The Kent State Golden Flashes are 0-5 against the Ohio Bobcats since November of 2015, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Kent State and Ohio will face off in a Mid-American battle at 1 p.m. ET at Peden Stadium. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
The Golden Flashes suffered a grim 64-31 defeat to the Western Michigan Broncos last week. Kent State was down 50-23 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Their defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of QB Dustin Crum, who passed for two TDs and 210 yards on 26 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown, and WR Dante Cephas, who caught five passes for one TD and 96 yards.
Meanwhile, Ohio lost 27-26 to the Buffalo Bulls. Ohio was up 21 to nothing at the end of the first quarter but somehow couldn't manage to seal the deal. QB Armani Rogers put forth a good effort for the losing side as he accumulated 75 passing yards in addition to rushing for two TDs and 183 yards. Rogers put himself on the highlight reel with a 99-yard TD scramble in the first quarter. Rogers' sharp performance set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
The Golden Flashes are the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. True fans might be the only ones betting on them, currently 1-5 ATS, to cover the spread.
The losses put Kent State at 3-4 and the Bobcats at 1-6. A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Kent State is stumbling into the game with the 242nd most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 18 on the season. Ohios have had an even harder time: they are 235th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 16 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.