Golden Flashes Set To Face Nationally-Ranked Penn State Saturday On ESPN2

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Kent State (1-1) at #22/20 Penn State (1-1)

Saturday, September 18, 2010 • Noon EDT
Beaver Stadium (107,282/Natural Grass) • University Park, Pa.
Radio: WNIR 100.1 FM (Tom Linder, Rob Polinsky & Ty Linder)
Television: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen & Brian Griese ) • Internet: ESPN3.com

The Opening Kick
Kent State and Penn State will meet for the third time — and the first since 2003 — when the Golden Flashes travel to Beaver Stadium Saturday. The game will mark the Flashes first appearance on ESPN2 since 1995 (Akron) and will also potentially be the largest crowd to ever watch a Kent State football game.

Penn State heads into the contest ranked 22nd in the latest Associated Press poll and 20th in the USA Today coaches poll. The last time the Golden Flashes played a ranked opponent was a 48-3 loss at No. 3 Ohio State in 2007. Kent State is 0-20 all-time against opponents ranked in the AP top 25.

Not So Sweet Homecoming
Kent State's victory over Murray State came at a significant cost to the Flashes as a pair of senior All-MAC standouts from Pennsylvania — Monte' Simmons (DE) and Eugene Jarvis (RB) — went down with injuries. Simmons (Swissvale) is out roughly a month with a broken left ankle and hopes to return Oct. 9 against Akron. Jarvis (Pittsburgh) suffered a groin strain and looks to return Oct. 2 at Miami. Obviously both will miss the Homecoming of sorts in Happy Valley.

Facts In A Flash
• Sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith has completed 66.2 percent of his passes (47-71) en route to throwing for 476 yards and four touchdowns the first two weeks of the season. He has spread the wealth to 10 different receivers.
• Junior wideout Sam Kirkland leads the Flashes with 12 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Tyshon Goode is second on the team with 10 grabs.
• Junior running back Jacquise Terry has rushed for 43 yards while making six catches for 116 yards and two TDs in the first two games.
• Defensively, senior linebacker Cobrani Mixon turned in a 15-tackle, 1.0 sack, 1.5 TFL performance at Boston College to take over the team lead with 23 stops.
• Senior free safety Brian Lainhart has caused 17 turnovers in the last 21 games. His 15 career interceptions are four shy of the school record and are the most among current FBS players.
• Sophomore kicker Freddy Cortez is 14-for-15 on field goal attempts over the last seven games.

A Glance At The Series
Saturday's game is the third all-time meeting between the Golden Flashes and Penn State. The Nittany Lions won 21-6 in 1965 and 32-10 in 2003. The Golden Flashes are 0-9 all-time against the Big Ten, having also played Iowa (0-2), Michigan State (0-1), Minnesota (0-1), Ohio State (0-2) and Purdue (0-1).

Television
Saturday's contest marks the second of two consecutive weekends that the Flashes will appear on the ESPN family of networks as the game will air on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. Bob Wischusen will handle the play-by-play duties with former Michigan quarterback Brian Griese serving as the color analyst.

Radio
For the fourth 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 third year in the play-by-play role (and his 12th as part of the broadcast), Tom Linder is joined once again in the booth by 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 seventh season as a head coach, owning a 25-47 (.347) 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 11.)
• Joe Paterno (Brown '50) is 395-130-3 in his 45th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions and has been a member of the Penn State staff since 1950. Paterno is the all-time leader in victories among major college coaches and has directed the Lions to 36 bowl appearances (24-12).

Up Next
The Golden Flashes are off for a week before opening Mid-American Conference play Oct. 2 at Miami. The RedHawks lead the all-time series by a 44-13 margin, although Kent State has won two in a row and three of the last four. Meanwhile, Penn State takes on another MAC school when Temple heads to Beaver Stadium Sept. 25.