Kent State University
Miami
Kent State Welcomes Miami In Pivotal MAC Contest
10/25/2019 11:26:00 AM | Football
KENT, OHIO- The Golden Flashes (3-4, 2-1) will honor the 2019 Varsity "K" Hall of Fame class as well as all educators in a pivotal Mid-American Conference clash against the Miami Redhawks (3-4, 2-1) with a 3:30 kick off scheduled from Dix Stadium.
Saturday's game will honor educators as part of the "Extra Yard" promotion through the College Football Playoff Foundation. ANY educator with their school ID will get four FREE general admission tickets to the game on Saturday.
Additionally, the Golden Flashes will honor Debbie Bell (field hockey, 2008-11), Scott Miller (men's soccer, 1974-77), Kristin Peters (gymnastics, 2005-08), Nate Reinking (men's basketball, 1993-96) Jackie Rodgers (women's track & field, 2002-06), Greg Rohan (baseball, 2005-09) and Ryan Yip (men's golf, 2003-06) as part of the 2019 Varsity "K" Hall of Fame Class.
REFUSING TO CRUM-BLE
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum has been on a tremendous streak this season. He is one of two quarterbacks with six or more starts (Max Duggan-TCU) to not throw an interception this season. He has the longest interception-less streak in the FBS at 188 passes and counting. As a result, Crum is the 24th highest rated passer in the FBS this season.
COOKIN' UP YARDS
Senior running back Will Matthews has been a force since returning to the field. After a 125-yard, one touchdown performance against "The School Down the Road", he backed it up with another 85 yards and a score against Ohio. In his two games since returning from injury, Matthews has averaged nearly six yards per carry across 39 carries. Away from football, Matthews runs a successful food truck called "Southern Comfort Kitchen" that features some of the best cuisine that his native Louisiana has to offer.
THE REAL McKOY
Isaiah McKoy has taken the "leap" from his freshman to sophomore season. After a solid freshman campaign that saw 42 catches for 423 yards and three touchdowns, McKoy has 34 catches for 448 yards and four scores already this season. Working in tandem with wideout Mike Carrigan, the two have helped Dustin Crum average over 34 yards per touchdown pass.
KNIGHT TIME
Kent State safety Qwuantrezz Knight has stepped his game up as the season turned to MAC play. Knight is averaging better than nine tackles per MAC game, a top-10 mark in conference. More impressively, nearly two per game are for a loss. Knight's TFL per game mark is tied for the tops in the MAC.
STRENGTH ON STRENGTH
Saturday's game features one of the best punt return units (Miami) against one of the best punt coverage units (Kent State). Through seven games, the Golden Flashes have allowed just 30 punt return yards this season. On the flip side, Miami is averaging nearly 12 yards per punt return on the season and 14 yards per return in conference play. The Golden Flashes coverage teams against Maurice Thomas will be a key part of Saturday's matchup.
Also, the game features the top two place kickers in the MAC in Sam Sloman (Miami) and Matthew Trickett. Sloman is 7-of-9 in MAC play with a long of 53. Trickett is 7-of-8 in field goals in the MAC with a long of 45.
ABOUT MIAMI
The Red Hawks also come into Saturday's game at 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the MAC after wins over NIU and Buffalo and a loss to Western Michigan.
ON OFFENSE
Brett Gabbert will be the third true freshman quarterback that the Golden Flashes will face this season. If that last name sounds familiar, his older brother Blaine is a NFL quarterback and has played for Jacksonville, Arizona, San Francisco and Tennessee.
Gabbert is hitting on about 55 percent of his passes this season and is averaging over 200 yards per game in MAC play. The Kent State defense will have to keep an eye on his running ability, he had 40 yards on the ground to help lead the Redhawks to a win over NIU.
Miami boasts three big play receivers with the trio of James Maye, Dom Robinson and Jalen Walker all have over 200 yards receiving this year and each average over 19 yards per catch.
The run game has been by committee with Jaylon Bester leading the way with 50 yards per game average. Five backs have at least 30 carries on the season.
ON DEFENSE
Miami is one of the better attacking defenses the Golden Flashes will see this year, ranking 19th in the FBS and tops in the MAC.
Ryan McWood has been the defensive leader in conference, averaging nearly 11 tackles per contest. Doug Costin has been one of the defensive playmakers, ranking fourth in the MAC with 1.5 tackles per loss per game. Miami has three players in the top-15 in the TFL category, with Bart Baratti and Myles Reid joining Costin and averaging at least one TFL per game.
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's game will air on ESPN-Plus with Michael Reghi and Dustin Fox on the call. As always, you can listen to Ty Linder, Rob Polinsky and Jacob Pavilack on the Golden Flashes Radio Network with the call. Live Stats will also be provided and updates and highlights will be available on Twitter @KentStFootball.
LOOKING AHEAD
The first of three weekday games is next for Kent State. They will travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets on Tuesday, November 5th. Kick time will either be at 7 or 8 and will either be on CBS Sports Network or ESPN 2.
