Kent State University
Bowling Green
Flashes Set For First Road Test on Tuesday Night
11/9/2020 9:59:00 AM | Football
NOTES: Kent State | Bowling Green
Watch: ESPN 2 | Listen: Kent State Radio Network
KENT, OHIO- Kent State travels for the first time in the 2020 season, heading west to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons on Tuesday Night in a game that can be seen on ESPN 2 and heard on the Kent State Radio Network.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Bowling Green and Kent State meet for the Anniversary Award, a traveling trophy that recognizes the fact that both schools were founded in 1910. The Trophy has been given out each year since 1985, recognizing the 75th anniversary of each school.
WEEK ONE RECAP
The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 20-9 halftime lead on the Eastern Michigan Eagles in week one. EMU responded in the second half with 14 unanswered points, taking a 23-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Dustin Crum led the offense on a game-winning drive, hitting tight end Mark Williams on a nine-yard touchdown for the go-ahead and game-winning score.
Bowling Green committed two first quarter turnovers and got down early against Toledo and could not recover. The Rockets pulled away for a 38-3 victory, despite the Falcons averaging nearly five yards per rush.
PART OF A BALANCED OFFENSE
The Golden Flashes were about as balanced as possible against the Eagles. Kent State ran for 212 yards and passed for 219 yards in week one. The Flashes used a steady rotation of four backs against the Eagles, headlined by a pair of backs making their first appearances as a Golden Flash. True freshman Marquez Cooper led the team with 74 yards rushing and a 4.9 yards per carry average. That narrowly beat out redshirt freshman Bryan Bradford who totaled 72 yards on the ground at a six yard per carry clip.
X GONNA GIVE IT TO YA
The third member of the running back rotation is Xavier Williams (Dustin Crum is the fourth). Williams ran his touchdown streak to five with a 33-yard jaunt on a toss sweep. The Golden Flashes are 5-0 during Williams' impressive streak.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
The Golden Flashes saw 17 players achieve career highs in week one against the Eagles. Of those eight players made their Golden Flashes debut.
THE REAL McKOY
Junior wide out Isaiah McKoy loves to make big plays. The 26-yard touchdown grab he made against EMU was his ninth TD reception of 20 yards or more over the last two seasons. It was part of an eight-catch, 104-yard performance, his fifth 100-yard performance of his career. The Golden Flashes are 4-1 in those games.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Golden Flashes will look to win their second-straight MAC road opener, having defeated Akron last season 26-3. The last time that Kent State won a true road opener was in week one of the 2007 season, defeating Iowa State 23-14 in Ames.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
Kent State has not been 1-0 since a opening week victory in 2013. It's been even longer since the Flashes started 2-0, for that you have to go back to 1988 when the Flashes defeated a pair of local rivals in Youngstown State and Akron.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Bowling Green is one of the youngest teams in the NCAA with 60 percent of the roster consisting of true or redshirt freshmen. Similar to the Golden Flashes, look for the Falcons to have a steady rotation of running backs. Headlining the rotation is Andrew Clair, who is closing in on 2,000 yards in his BG career and is on the Doak Walker Award Watch List. Through the air, Matt McDonald got the start last week against Toledo. McDonald followed Coach Loeffler to Bowling Green from Boston College. One of his favorite targets is tight end Quintin Morris. Morris was a pre-season First-Team All-MAC by several publications. Defensively, Kholbe Coleman is one of the best edge rushers in the MAC. He was also a pre-season All-MAC honoree and someone the Flashes will need to keep eyes on Tuesday night.
FOLLOW ALONG
Tuesday night's game will air on ESPN2 with Mike Couzens and Cole Kubelic on the call. Fans can also listen on the Kent State Radio Network with Rob Polinsky on the call, coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. Fans can also follow on social media @KentStateFB as well as the Flashes Gameday Live landing page. All of the links can be found on our homepage at KentStateSports.com.
