Despite a steady rain, the bright lights at Dix Stadium suited the Golden Flashes Wednesday night as Kent State (3-7, 2-4 MAC) held on to win a high-scoring thriller over Temple (3-7, 2-4), 41-38. The Kent State offense totaled a season-high 560 yards of total offense.
Senior quarterback
Julian Edelman threw for 232 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 144 yards and career-best three touchdowns.
Edelman made history Wednesday night by becoming the 25th player in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history to both rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season. He joins former Kent State quarterback Joshua Cribbs on the prestigious list.
Junior running back
Eugene Jarvis had a season-high 185 yards on the ground to go with one touchdown and 36 receiving yards. Senior receiver
Shawn Bayes led KSU with five receptions for 60 yards.
Senior linebacker
Derek Burrell had six tackles, one sack and a forced fumble. Junior defensive end
Kevin Hogan recorded two sacks as KSU earned its first home win over an FBS opponent since a 14-6 victory over Eastern Michigan Nov. 17, 2006.
The dynamic duo of Edelman and Jarvis propelled the Flashes to an early 21-3 lead thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Edelman and one by Jarvis.
Edelman ran for 58 yards and threw for 144 yards in the first half. Finally healthy for perhaps the first time this season, Jarvis ran for 86 yards and scored one touchdown in the first two quarters as well as pulling in four receptions.
The Flashes defense created two first-half turnovers while holding Temple to 176 yards of total offense. The first came when linebacker
Cobrani Mixon scooped up a fumble recovery to set up Kent State’s third touchdown.
Senior cornerback
Rico Murray then picked off his first pass of the year to kill a Temple drive with 5:34 left in the half.
However, Temple kept itself in the game by scoring 14 unanswered points, including a 32-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the half, to make the score 21-17 at the half.
The Owls continued their scoring onslaught when Travis Shelton opened the second half with a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Kent State quickly responded when Jarvis darted for a 39 yard gain that set up a two-yard touchdown run by Edelman, his third of the night, to put KSU back up 28-24.
After a Temple touchdown Edelman connected with freshman receiver
Sam Kirkland to put Kent State back up 35-31, but the scoring was hardly done. After a fumble recovery by Murray, kicker junior
Nate Reed knocked in a field goal. However, Temple once again struck back with a touchdown to tie the game at 38-38.
Not to be out-done, the Flashes marched down the field on an eight-play 60-yard drive that concluded with a game-winning 26-yard Reed field goal to give the Flashes a 41-38 lead.
The Owls had two chances to tie the game, but the Flashes defense forced a turnover on downs on one possession and sophomore defensive end
Quinton Rainey recovered a fumble on Temple’s final offensive player of game to ensure the win.
The Flashes will be back in action next Tuesday (Nov. 18) to take on Northern Illinois at Dix Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications
