By EVAN MEYER
After losing a heartbreaker by one point to Buffalo, the Kent State Golden Flashes had just five days to prepare for the Ohio University Bobcats in Athens. The problems of preparing for an opponent in that short amount of time showed and the Blue and Gold were shutout for the second time in their last three games, 27-0. The losses were the Flashes third and fourth in the last five games.
On Thursday night, KSU plays its final home game of the season as the Central Michigan Chippewas come to Dix Stadium. It is the first meeting of the schools since November, 2011 also at KSU.
Here’s a further look at the two teams:
(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )
After losing a heartbreaker by one point to Buffalo, the Kent State Golden Flashes had just five days to prepare for the Ohio University Bobcats in Athens. The problems of preparing for an opponent in that short amount of time showed and the Blue and Gold were shutout for the second time in their last three games, 27-0. The losses were the Flashes third and fourth in the last five games.
On Thursday night, KSU plays its final home game of the season as the Central Michigan Chippewas come to Dix Stadium. It is the first meeting of the schools since November, 2011 also at KSU.
Here’s a further look at the two teams:
(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )
KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES (3-7, 2-4 MAC EAST)
LAST TIME OUT: Kent State last played on November 10th and was shutout by the Ohio University Bobcats 27-0 at Peden Stadium in Athens. The loss was KSU’s third straight and fourth in the last five games. It was also shutout for the second time in the last three games.
KSU managed just 191 yards of total offense while allowing 447 and the 27 points. Offensively, QB George Bollas played the entire game, completing 16-of-31 passes for only 111 yards and two interceptions. In addition, Bollas was the Flashes leading rusher with 30 yards on seven carries. Freshman WR Antwan Dixon led the receivers with five catches for 62 yards. Defensively, DB Nate Holley had 3 tackles (five solo) as the Flashes defense had three sacks, five tackles for losses and two pass breakups but no turnovers
ON THE YEAR: The Golden Flashes opened the 2015 season September 3-4 losing to the Fighting Illini of Illinois 52-3 at Champaign-Urbana…They rebounded the following week in the home opener dominating Delaware State 45-13, then lost a heartbreaker at Minnesota, 10-7. The three point defeat was the smallest KSU has incurred against a Big Ten Conference opponent. A double overtime loss to Marshall at home, 36-29, ended the non-conference schedule at 1-3..
The Flashes opened MAC play with a 20-14 win at home over Miami. After a 38-7 loss at nationally ranked Toledo, KSU rebounded with a 15-10 win at UMass before being shutout by BGSU, 48-0. Then came the heartbreaking loss at home to Buffalo, where they squandered a 16-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, losing 18-17 before the shutout loss in Athens…KSU finishes the season on Friday November 27th making the short trip to Akron to face the Zips and to defend the Wagon Wheel Trophy
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
OFFENSE; KSU is averaging 14.3 points and 283.7 yards per game
RUSHING: Trayion Durham - 109 carries-372 yards 2 touchdowns
PASSING: George Bollas - 82-139- 6 643 yards two touchdown
RECEIVING: RB Raekwon James 26-225
DEFENSE: The Flashes are allowing 26.6 points & 339 yards per game
TOTAL TACKLES: DB Nate Holley 61-49-110
TACKLES FOR LOSS: DL Terance Waugh 12-62 yards
SACKS: Waugh 9-54
INTERCEPTIONS:DB Demetrius Monday 6-108 yards
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PUNTING: Anthony Melchiori 83 – 41.3 avg. per kick
PLACE KICKING: Shane Hynes 7-10 FG / 11-11 PAT
KICK RETURNS: Raekwon James 20-20.4 yds per return
PUNT RETURNS: Ernest Calhoun 17-3.4 avg per return
NOTES: The game with the Chippewas is the third of a three-game night stretch for the Golden Flashes and marks the final home game for 13 seniors…WR Antwan Dixon had at least one catch of 40 or more yards in three consecutive games…KSU’s defense leads the MAC in sacks with 28 (19th in the Football Bowl Subdivision)…Flashes defense ranks 24th in the FBS with 12 interceptions with seven different players garnering at least one…DB Demetrius Monday is third in the FBS with six interceptions and has a pair of defensive touchdowns (a fumble recovery at Minnesota and an interception return vs. Buffalo)…KSU is third in the MAC in total defense, tackles for losses, and passing defense…DE Terance Waugh ranks eighth in the FBS and second in the MAC with 9 sacks and second in the conference with 12 tackles for losses
THE SERIES: The game is the 33rd lifetime meeting between the two schools with the Chippewas holding a decisive 22-10 advantage…this is the 17th game played in Kent with CMU holding a 10-6 lead…This is the third consecutive game in the series played at Dix Stadium…Their last meeting was November 4, 2011. The Flashes ended a two-game losing streak in the series with a 24-21 win as PK Freddy Cortez supplied the winning points with a 34-yard field goal with 4:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS (5-5, 4-2 MAC EAST)
LAST TIME OUT: CMU last played on Tuesday November 10. The Chippewas had a chance make a late statement in the MAC Western Division. However, the Toledo Rockets left Kelly Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant with a 28-23 victory. The Chippewas owned 408 yards in total offense, mostly coming from the arm of QB Cooper Rush who completed 33-of-52 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. WR Jesse Kroll had seven receptions for 130 yards. Defensively, LB Kavon Frazier had 12 total tackles (nine solo)
ON THE YEAR: Under the direction of first year head coach John Bomamego a former player with CMU and longtime NFL assistant (most recently with the Detroit Lions), The Chippewas opened the 2015 season losing at home to nationally ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys pulled away in the fourth quarter to ensure victory.
After beating FCS member Monmouth, 31-10, CMU lost three of their next four. That stretch included a heartbreaking overtime defeat at Syracuse, as well as losing to No. 2-ranked Michigan State.
The MAC schedule opened with a surprising 29-19 home win over Northern Illinois before Central suffered a two-point defeat at Western Michigan. The Chips got back into the west race with three consecutive wins (Buffalo, at Ball State and Akron) before losing in their last game to the Rockets…CMU ends its season at home on Friday November 27th against Eastern Michigan.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
OFFENSE: CMU is averaging 26 points and 394.8 yards per game
RUSHING: Jahray Hayes 72 carries-267 yards two touchdowns
PASSING: Cooper Rush 264-387-9 2975 yards 22 touchdowns
RECEIVING: Jesse Kroll 50 receptions-696 yards four touchdowns
DEFENSE: The Chippewas are allowing 22.3 points & 334 yards per game
TACKLES: Kavon Frazier (58-30-88)
TFL: Blake Serpa 8 ½ -35 yards
SACKS: Serpa 3-18 yards
INTERCEPTIONS: Tony Annese 2-0 yards
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PUNTING: Ron Coluzzi 50-40.5 yds avg per kick
PLACE KICKING: Brian Eavey 14-99 FG/ 28-28 PAT
KICK RETURNS: Emmett Thomas (KR) 24-20.6/Thomas (PR) 6-12
NOTES: A victory over KSU would make the Chippewas bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season and eighth time in the last 10 seasons…CMU is 8-4 in the month of November over the past three seasons…Central is 9-3 on the road and 4-1 in November road games over the past three season …QB Cooper Rush is second in the MAC and 16th in the FBS with 2,975 yards, is fifth in FBS completions (29.4) and 16th in touchdowns (16)…LB Kevon Frazier is 17th in the FBS with 5.8 solo tackles per game
LAST TIME OUT: Kent State last played on November 10th and was shutout by the Ohio University Bobcats 27-0 at Peden Stadium in Athens. The loss was KSU’s third straight and fourth in the last five games. It was also shutout for the second time in the last three games.
KSU managed just 191 yards of total offense while allowing 447 and the 27 points. Offensively, QB George Bollas played the entire game, completing 16-of-31 passes for only 111 yards and two interceptions. In addition, Bollas was the Flashes leading rusher with 30 yards on seven carries. Freshman WR Antwan Dixon led the receivers with five catches for 62 yards. Defensively, DB Nate Holley had 3 tackles (five solo) as the Flashes defense had three sacks, five tackles for losses and two pass breakups but no turnovers
ON THE YEAR: The Golden Flashes opened the 2015 season September 3-4 losing to the Fighting Illini of Illinois 52-3 at Champaign-Urbana…They rebounded the following week in the home opener dominating Delaware State 45-13, then lost a heartbreaker at Minnesota, 10-7. The three point defeat was the smallest KSU has incurred against a Big Ten Conference opponent. A double overtime loss to Marshall at home, 36-29, ended the non-conference schedule at 1-3..
The Flashes opened MAC play with a 20-14 win at home over Miami. After a 38-7 loss at nationally ranked Toledo, KSU rebounded with a 15-10 win at UMass before being shutout by BGSU, 48-0. Then came the heartbreaking loss at home to Buffalo, where they squandered a 16-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, losing 18-17 before the shutout loss in Athens…KSU finishes the season on Friday November 27th making the short trip to Akron to face the Zips and to defend the Wagon Wheel Trophy
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
OFFENSE; KSU is averaging 14.3 points and 283.7 yards per game
RUSHING: Trayion Durham - 109 carries-372 yards 2 touchdowns
PASSING: George Bollas - 82-139- 6 643 yards two touchdown
RECEIVING: RB Raekwon James 26-225
DEFENSE: The Flashes are allowing 26.6 points & 339 yards per game
TOTAL TACKLES: DB Nate Holley 61-49-110
TACKLES FOR LOSS: DL Terance Waugh 12-62 yards
SACKS: Waugh 9-54
INTERCEPTIONS:DB Demetrius Monday 6-108 yards
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PUNTING: Anthony Melchiori 83 – 41.3 avg. per kick
PLACE KICKING: Shane Hynes 7-10 FG / 11-11 PAT
KICK RETURNS: Raekwon James 20-20.4 yds per return
PUNT RETURNS: Ernest Calhoun 17-3.4 avg per return
NOTES: The game with the Chippewas is the third of a three-game night stretch for the Golden Flashes and marks the final home game for 13 seniors…WR Antwan Dixon had at least one catch of 40 or more yards in three consecutive games…KSU’s defense leads the MAC in sacks with 28 (19th in the Football Bowl Subdivision)…Flashes defense ranks 24th in the FBS with 12 interceptions with seven different players garnering at least one…DB Demetrius Monday is third in the FBS with six interceptions and has a pair of defensive touchdowns (a fumble recovery at Minnesota and an interception return vs. Buffalo)…KSU is third in the MAC in total defense, tackles for losses, and passing defense…DE Terance Waugh ranks eighth in the FBS and second in the MAC with 9 sacks and second in the conference with 12 tackles for losses
THE SERIES: The game is the 33rd lifetime meeting between the two schools with the Chippewas holding a decisive 22-10 advantage…this is the 17th game played in Kent with CMU holding a 10-6 lead…This is the third consecutive game in the series played at Dix Stadium…Their last meeting was November 4, 2011. The Flashes ended a two-game losing streak in the series with a 24-21 win as PK Freddy Cortez supplied the winning points with a 34-yard field goal with 4:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS (5-5, 4-2 MAC EAST)
LAST TIME OUT: CMU last played on Tuesday November 10. The Chippewas had a chance make a late statement in the MAC Western Division. However, the Toledo Rockets left Kelly Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant with a 28-23 victory. The Chippewas owned 408 yards in total offense, mostly coming from the arm of QB Cooper Rush who completed 33-of-52 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. WR Jesse Kroll had seven receptions for 130 yards. Defensively, LB Kavon Frazier had 12 total tackles (nine solo)
ON THE YEAR: Under the direction of first year head coach John Bomamego a former player with CMU and longtime NFL assistant (most recently with the Detroit Lions), The Chippewas opened the 2015 season losing at home to nationally ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys pulled away in the fourth quarter to ensure victory.
After beating FCS member Monmouth, 31-10, CMU lost three of their next four. That stretch included a heartbreaking overtime defeat at Syracuse, as well as losing to No. 2-ranked Michigan State.
The MAC schedule opened with a surprising 29-19 home win over Northern Illinois before Central suffered a two-point defeat at Western Michigan. The Chips got back into the west race with three consecutive wins (Buffalo, at Ball State and Akron) before losing in their last game to the Rockets…CMU ends its season at home on Friday November 27th against Eastern Michigan.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
OFFENSE: CMU is averaging 26 points and 394.8 yards per game
RUSHING: Jahray Hayes 72 carries-267 yards two touchdowns
PASSING: Cooper Rush 264-387-9 2975 yards 22 touchdowns
RECEIVING: Jesse Kroll 50 receptions-696 yards four touchdowns
DEFENSE: The Chippewas are allowing 22.3 points & 334 yards per game
TACKLES: Kavon Frazier (58-30-88)
TFL: Blake Serpa 8 ½ -35 yards
SACKS: Serpa 3-18 yards
INTERCEPTIONS: Tony Annese 2-0 yards
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PUNTING: Ron Coluzzi 50-40.5 yds avg per kick
PLACE KICKING: Brian Eavey 14-99 FG/ 28-28 PAT
KICK RETURNS: Emmett Thomas (KR) 24-20.6/Thomas (PR) 6-12
NOTES: A victory over KSU would make the Chippewas bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season and eighth time in the last 10 seasons…CMU is 8-4 in the month of November over the past three seasons…Central is 9-3 on the road and 4-1 in November road games over the past three season …QB Cooper Rush is second in the MAC and 16th in the FBS with 2,975 yards, is fifth in FBS completions (29.4) and 16th in touchdowns (16)…LB Kevon Frazier is 17th in the FBS with 5.8 solo tackles per game
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