Where: Yager Stadium (24,286), Oxford.
Coaches: Kent State Sean Lewis, first season, 1-5 at Kent State, same overall; Miami Chuck Martin, fifth season, 18-37 at Miami, 92-44 overall.
»RELATED: RedHawks wary of last-place Golden Flashes
Last time: Last Oct. 14 at Dix Stadium in Kent, backup quarterback George Bollas took over in the second half and threw touchdown passes of 4 yards to Justin Rankin and 84 yards to Mike Carrigan as Kent State came from behind for a 17-14 win. Miami took a 14-3 lead into halftime on Billy Bahl touchdown passes of 13 yards to James Gardner and two to Ryan Smith.
Series notes: Miami leads the series, 48-17, including 25-7 at Oxford. The Golden Flashes have won two of the last three games and four of the last six.
Stat pack: Kent State RB Justin Rankin 80 carries, 461 yards, 5.8 avg., 3 TDs; QB Woody Barrett 142-of-227 passing, 1,411 yards, 7 TDs, 7 int.; WR Isaiah McCoy 28 catches, 311 yards, 2 TDs; LB Matt Bahr 57 tackles, 31 solo.
Miami RB Alonzo Smith 65 carries, 290 yards, 48.3 avg., 2 TDs; QB Gus Ragland 114-of-187 passing, 1,231 yards, 9 TDs, 2 int.; WR Jack Sorenson 23 catches, 377 yards, 2 TDs; S De’Andre Montgomery 51 tackles, 28 solo.
Local flavor: So. WR Raymond James, Wayne; Jr. DB Richie Carpenter, Jr., Urbana; Fr. OL Mike Norris, IMG Academy; So. OL Nathan Monnin, Piqua.
Worth noting: Kent State's record includes a 31-24 loss at Illinois in the opener and a heartbreaking 27-26 homecoming loss this past Saturday to preseason MAC favorite Ohio. … The Bobcats needed a touchdown with 1:28 left in the game to pull it out. … Freshman place-kicker Matthew Trickett was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week after becoming the first Golden Flashes' kicker since 2014 to go 4-for-4 on field goals. He is 9-for-10 on the season, including a career-best 49-yard field goal to end the first half against Ohio. … The Golden Flashes' defense is tied for second in the conference with six interceptions, but Kent State's average of 94.7 penalty yards per game is more than any other team. … Kent State has drawn 65 flags, 16 more than the next-most-penalized MAC teams. … They committed 11 penalties for an even 100 yards against Ohio. … The Golden Flashes have allowed 24 sacks, the most of any MAC team.
Quotable: Lewis on the Golden Flashes beating themselves against Ohio: "You're checking a lot of the boxes in your plan to win that say you should win the football game, but ultimately before you can win, you can't beat yourself. In a game where there were a total of 162 snaps, we had three turnovers and 11 penalties. If on those 14 plays we are a little bit better, have a little bit more focus, then we'll end up on the right side of the ledger."
About the Author