• The Bobcats have won six of their last eight games at Peden Stadium.
• Ohio has also won 11 of its last 14 Mid-American Conference games.
Key Players To Watch
• Sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries at Bowling Green.  He also threw for 105 yards and a touchdown.Â
• Junior running back A.J. Ouellette has over 2,000 career rushing yards.  Ouellette ran for 123 yards and two TDs at Bowling Green, giving him 18 career touchdowns.
• Senior receiver Brendan Cope leads the Bobcats with 26 catches for 347 yards.  In 2015, he made 30 grabs for 510 yards.
• Senior cornerback Bradd Ellis intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown at Bowling Green.  Ellis also recovered a fumble against the Falcons.  He's broken up 10 passes.
• Senior linebacker Quentin Poling has forced three fumbles and leads the Bobcats with 63 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss. Last season, he was an All-MAC First Team selection.
• Senior linebacker Chad Moore has intercepted two passes and forced a fumble.  Last season, he made 96 tackles.
