Game #7 Kent State (2-4, 1-1 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (0-5, 0-2 MAC) Saturday, October 17, 2009 • 4:00 p.m. EDT Rynearson Stadium (30,200/FieldTurf) • Ypsilanti, Mich. Radio: WNIR 100.1 FM (Tom Linder, Rob Polinsky & Ty Linder) Television: None • Internet: K-Zone
The Opening Kick Kent State travels to Eastern Michigan Saturday as the Golden Flashes hit the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play. KSU will be attempting to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Bowling Green in last week’s Centennial Homecoming contest. The Flashes and Eagles will be meeting for the fourth time in the last six years in MAC cross-divisional action. The contest begins a stretch in which Kent State will play four of its final six games on the road.
Quick Strike Offense Having reached the midway point of the season, Kent State has scored 15 total touchdowns. Of those scores, five have come on one-play “drives,” four have come on drives of two minutes or less, one was a 92-yard kickoff return by Anthony Bowman against Miami and another was Quinton Rainey’s 82-yard blocked field goal return against Bowling Green. That means the Flashes have put together just four touchdown drives of more than two minutes. Better put off that trip to the concession stand if you hope to see KSU score.
Flash Facts • True freshman Spencer Keith has emerged as Kent State’s number one option at quarterback. In roughly 15 quarters of action, he has completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 728 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. • Sophomore Jacquise Terry has emerged as a more than competent replacement for Eugene Jarvis after rushing for 293 yards in the last three games (97.7 ypg). Impressively, he is averaging 6.5 yards per carry. • True freshman Tyshon Goode continues to lead the Flashes with 17 receptions for 175 yards. However, senior Jameson Konz is closing fast with 12 grabs for 168 yards and is tied with true freshman Dri Archer for the team lead with two touchdowns. • Junior middle linebacker Cobrani Mixon continues to shine, leading the team with 64 tackles (36 solo) and 7.0 TFL. His 10.67 tackles per game are tied for second in the MAC and tied for ninth nationally. • With a late pick Sept. 26 against Miami, junior free safety Brian Lainhart now has 10 interceptions in the last 13 games dating back to Oct. 4, 2008. His 12 career interceptions are tied for sixth in KSU annals.
A Glance At The Series Kent State and Eastern Michigan are meeting for the 28th time since the series began in 1973. The Golden Flashes lead the series by a slim 14-13 margin, although the Eagles hold an 8-5 advantage in Ypsilanti. Saturday’s contest will be the fourth meeting for the schools in the last six years, while KSU and EMU have alternated wins and losses in each of the last six match-ups dating back to 1996. (For the complete series history see page 12.)
Television None. However, the game can also be seen on www.kentstatesports.com as part of the premium content on the K-Zone.
Radio For the third straight year, the excitement of Golden Flashes football can be found on flagship station WNIR 100.1 FM in Northeast Ohio as part of the Kent State ISP Sports Network. Now in his second year in the play-by-play role (and his 11th as part of the broadcast), Tom Linder is joined this year by new color analyst Rob Polinsky, while Ty Linder continues his fine work on the sidelines.
Web Site Live audio for all Kent State football game broadcasts, live video of select games and live stats are available via the K-Zone on the official athletic department web site (www.kentstatesports.com).
The Coaches • Doug Martin (Kentucky ‘85) is in his sixth season as a head coach, owning a 21-43 (.328) record at the helm of the Golden Flashes. He was promoted to head coach March 1, 2004, after serving as Kent State’s offensive coordinator in 2003. (For a complete Martin bio see page 13.) • Ron English (California ‘90) is 0-5 in his first season as a head coach. Named the 40th head coach in Eastern Michigan history on Dec. 22, 2008, English was the defensive coordinator at Louisville in 2008 after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan.
Up Next Kent State closes out its two-game road swing with a trip next Saturday (Oct. 24) to Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series by a 38-21-2 margin, including a 17-12-1 advantage in Athens. However, the Flashes have won three of the last four meetings at Peden Stadium. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan plays its next-to-the-last home game, as it hosts Ball State.
Courtesy: David Maxwell/OhioSportsShooters.com
