Kent State Defense Limits Ohio to 72 Passing Yards in Homecoming Heartbreaker

Saturday, October 3

Kent, Ohio

3:30 PM ET

Kent State University

2-3 , 1-1

Ohio University

3-2 , 1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Ohio	3	7	3	0	13
Kent St.	0	3	7	0	10

American football players wearing light blue jerseys and white pants celebrate a play on the field during a game as a referee looks on from the left.

Kent State Defense Limits Ohio to 72 Passing Yards in Homecoming Heartbreaker

10/3/2026 7:32:00 PM | Football

Box Score

KENT, Ohio – A pair of second-half field goal misses, including a blocked 49-yard attempt, proved the difference as Kent State fell to Ohio 13-10 in a MAC Homecoming matchup Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium. The Golden Flashes slipped to 2-3 overall, and 1-1 in MAC play, while the Bobcats improved to 3-2, 1-0.

Ohio's Will Hryszko opened the scoring with a 40-yard field goal late in the first quarter to cap a five-play, 14-yard drive that started with good field position. Kent State answered with its best drive of the afternoon, marching 80 yards on 14 plays across the first-quarter break before settling for a 24-yard Sean Leonard field goal to even the score at 3-3 early in the second quarter.

Ohio retook the lead midway through the second quarter when quarterback Matt Vezza broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run, capping a five-play, 46-yard drive that was aided by a Kent State interception that set up a short field. Vezza's scramble, which came on a third-and-13 from the Kent State 35, pushed the margin to 10-3 at halftime.

Mason King, scoring his first touchdown as a Golden Flash, provided the highlight of the second half. After the Kent State defense forced a fumble that Semaj Bridgeman scooped and returned to the KSU41, DeShields connected with Ardell Banks for a 47-yard gain to set up the short-field possession. The Golden Flashes converted a pair of fourth-down plays, the second a one-yard Hunter Hopperton rush to the Ohio 2, before King punched in a 1-yard score to tie the game at 10-10 with 6:52 left in the third quarter. Ohio answered with a 12-play, 54-yard drive that Hryszko capped with a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Bobcats a 13-10 advantage.

The second half offered two painful missed field goals for Kent State. A 10-play, 43-yard drive into Ohio territory stalled, and a 49-yard Leonard field goal attempt was blocked. The Dark Side Defense later delivered a critical stop, holding Duncan Brune for no gain on a fourth-and-1 at the Kent State 39 to give the offense one final chance with 2:30 left in the game. DeShields drove the Flashes 46 yards to the Ohio 15 in the closing minutes, but Leonard's 32-yard attempt drifted wide with 10 seconds remaining to seal the outcome.

DeShields completed 20-of-35 passes for 217 yards but was sacked three times and threw two interceptions. Da'Realyst Clark led all receivers with six catches for 68 yards, while Banks hauled in two catches for 60 yards, including the 47-yarder that ignited the tying drive. Terik Mulder added two receptions for 22 yards. Brandon White paced the ground game with 32 yards on nine carries.

Defensively, Kent State held Ohio to 253 total yards and just 72 passing yards. Hayden Dawahare led the team with eight tackles and a forced fumble, while the Flashes recovered two Ohio fumbles on the afternoon, Bridgeman's return, and a Trey Rubinstein recovery that he returned 26 yards in the second quarter. Rocco Nicholl added a sack and a tackle for loss.

Kent State travels to Kalamazoo to face Western Michigan on Saturday, October 10, at 3:30 p.m. in the Broncos' Homecoming game.

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