For one we know that Kennesaw State is a FCS school. So how did the FCS schools fare against FBS competition in the first week? Not very well given that FCS teams were a combined 1-39 with only Central Arkansas (against Western Kentucky) emerging victorious Thursday night. However, 11 of the losses were by eight points or less, so there were a number of close calls.

Since Central Arkansas won over Western Kentucky, it's important to note that the Bears are ranked 25 in the first FCS Poll and Kennesaw State is ranked 10. After winning over Point University 59-0 on Saturday, KSU could move up a little in the poll this week, but the Owls are not as good as they were last year since they have to replace just about everyone on offense.

From the article, "FCS 2019 Preview: Kennesaw State Football Looks To Squeeze Opponent":

No team in the country has had as much upheaval on the offensive side of the ball as Kennesaw State will deal with this year, and the spring game was indicative of that, as the defense dominated. Still, the Owls have a program based more on scheme than just individual, and you have to think this will be a plus. The Owls have recruited exceptionally well over the years, so we may see success, just with completely different names this year.

As is the question around the FCS at other programs, people are probably wondering who will replace Chandler Burks' 29 rushing TDs and 10 passing TDs? The front runner coming out of spring is Daniel David, who threw for 201 yards and two scores last year, while also rushing for 206 yards and five TDs. He has played in 27 career games for the Owls as the backup to Burks, and it is his turn in this offense -- and don't be surprised when he flourishes. He's a former Appalachian State 3-star signee who held offers from six FBS schools. David is a good starting point, and having a RB like Shaquil Terry -- who is a weapon in the run game and pass game -- is also another key component. The offensive line is a massive question, as all positions will need to be filled -- and having a good OL is critical in this option offense.

Now, the defense is going to be brutally tough this fall. Almost everybody is back (eight starters) and when it comes to negative-yardage plays and interceptions, lots of those playmakers from last year return. Not surprisingly, thanks to KSU's style of offense and its clamp-down defense, this program owned the time of possession, and that's always big for the defense. Look for the Owls to be stingy on 'D' all season long.

TOP RETURNEE: Jr./LB Bryson Armstrong (HERO Sports Preseason All-American - 75 tackles, 10 TFLs)

THE FOUNDATION: Sr./DB Dorian Walker (1st Team All Big South - 3 INTs, 38 tackles, 7 passes defensed); Sr./DL Andrew Butcher (1st Team All Big South - 34 tackles, 9 TFLs, 4 hurries); Sr./DL Desmond Johnson (1st Team All Big South - 33 tackles, 8.5 TFLs); Soph./RS Isaac Foster (HERO Sports Preseason All-American - 38.9 yards per kick return, 2 TDs); Jr./LB Charlie Patrick (2nd Team All Big South - 55 tackles, 10.5 TFLs); Jr./RB Shaquil Terry (2nd Team All Big South - 576 yards rushing, 5 TDs; 215 yards receiving, 1 TD); Sr./DB Le'Vonte Larry (43 tackles, 5 PBU); Soph./DB Cincere Mason (4 INT; 7 passes defended)

TOP NEWCOMER: Fr./QB Xavier Shepherd (No. 104 ranked signee in the HERO Sports 2019 Recruiting Rankings - 5 FBS offers).

THE QUOTE: "I think you saw defensively, before we got tired, I think we were flying around there and playing with a lot of energy which is what you would expect them to do. Offensively, we got a lot of work to do. We are replacing nine of 11 starters. There is some youth out there. A lot of youthful moments under the lights. We have a lot we can learn from and a lot we can get better at. There are a lot of positives out of spring ball. We have an awful lot of work to do before we can play a college football game, but I have said that for the past 15 practices, and I will probably say it for quite a while. But guys were getting better and that's the goal." -- Head Coach Brian Bohannonsaid during spring ball
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since Kennesaw State is replacing its entire offensive line, the Kent State defense should have the upper hand. However, the Owls still have good size up front with junior college transfer Jake Lassiter (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) at left tackle, Chris Dye (6-3, 296) at left guard, Terrell Paxton (6-foot, 304) at right guard and Zion Katina (6-2, 282) at right tackle and Nana Fabu (6-1, 274) at center. Paxton and Katina are redshirt freshmen and made their first start last Saturday against Point University.

But after the Arizona State game, it's not the defense that's a concern. It's the offense and will have to dramatically improve since last Thursday or the other KSU just might go home with the win. Don't believe that could happen? Try telling that to Western Kentucky, who lost to a FCS school two years in a row.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2019-preview-kennesaw-state-big-south-ajaj

https://ksuowls.com/roster.aspx?roster=475

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

From Kennesaw State’s Constraints off the Triple Option:

As a triple option team, Kennesaw State lives by its bread and butter, the inside veer. But every team runs into trouble once in a while. When KSU can no longer get 4 yards on the inside veer they have to have an answer to the defense. There are two constraints that the Owls can go to depending on what the defense is trying to take away. The play-action pass and the rocket toss.

Play-Action Pass-The Switch Route

When the Kennesaw State Football team is having trouble running the Triple Option, it is usually because the opponent is selling out to stop the Inside veer. The defense is playing with a safety coming up hard in run support, and the defense is more worried about stopping the run than anything else. This is as much a part of the triple option offense as any other play. The Owls know that in order for them to be great and still move the ball they need to be able to throw the ball over the head of the defense. This works in two ways, they can score quickly, and it will back the defense off so they can continue to dictate the game. The key to running play action is to make it look like a running play, in this case Inside Veer.

In the first clip we will see this executed against a 2 safety look, however in this case both safeties are flanked off the Mike and only about 5 and 6 yards off the ball. This look with the safeties below the hard deck gives the Owls the shot they want. Here you will see the play-side safety try to take that PSA back when he arcs outside and run with him on the Wheel route. The defense is in man coverage. The backside safety runs with the motion. This look gives the quarterback a pre-snap read of no one in the middle of the field. The PSWR in this case if it were an inside veer play would block the deep defender, who would have been the man cover corner. As the PSWR presses off the ball, the play appears to the corner that the WR is going to block him just as on Inside Veer. With the man coverage the QB reads the WR beating the S and throws over the top.

The second play-action switch route is against a more traditional 2 high safety look. On a typical Inside Veer play the PSWR would take the deep defender who is the PS half field safety and the PSA back would take the run support player, in this case the rolled up corner. The start of the play looks just like inside veer. The PSWR runs up field and as the near safety steps up the WR continues to run right past him to a skinny post. Because the safety stepped up on the play the WR gets an outside release on the safety. The PSA back arcs like he would block the hard corner. The corner comes up to force the play and the PSA back runs right by him and wheels up the sideline wide open to catch the ball for a touchdown.



The rest of the assignments are as followed: The quarterback will take the same two first steps as if inside veer was being run. Without getting in a hurry, the QB will flash the ball and then push off the front foot and drive step to the play side, he will then cross over and one more drop step, the flip his hips and get both feet in the ground ready to deliver the ball. The timing works to look at the post first and then hitch up to throw the wheel if the post is not wide open. The B back will take the play fake like veer and look to block the play side B gap to outside. The back side A will go in motion just as in inside veer and either help secure the edge or turn up in the flats for a check down. The offensive line needs to come off the ball with low hats and give a good run look. They can be very aggressive. This will sell the LB’s and safeties on the run. The play side tackle mans the DE and the rest block their backside gap. If there is a 3 technique and 5 technique on the play side, the play side of the offensive line would block man and the rest would block down into the gap away from the call. The B aback would be responsible for the backer inside to out.

Login to view embedded media
Rocket Toss

There are a few scenarios where the rocket toss is the answer to the opponent’s chess game. First off all with the inside veer being the play the offense is centered around, KSU will keep running it if they are getting four yards a carry. But if they get a give read (meaning the player that the QB is reading is playing the QB and not the dive back) and cannot get 4 yards, it is time to get the ball on the perimeter. This is because the defense is forcing the offense to run inside and are putting more run support inside to stop the dive. Meaning the defense is messing with the quarterback. The DE knows if he does not take the dive, the quarterback should be handing the ball off and the defense can count on that and overload the inside. When this happens, it is a great time to toss the ball to the perimeter.

The first look that we see from Kennesaw States film is a spread look against a 4- defense with a safety rolled down in the alley pre snap. The play side LB and DE do a gap exchange where the DE would have given a give read on veer. The beauty of tossing the ball outside is that DE of 5 technique doesn’t even have to be blocked. If the pitch is in the correct place (1 yard outside the tackle) and the tackle gets an outside release the DE is irrelevant and cannot make the play. The blocking assignments are the WR has the deep defender, the PSA back will arc and block the overhang player, the rolled down safety or extra backer here. The PST gets an outside release on the DE and looks for the Mike to the FS, whoever shows in the alley first. The guard pulls and in this case picks up the blitzing backer. The center and the backside line scoop to the play side gap and look for the second level.



The second look is KSU’s double flex or 2 tight end look. Here is a great way to lure the defense inside. With only the corner outside the flexed TE and the half field safety right over the top of that same player, KSU knows they will have immediate leverage. The PSTE will block down on the LB stacked on the DE which is a crush block. The play side tackle and guard are both pulling on this play. The tackle is looking for the first to show in the alley. The guard is following to the alley and picking up the next to show. The PSA back will automatically arc to the corner with no one left outside. The Backside will again scoop.



In both cases the B back will fill on the backside of the play, blocking the BSDE. The QB will take a hammer step and turn his heel out towards the pitch, he will then open up and throw a hard knuckle ball to the A back who will catch it 1 yard outside the tackle and stay outside and look to get the corner and run has, numbers, sideline for a touchdown. The QB will boot away from the toss.

https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7175/kennesaw-state-s-constraints-off-the-triple-option

PK simply means that neither team is the favorite nor the underdog, so the point spread is zero. However, I expect to see the point spread moving toward the Flashes since the game is played in Kent.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/teams/team-page.cfm/team/kent-state

Derek Adams was named East Division Special Teams Player of the Week after playing a key role in the field position battle for the Golden Flashes. Adams averaged over 44 yards per punt on nine punts in a 30-7 loss at Arizona State.

For the Flashes to keep the score respectable against the Sun Devils, the defense will have to have a Lambert-esque effort from the linebackers and secondary. Matt Bahr is a good linebacker, but at 210 pounds he is undersized for his position. Because the defense lost All-MAC nose tackle Kalil Morris to graduation, the Flashes don't have a dominate player on the defensive line. Morris, at 6-2, 322 pounds, stuffed the middle with 47 tackles and six tackles for loss last year and his presence will be sorely missed. ASU's best running back, Eno Benjamin, rushed for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, while adding 263 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Unless the Flashes linebacking corps and secondary have a Lambert-esque performance, I'm afraid the score will get ugly in the second half. The weather forecast for Tempe on Thursday is 85 for a low and 107 degrees for a high. I don't care how conditioned you are, you can't become acclimated to this kind of heat in one or two days. And with the Flashes' up tempo offense, the defense doesn't always get enough time to rest, so it could be exhausted by the fourth quarter.

However, if Kent State's defense can play hard, play smart, with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm, then this game may turn out better for the Flashes than most people predict.

Kent State hasn’t won a non-conference game against an FBS team since 2014 when the Golden Flashes toppled Army, 39-17. To find a road non-conference win for Kent State, you’ll have to travel back to 2012 when Kent State defeated No. 18 Rutgers 35-23 in the midst of an 11-win season.

Arizona State has won 20 consecutive openers at Sun Devil Stadium, dating back to the second year of the BCS era. The majority of these openers have been against FCS opponents, but Kent State seems to have finally gained separation from the lower division in the Sean Lewis era as evidenced by the team’s 40-point win over Howard last September.

The key to this game for Kent State lies on the defensive side of the ball. If the Golden Flashes can record early stops and keep this game close as they did with Illinois and Ole Miss for three quarters last fall, they’ll give themselves a fighting chance. Kent State allowed just three first half points to the Fighting Illini and seven to the Rebels before fourth quarter collapses, but Arizona State presents a dynamic offense with the best running back Kent State’s defense has seen in quite some time.

Applying pressure up the middle and containing Jayden Daniels from the outsides should be a focus for Kent State’s defensive line. Forcing Daniels to remain in the box and win the game with his arm could prove to be an advantageous strategy for Kent State. But foremost, stopping Eno Benjamin from picking up five yards a carry and limiting the run game remains the Golden Flashes’ primary calling.

Benjamin will likely have a field day on the ground and Arizona State will keep him on the bench in the latter part of the second half to prepare him for Michigan State and experiment with the rest of the depth chart. Arizona State dominated UTSA in the 2018 home opener, 49-7. This game should play out similarly, but Woody Barrett has potential to lead Kent State’s hyperspeed offense to a few more points.

Prediction: Arizona State 41, Kent State 17

https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/8/2...state-golden-flashes-arizona-state-sun-devils

Kent State is an experienced team and somehow managed to push Power 5 squads last year early in games against Illinois, Penn State and Ole Miss.

But the Golden Flashes will get pushed around by Arizona State's offensive line in this one, as it'll open holes for Eno Benjamin to gain more than 200 yards on the ground.

Yes, the Golden Flashes are going to be a vastly improved team from a year ago, but Herm Edwards will have the Sun Devils focused early on the task at hand — taking no prisoners in pushing Utah for the Pac-12 South crown and a possible shot at the conference title.

Plus the desert heat will get to the visitors from Ohio.

Prediction: Arizona State 42, Kent State 15

https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...rizona-state-sun-devils-prediction-picks-2019

In the article, "Kent State football: In second season as starter, Woody Barrett ready to be leader for Flashes," Allen Moff writes,

"Barrett certainly has the tools to do a number on defenses. He’s a mobile yet physical runner standing 6-foot-2 and weighing nearly 240 pounds, with the strong arm you would expect from a man his size. Accuracy has been an issue, but continues to improve under the watchful eye of Lewis.

“It’s coming along great,” said Barrett. ”[Lewis] showed me a couple of things, critiqued a couple of errors. I trust him with everything. I’m more settled in now, more calm and relaxed, going through my reads better. I feel like I’ve taken a huge step toward being an NFL quarterback, not just an athlete.”

But can accuracy be taught?

Mike Leach, former head coach at Texas Tech University and the current head coach at Washington State University, doesn't believe it can. Leach says accuracy is the most-critical quarterback trait and believes the biggest mistake high school, college and NFL coaches make is pretending they can fix inaccuracy.

Leach says, "You can go get the shortstop and teach him to play quarterback easier than you can make someone accurate."

Login to view embedded media
But perhaps Leach is wrong about coaching accuracy. Joshua Cribbs was a dual threat quarterback for four seasons at Kent State and set a school record for accuracy (64.5 completion percentage) in his senior year. His previous completion percentages were 48.9 in both his sophomore and junior year, and 55.0 in his freshman year. Improving completion percentage by 15.6 percent as a senior from his two previous seasons might also be attributed to Cribbs having excellent receivers in Darrell Dowery Jr., Najah Pruden, and Derrick Bush, who rank third, seventh, and ninth respectively in Kent State's all-time career receptions.

No one really knows why Cribbs completed 216 passes in 335 attempts as a senior, but if Coach Lewis can improve Barrett's completion percentage from 58.7 to say 62 percent, that could substantially help the offense's chances of sustaining drives and putting more points on the scoreboard.

MAC Football Media Day is tomorrow (July 23) and will serve as the official start of the 2019 season. Coverage of the event is on ESPN3 beginning at 11 a.m. and Coach Lewis, Nick Faulkner and Woody Barrett will represent the Golden Flashes in Detroit. Go Flashes and go MAC!!!

Login to view embedded media

Jack Lambert was born 67 years ago today in Mantua, Ohio. To celebrate Jack's Birthday take a look at some photos of him from his KSU career.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kent State posted 11 members on the Phil Steele Preseason All-MAC Team, with kicker Matthew Trickett garnering first team recognition. Offensive lineman Julian Sams, defensive end Nick Faulkner, cornerback Jamal Parker and long snapper Joey Palumbo were named to the second team. Quarterback Woody Barrett, running back Jo-El Shaw, wide receiver Mike Carrigan, linebacker Matt Bahr, cornerback Elvis Hines and punter Derek Adams were tabbed to the third team. Parker was also named to the fourth team as a kick returner.

https://kentstatesports.com/news/20...11-on-phil-steele-preseason-all-mac-team.aspx

Arizona State favored by 25 1/2



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8pST9oXYAA3eWX.jpg:large

Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced today the updated 2019 football schedule. Highlighting the schedule are 14 games available nationally during the last month of the regular season, slated for ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, ESPN3 and CBS Sports Network as the conference race unfolds in both the East and West divisions.

All remaining game kick times and television will be announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game.

The regular season will conclude with the 23rd Marathon MAC Football Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Noon ET (ESPN or ESPN2) from Ford Field in Detroit. This will mark the 16th Marathon MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL, and the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Kent State
Aug.
29 at Arizona State, 10:00 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks)
Sep.
7 Kennesaw, Noon ET (ESPN3)
14 at Auburn, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
21 *Bowling Green, 3:30 pm ET (12-day selection)
Oct.
5 at Wisconsin, TBA (ESPN, ESPN2/ESPNU)
12 *at Akron, 3:30 pm ET (12-day selection)
19 *at Ohio
26 *Miami
Nov.
5 *at Toledo, 7:00 pm ET or 8:00 pm ET (ESPN2/CBS Sports Network)
14 *Buffalo, 7:00 pm ET (CBS Sports Network)
23 *Ball State
29 *at Eastern Michigan, TBA

https://getsomemaction.com/news/201...5Di_gkriXlf61QQx7uD0Zmdk_EdZ4tD8YCrxTuwj5HiA8

It’s going to take baby steps for the Golden Flashes to start moving forward. There’s enough experience to start doing more offensively, but it all falls flat if the line doesn’t start blocking a whole lot better.

Woody Barrett is a veteran quarterback who knows what he’s doing, and he’s welcoming back his top receivers to keep dinking and dunking – but the downfield passes have to come.

For this to work, the little things have to be done right. All of the penalties have to slow down – committing close to nine per game last season – hitting more third down passes, doing more with the abysmal punting game, doing anything to keep defenses out of the backfield …

And just start scoring.

There are no expectations at one of the roughest places in college football to win, so for second-year head man Sean Lewis, it’s about getting just a wee bit better.

Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 4

The Golden Flashes should be able to take out Kennesaw to start the season, and they get winnable games against Bowling Green and Ball State at home. Four of the ten losses last year were by eight points or fewer. The team was a bit more competitive, but now it has to be consistent.

It’ll get to four wins, but anything more will require a big upset or three and for the FlashFast system to kick in all at once.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2019/05/kent-state-football-preview-prediction-players-2019

The Flashes are ranked #122. Only Central Michigan is ranked below KSU in the MAC. Hopefully, the Flashes finish above this preseason ranking, but until the defense and offensive line improves Kent State could very well finish this low.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/rankings/cbs-sports-ranking/

From Orlando Sentinel:

Strengths: Kent State went from averaging a league-worst 12 points per game in 2017 to doubling that output to 24 points per game in 2018. Lewis helped sophomore Woody Barrett, who emerged as the starter in the offseason, finish the 2018 season fourth in the league in total offense (2,842 yards) with 18 total touchdowns. He set the single-season school record for completions in a season (229) and finished fifth in passing yards (2,339).

The Golden Flashes featured three players with at least 100 carries and at least 500 rushing yards last season. Barrett (503 yards) and the running back tandem of Justin Rankin (574) and Jo-El Shaw (657) combined to account for nearly 85 percent of the team’s rushing production. Rankin’s decision to enter the transfer portal this offseason could push a much larger role onto Shaw’s shoulders in 2019.

Barrett was sacked a league-worst 41 times last season, with the team allowing nearly 10 tackles for loss per game. The offensive line, which was inexperienced in 2018, should show improvement with the return of four starters, including tackle Bryce Gibbs, guards Julian Sams and Nathan Monnin and center Nate Warnock, a two-year starter.

Kicker Matt Trickett earned all-conference honors as a true freshman after connecting on 14 of 17 field goals and 33 of 34 extra points last season.

Weaknesses: Six of Kent State’s 10 losses were by at least 20 points. The Golden Flashes finished last season ranked last in the conference in total defense after allowing 467 yards and nearly 37 points per game. The unit returns two of its top three tacklers from last season in defensive backs Keith Sherald (91 tackles) and Jamal Parker (83), but it must replace three starters up front, including defensive lineman Khalil Morris, a second team All-MAC selection in 2018.

Outlook: The Golden Flashes appear to be headed in a positive direction. There is plenty of talent at the skill positions and more on the way after Lewis nailed down a strong recruiting class.

The most glaring problem facing this team is its defense, which was mediocre last season. The unit’s strength is in the secondary, while the defensive line needs to work on getting more pressure up front.

The schedule is brutal with three nonconference games against Arizona State, Auburn and Wisconsin, but the team should be more competitive during conference play.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/spo...-sp-college-football-rankings-0501-story.html

From SBNATION:

Projected conference wins, with overall wins in parentheses.

West Division

1. Toledo 5.5 (7.7)
2. WMU 5.2 (7.5)
3. NIU 5.2 (6.9)
4. EMU 4.5 (6.6)
5. Ball State 2.8 (4.3)
6. CMU 2.4 (3.7)

The Rockets are projected as the third-best team in the division but get by far the best schedule, welcoming WMU, NIU, and EMU to Toledo and missing the East’s top two teams.

East Division

1. Ohio 5.3 (7.7)
2. Miami (Ohio) 4.7 (6.1)
3. Buffalo 4.6 (6.6)
4. Kent State 3.3 (4.1)
5. Bowling Green 2.3 (3.5)
6. Akron 2.2 (3.3)

Four teams project within one conference win of each other in the West, and the East is nearly as tight, with three teams within 0.7 games. And hell, Kent State’s only one upset from muddying things up even further.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2019/2/20/18226406/mac-football-2019-power-rankings