Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Flash Fast 2020: Get to Know Your Golden Flashes
11/2/2020 5:40:00 PM | Football
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2020 |Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Dix Stadium
Game Notes: Kent State | Eastern Michigan | MAC
Watch: ESPN +Â |Talent: Dave Wilson (PxP) | John Gregory (Color)
Listen: Kent State Radio Network | Talent: Rob Polinsky
Twitter: @KentStFB
KENT, OHIO- The Return of the MAC becomes official on Wednesday when the Golden Flashes host the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Dix Stadium at 6 p.m. in a game that can be seen on ESPN + and heard on the Kent State Radio Network.
GRAND OPENING/GRAND CLOSING
Kent State and Eastern Michigan met on the last weekend of the MAC's regular season in 2019 and meet on the opening weekend of 2020. This will be the third time in the last 20 years that the Flashes have closed one regular season and opened the next with the same opponent. Kent State closed the 2002 season and opened the 2003 campaign with Akron and again in 2013 and 2014 with Ohio.
GET TO KNOW YOUR FLASHES
With the new season upon us, let's breakdown each position for the Golden Flashes and who to watch out for during this quick, six-game season.
QUARTERBACK
Kent State returns its top three quarterbacks from last year in Dustin Crum, Woody Barrett and Collin Schlee. After last year's breakout performance, Crum looks to continue his stellar play in 2020. The senior has found himself on numerous watch lists including: the Davey O'Brien, Manning, Maxwell and Unitas Golden Arm Awards. Crum completed nearly 70 percent of his passes last year and posted a 20:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The senior is also the team's returning rusher. Posting 707 net rushing yards last season.
Barrett offers starting experience and saw time in wildcat and other formations last season along side Crum in the backfield. Barrett's versatility will certainly be something to watch this season.
Schlee did not see any action during his redshirt season,but has an impressive high school resume. Schlee was named First-Team All-State after totaling 40 touchdowns and throwing for over 2000 yards as a senior.
New to the team this year is Griffin Brewster, a true freshman out of Rome, Georgia who was a three-year starter at the Darlington School.
RUNNING BACK
The Flashes lose Will Matthews, who was a backfield mainstay during the second half of the season, to graduation. Fans will see familiar names in the backfield with Xavier Williams and Joachim Bangda returning this season.
Williams was third on the team last year with 393 yards and averaging nearly five yards a carry. He totaled six touchdowns on the season and is an added threat out of the backfield in the passing game. Williams scored two touchdowns in 28 seconds against Buffalo last season, the fastest two scores in Division-I last season.
Bangda totaled 292 yards as a freshman and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. He broke out with a 114-yard performance against Bowling Green. At 231 pounds, Bangda will provide some thunder to the rushing attack.
The two new guys to watch out for include true freshman Marquez Cooper out of Quince Orchard, Maryland. Cooper ran for nearly 2900 yards and 51 touchdowns in just two seasons of varsity football.
This will be Bradford's second season with the Golden Flashes but his first live action after redshirting last season. Bradford comes out of Saint Louis where he starred for Christian Brothers. Bradford ran for just under 2100 yards and 34 touchdowns in helping capture Christian Brothers second-straight state title.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Kent State brings back junior Isaiah McKoy, who broke out with a huge sophomore year. McKoy led the Mid-American Conference with eight touchdown grabs and averaging over 15 yards per catch. In total, the junior hauled in 56 balls for 872 yards to go along with those eight scores. McKoy is that "lightning in a bottle" receiver, with all eight of his touchdown passes going for at least 20 yards.
Opposite McKoy will be the tag-team duo of Keshunn Abrum and Dante Cephas. Abrum saw some time for the Flashes last season, catching eight balls for 97 yards. He spent the first two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College. In his final season with Northwest, Abrum caught 21 balls for 336 yards and a score.
Cephas made one of the biggest plays of the year last season, blocking the punt that set up the tying score against Buffalo. Cephas saw action in three games last season, catching four passes in those games. The Pittsburgh native shined for a dominant Penn Hills squad that went 16-0 en route to a state title when Cephas was a senior. During his Penn Hills' career, Cephas totaled nearly 1000 receiving yards and 13 touchdown grabs.
In the slot, look for true sophomore Ja'Shaun Poke to get the starting nod. Poke saw time last year in a variety of roles, and will step into a staring roles. Poke caught three passes last year, had a rush for 18 yards against Bowling Green and returned some kicks in the bowl game. Poke is a burner and was a state-champion sprinter while in high school in Georgia.
One of the new faces to watch will be freshman Luke Florea. Florea was a flip from Boston College and is a local product from Mentor, Ohio and Mentor high school. Florea caught 52 passes for 939 yards and 14 touchdowns in his senior season.
TIGHT ENDS
The tight end room is extremely versatile for the Golden Flashes in 2020. Leading the way is Adam Dulka, who played in all 13 games for the Golden Flashes last season. Dulka caught seven balls on the season last year, but is more of a full back, blocking tight end.
Joining Dulka will be a pair of transfers in Keenan Orr (South Dakota State) and Mark Leach (Western Kentucky). Orr is a red zone threat at 6-5/223 and had touchdown scores against Toledo and Bowling Green.
Leach sat out last season after initially going to Western Kentucky. Leach was an all-region tight end in Virginia and all-conference. At 6-6/248, he offers a combo of what Dulka and Orr bring to the tight end position.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Kent State will see a combo of familiar and new faces along the line this season. Starting on the outside with the tackle position, Daniel Johnson will return as the starting left tackle. Johnson stepped into the starting role prior to the Buffalo game and the Flashes went 4-0 in his starts. At 6-5/307, Johnson has ideal size and good athleticism for the position. On the other side, Kent State transfer Bill Kuduk will take over after sitting out last season due to transfer rules. The Chicago native was a Blue-Gray All-America game participant as a senior in high school. Kuduk stands at 6-4/295 and will bring good size and athleticism to the strong side of the line.
At the guard position, the Golden Flashes have a pair of seniors in Adam Gregorie and Nate Monnin. Gregorie has played in 34 games in his Kent State career including all 13 games last season. Monnin, like Gregorie, has played in 34 games in his career.
At center, Jack Clement will take over making pre-snap reads. Clement is a South Dakota transfer who saw action as part of the offensive line rotation, including backing up Nate Warnock at center.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Familiar names line up on the defensive line in 2020 for the Golden Flashes. One of the newest single digit guys, Zayin West (now number zero) will return at defensive end. West has played in 25 games in his career and is coming off a 50-tackle season in 2019 that included four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
West's bookend will be Sekou Diaby, who enters his second season with the Flashes after two years at Dodge City Community College. The New Jersey native saw action in 11 games last season and started and ended the year with sacks.
In the middle of the line will be the duo of Buddha Jones and Oly Okombi. Jones played in 12 games last season as a true freshman. He had a season high four tackles in the bowl game victory and will continue to be a run-stuffing, driving force up the middle of the defensive line. Okobmi did not see any time during his redshirt season. The Maryland native did play in the "Big 33" all-star game as a senior in high school.
LINEBACKERS
Headlining the linebackers will be senior Mandela Lawrence-Burke. The leading tackler a year ago did so in a reserve role, not technically starting a game all season. Burke led the team with 104 stops and had three sacks on the season. He ended the season with a flourish, picking off a pass in the bowl victory. He will be taking on additional responsibilities as one of the primary signal callers on the defense.
Alongside Burke, A.J. Musolino steps into a larger role in 2020. The redshirt junior has been a special teams player for two seasons. The Struthers, Ohio native has played in 21 games in his career.
On the outside, it will be a mix of Kesean Gamble, Brandon Coleman, Matt Harmon and Khalib Johns. Gamble has played in 37 games in his Golden Flashes' career. Last season, Gamble had 53 tackles that included 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Harmon has seen time in eight games across his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons. In those eight games, Harmon has a tackle for loss as well as a quarterback hurry and will look continue to put pressure on the quarterback in a larger role.
Coleman redshirted last season but had a solid high school career out of Columbia Station, Ohio. He made 74 tackles as a senior including 12.5 as a loss and was first-team all-state. Johns is a transfer out of the College of the Canyons in California. He was named first-team all-conference and tallied 5.5 tackles for loss as an outside linebacker.
SECONDARY
In the secondary, the two safety positions will be occupied by veteran KJ Sherald and transfer CJ Holmes. Sherald has been a mainstay in the secondary and posted an 85-stop season in 2019. His two picks against Eastern Michigan helped to secure that victory that secured bowl eligibility. Holmes comes to Kent State after stops at Notre Dame and Penn State. Initially signed as a running back at Notre Dame, Holmes transferred to Penn State and made the switch to safety. He saw action on special teams at both schools and was a scout team player of the week twice for Penn State.
Dean Clark and Jeremiah Salaam will also be in the safety rotation if Sherald needs a breather. Clark is a Massillon, Ohio native and saw action in 12 games last year as a true freshman. Salaam made 31 tackles in 10 games last season, including a season high nine in the win over Ball State.
At corner, it will be another newcomer in Tony Butler on one side and veteran Elvis Hines on the other. Butler comes to Kent State by way of Nebraska. The Lakewood, Ohio native was an Academic All-Big-10 selection and also saw time on special teams. Hines will be suiting up in his 37th game for the Golden Flashes. Hines made 58 stops last season and was second on the team with seven pass breakups. Mario Nunez and Montre Miller will also be a part of the cornerback rotation. Nunez preserved his redshirt with four games last season, making 10 tackles. Nunez forced and recovered a fumble against Wisconsin to go along with a season-high four tackles. Miller played in eight games during his redshirt freshman year, making nine tackles, including a season-best of three in the bowl victory.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Matthew Trickett is back for his junior season and finds himself on the Groza Award watch list after tying for the FBS lead with 29 made field goals last year. Trickett hit a pair of "walk-off" field goals and had a third that was a last-second game-winner. He was a perfect 5-for-5 in the bowl game victory over Utah State. Seth Phillis, an all-state kicker out of Pennsylvania, would be next in line after Trickett.
Ian Henzi steps in to punt in 2020 after redshirting last season. He punted and kicked for Ventura College, averaging 39 yards per kick and placed 16 inside the 20 during the 2018 season.
