Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Kent State Golden Flashes season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Kent State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 2-10 overall, 1-7 in MAC
Head Coach: Sean Lewis, 2nd year, 2-10
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE KENT STATE OFFENSE
– It might not have seemed like it, but there really was an improvement in the Kent State offense. The FlashFast style might have have had a hard time controlling games or showing off too much flash, but there were signs of life after the program scored just 153 points in 2017.
– The next step forward comes this year with almost all of the parts back. It starts in the backfield, where former Auburn transfer Woody Barrett set single-season passing records, but it was a wildly inefficient and inconsistent passing game.
– Five of the top six receivers are back, starting with leading yardage guy Mike Carrigan and top receiver Antwan Dixon. Barrett should be able to spread the ball around, but the big plays have to start coming.
– Not only do all five starters return on the offensive line, and there’s decent depth. Now the line has to keep defenses out of the backfield after getting hammered time and time again by anyone who tried to get behind the line. Second-leading rusher Justin Rankin is gone, but speedster Will Matthews is back as the lightning, and 230-pound Jo-El- Shaw will pound with the thunder.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE KENT STATE DEFENSE
– The defense was the worst in the MAC, allowing 467 yards and 37 points per game. The biggest culprit was a run defense that was pushed around way too much – the line couldn’t generate any pressure.
The loss of all three starters on the front three hurts, but it’s not like the production was there. There’s little bulk, so the rotation has to be there to keep everyone fresh. No matter how this works, generating more than 24 sacks is a must.
– The linebacking corps is getting some more help. It’s already okay in terms of experience, but it has to be more disruptive. Nick Faulkner and Kesean Gamble are good-sized tacklers for inside or out, and Mandela Lawrence-Burke – who made 76 tackles two years ago, but was hurt last season – will be a part of the group to use his speed to make big things happen.
– The lack of a pass rush didn’t help the secondary that wasn’t totally miserable, but didn’t come up with enough picks or big stops. The safety tandem of Jamal Parker and Jeremiah Salaam should be a big positive as the year goes on, and Jamal Parker is a smallish baller at one corner. Now they all need a little help from the defensive front.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP KENT STATE PLAYERS
Best Kent State Offensive Player
QB Woody Barrett, Jr.
The 6-2, 236-pounder was a good recruit for Auburn, left to go the JUCO route, and ended up at Kent State where he turned into a great player to grow into the new offense. He didn’t do much in the way of pushing the ball down the field, and he only threw 11 touchdown passes and nine picks, but he ran for over 500 yards and seven touchdowns. Being more accurate would be a plus, but with the veteran receivers returning, he should be in for a far stronger passing season.
2. PK Matthew Trickett, Soph.
3. RB Jo-El Shaw, Sr.
4. WR Mike Carrigan, Sr.
5. WR Antwan Dixon, Sr.
Best Kent State Defensive Player
CB/S Keith Sherald, Jr.
It doesn’t matter if he’s a corner or a safety, he’s a very tough, very smart all-around defensive back with great quickness and excellent open-field tackling skills. He’s only 5-9 and 174 pounds, but he tied for the team lead with 91 tackles, broke up six passes, and he even came up with three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
2. S Jamal Parker, Sr.
3. LB Nick Faulkner, Sr.
4. LB Mandela Lawrence-Burke, Jr.
5. DE Theo Majette, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Kent State Offense
Toughen up on the offensive front. It’s a smallish, quick line – averaging in the 270ish range – but it has to start keeping defenses from living in the backfield. The Golden Flash running game had its moments, but it was hard to do much of anything behind a line that gave up a nation-high 121 tackles for loss and 43 sacks. To be fair, it’s been a problem for a while, allowing 90 tackles for loss or more in each of the last four years, but with a veteran line comes higher expectations.
Biggest Key To The Kent State Defense
Stop the run. It’s not just this easy, is it? Kent State allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards twice. One time it was against Howard, and another time it was against Bowling Green. Those just so happened to be the two times the D didn’t allow a touchdown run – and they were the two games they won. In every other game, they allowed 130 yards or more and two scores or more. Even when the run defense was okay – allowing 143 yards to Akron and 130 to Ohio – the games were close in losses.
Key Player To A Successful Season
OT Bryce Gibbs, Sr.
And it’s not just Gibbs. It’s the entire Kent State O line, and its whatever veteran option ends up at left tackle. The 6-3, 284 is one of the veterans up front, but he only started half of last year after getting banged up a wee bit. Again, the FlashFast offense doesn’t take off unless the blocking and pass protection are stronger.
Key Game To The Kent State Season
Bowling Green, Sept. 21
Kennesaw isn’t a lock of a win, but if this season is going to be anything interesting, it had better be a win. With a trips to Arizona State, Auburn and Wisconsin in the first part of the season, and with five of the first seven games on the road, the Golden Flashes have to take advantage of their home dates. They were able to slip by Bowling Green last season, and if they don’t do it this time around, just forget about even dreaming of getting to six wins.
– Kent State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Kent State Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 43 for 235 yards – Kent State 24 for 155 yards
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:09 – Kent State 27:51
– Red Zone Scoring: Kent State 36-of-40 – Opponents 44-of-60
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. KENT STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
It’s going to take baby steps for the Golden Flashes to start moving forward. There’s enough experience to start doing more offensively, but it all falls flat if the line doesn’t start blocking a whole lot better.
Woody Barrett is a veteran quarterback who knows what he’s doing, and he’s welcoming back his top receivers to keep dinking and dunking – but the downfield passes have to come.
For this to work, the little things have to be done right. All of the penalties have to slow down – committing close to nine per game last season – hitting more third down passes, doing more with the abysmal punting game, doing anything to keep defenses out of the backfield …
And just start scoring.
There are no expectations at one of the roughest places in college football to win, so for second-year head man Sean Lewis, it’s about getting just a wee bit better.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 4
The Golden Flashes should be able to take out Kennesaw to start the season, and they get winnable games against Bowling Green and Ball State at home. Four of the ten losses last year were by eight points or fewer. The team was a bit more competitive, but now it has to be consistent.
It’ll get to four wins, but anything more will require a big upset or three and for the FlashFast system to kick in all at once.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
