Kent State Making First Program Trip to UMass
10/13/2015 12:55:00 PM | Football
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Kent State looks to get right back into the thick of the Mid-American Conference East Division race Saturday, taking on UMass at McGuirk Stadium. Now 1-1 in conference play, the Golden Flashes are looking for their first road victory since 2013. After falling to No. 24 Toledo, Kent State begins a string of four straight division games.
Facts In A Flash
• Senior running back Trayion Durham became the fifth player in Kent State history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards (3,002). He is tied for seventh among career rushing touchdown leaders with 26.
• Junior QB Colin Reardon ranks 4th in both career completions (479) and TD passes (32) at Kent State, and fifth in career passing yards (5,166).
• With his second 15-tackle game of the season, Nate Holley moved up to fifth in the MAC and 27th in the nation in tackles per game (9.3).
• Kent State's defense ranks fifth in the nation with 10 interceptions.
• Sophomore cornerback Demetrius Monday is fourth in the nation with five interceptions.
• Junior Terence Waugh ranks ninth in the nation and leads the MAC with 6.5 sacks. Waugh also leads the MAC in tackles for loss.
• In its last four games, Kent State is plus-8 in turnover margin.
• Kent State leads the MAC in total defense, sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers gained and pass efficiency defense. The Flashes are 27th in the nation in rushing defense.
• Redshirt freshman Raekwon James had 195 all-purpose yards at Toledo, highlighted by a 46-yard catch.
• Kent State returned six Academic All-MAC selections and five MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes.
• Senior safety Jordan Italiano was tabbed Smartest Player in College Football by NFL.com this summer. The pre-med/biochemistry major carries a 3.979 grade point average.
All-Time-Series
The two programs met for the first time last season, despite it being the Minutemen's third year in the Mid-American Conference. UMass pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 40-17 win at Dix Stadium last October. Jordan Italiano made 10 tackles and Josh Boyle caught a touchdown pass from Colin Reardon. However, Blake Frohnapfel completed 23 passes for 286 yards three touchdowns for the Minutemen.
TV/Video/Radio
Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN3 with Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Matt Chatham (analyst). All Kent State games can be heard live on 640 WHLO and Golden Flashes Radio on iHeartRadio. Ty Linder will handle the play-by-play duties and is joined in the booth for the sixth year in a row by color analyst Rob Polinsky. iHeartRadio can be heard on a computer, smart phone or tablet.
WebSite, Twitter & YouTube
For Kent State football stories, statistics, photos, video and more, visit KentStateSports.com. For daily football updates follow @kentstathletics and @kentstfootball on Twitter and Kent State Golden Flashes Football on Facebook. For an extensive video library visit GoldenFlashesTV on YouTube.
Take Advantage of Fumbles
At Toledo, sophomore Ryan Seibert scored his first career touchdown with a fumble recovery in the end zone. Along with Nate Terhune and Demetrius Monday fumble recoveries for scores, Kent State is tied for the nation's lead with three defensive touchdowns.
MAC Starts
Getting off to a strong start in conference play has not come easy for Kent State in recent year. Here's a look at first three MAC game records since 2007.
2007: 1-2
2008: 0-3
2009: 2-1
2010: 1-2
2011: 0-3
2012: 3-0
2013: 1-2
2014: 0-3
2015: 1-1
Third Down Defense
In five games the Flashes have held opponents to 27-of-95 on third down conversion attempts. Holding opponents to 26.3 percent ranks ninth in the nation.
Stability on O-Line
Kent State returned the bulk of its offensive line from 2014, which now ranks eighth in the nation in sacks allowed. The Flashes have surpassed 180 yards rushing in three of their last five games. The O-line showed improvement throughout 2014, despite seven different starting five combinations. The current lineup of five has been working together since the beginning of spring practice. Â
Breakthrough Win
A win Saturday would give Kent State its:
• First program victory over UMass
• First road win since 2013
• First three-game winning streak against the East Division opponents since 2012.
Bollas Broken In
Redshirt freshman quarterback George Bollas has taken snaps in four games this season and saw his most action at Toledo. Bollas completed his first three passes against the Rockets and finished the game with career-highs of 77 yards passing and 48 yards rushing. He scored his first career touchdown against Delaware State on a five-yard run. He also ran and threw for two-point conversions against the Hornets. On the year, Bollas has completed 21-of-37 passes and has rushed for 84 yards.
Cuthbert Earns 2 MAC Scholar-Athlete Awards
Junior defensive back Nick Cuthbert was named MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week on both Sept. 23 and Oct. 7. A criminal justice major with a 3.963 cumulative GPA, Cuthbert became the first student-athlete in the conference to win the award twice this season. He was a key contributor to a defensive performance that held Minnesota to 10 points. He totaled 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack. Two weeks later, he made seven tackles, helping the Golden Flashes' defense hold Miami to just 91 yards rushing and a 41 percent completion rate on passes.
• The MAC has honored Cuthbert following each of his three career starts, including a MAC East Defensive Player of the Week last season.
