Kent State University
University at Buffalo
Flashes Close Regular Season at Buffalo
11/25/2022 1:24:00 PM | Football
BUFFALO- The Golden Flashes close the regular season and look to spoil the Bulls' senior day as they head to Buffalo for a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon kick-off.
The two sides have been evenly matched in 27 all-time meetings dating back to 1937. Buffalo owns a slim 14-13 lead all-time and the sides have split 12 meetings in Buffalo.
COOP IN ELITE COMPANY
Running back Marquez Cooper sits at 1,186 yards this season and became only the fourth player at Kent State to top 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. With 14 yards on Saturday, Cooper would join Eric Wilkerson as the only Kent State backs with back-to-back 1,200 + yard seasons.Â
WALKER CLIMBING THE RANKS
Devontez Walker has enjoyed his breakout season and will look to add to it on Saturday. At 837 yards, he has already set a career best and is currently sixth on the single-season yards list at Kent State and is 163 yards away from enjoying the fourth 1,000 yard season at Kent State. His 10 touchdowns are third most all time and most for a player not named Eugene Baker in Kent State history.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The Flashes honored the 2022 senior class last week against Eastern Michigan and will look to send out the class with a road win. Four members of the class: Sam Allan, Kesean Gamble, Kris Leach and Zayin West have all made 20 or more starts for the Golden Flashes in their careers.
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
Buffalo sports the most efficient red-zone offense in MAC play, scoring on 20 of 21 trips into the red zone, including 16 touchdowns. The Flashes' soul collectors defense has been one of the toughest in the red zone, allowing scores on 79 percent of the time (19 of 24) including only 13 touchdowns, both marks are top three in the MAC.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Buffalo leads the MAC in time of possession, averaging over 32 minutes per game in conference play. The Flashes have averaged 25 minutes per MAC game so far this season. Third down will play a big factor in Saturday's possession, the Flashes have converted 40 percent of their third down through seven MAC games, while Buffalo has allowed a mere 33 percent conversion. Conversely, Buffalo converts on 37 percent of their third downs and Kent State has allowed a 38 percent conversion rate.
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's game will air on ESPN + with Michael Reghi and Jerod Cherry on the call. Rob Polinsky and Tom Evans will have the call on the Kent State Radio Network with the pre-game show starting at noon.
