catdaddyp Posted July 23 Report Posted July 23 (edited) 2024 Rewind: Kenni Burns was allowed to complete one of the worst two-year stints in college football, going just 1-23 during that span. Somehow, the team managed to regress following a one-win season, ultimately recording a historically bad 2024 campaign without a single victory. Mark Carney has now been tabbed as the interim head coach and inherits the nearly impossible task of trying to turn the Flashes around with very little recruiting time this offseason. The 2025 class is largely made up of players Burns brought in and leans heavily toward freshmen, making Carney’s job even more uphill from the start. Recruiting under Carney: 2025: On3 - 7th in MAC 247 - 7th in MAC Flashes on Offense: Kent State faces another gauntlet of a schedule, with road trips to Texas Tech, Florida State, and Oklahoma on deck—so who knows who the starters will actually be by the time this game rolls around. That said, it’s likely Fordham transfer CJ Montes will get the nod at quarterback to start the season. Behind him are Devin Kargman and Dru DeShields, both of whom have the tools to be solid players—if they’re ever given the chance to operate without a defender in their lap the moment the ball touches their hands. Minnesota transfer Jordin Nubin will compete for snaps with the oft-injured Gavin Garcia. The two backs should complement each other fairly well—assuming they can stay healthy and the offensive line gives them even a sliver of daylight to work with. Wide receiver might have more talented depth overall, but the unit will likely regress due to the lack of a true go-to target. All-conference receivers Chrishon McCray and Luke Floriea have moved on, leaving behind a massive production void that’ll need to be filled by youth and inexperience. Tight end will be manned by lower-level transfers, but it’s not a huge focal point—Kent hardly utilized the position in the passing game under Carney’s offense anyway. Dustyn Morell is the lone returning starter from what was the worst offensive line in the MAC last season. The rest of the group will be made up of either backups who saw minimal action a year ago or transfers who also struggled to crack the starting lineup at their previous stops. Even if the unit shows some improvement, there’s a good chance it still ends up being the worst offensive line in the conference. Flashes on Defense: It’ll be a new defensive scheme under this staff. According to Carney, this year’s defense will prioritize stopping the run first—marking a shift from last year’s bend-but-don’t-break, turnover-dependent approach. Backup defensive end Antoine Campbell and converted offensive lineman Mason Maddox are expected to step into starting roles. Beyond that, it’ll be a mix of four transfers and a handful of players with little to no experience rounding out the depth chart. Kent does return several linebackers who saw the field last year—that’s the good news. The bad news is that linebacker play left a lot to be desired in 2024, due to injuries and other issues. Mason Woods and true sophomore Nylan Brown are expected to start, but both will need to take significant steps forward if this unit is going to be anything more than a liability again. Safety Tevin Tucker is the lone returning starter in a secondary that struggled to stay healthy and maintain any sort of cohesion from week to week. The rest of the group is expected to be made up of a mix of returning backups, portal transfers who were also backups at their previous stops, and true freshmen. It’s a patchwork unit that will need to grow up fast. Will Hryszko is slated to return at kicker after converting all 15 of his extra point attempts and going 3-for-5 on field goals last season. Charlie Durkin, who didn’t see the field in 2024, will take over punting duties. Position Advantage: QB - Akron RB - Akron WR - Akron TE - Akron OL - Akron DL - Akron LB - Akron DB - Akron ST - Even Way too Early Prediction: There’s really no other way to put it—Kent State will probably be the worst team in college football again. Burns went all-in on freshmen, leaving behind a surprisingly solid core of young talent—believe it or not—but then patched the rest of the roster with “players who wanted to be there.” In reality, that meant lower-division players or G5 backups whose only FBS offer came from Kent. If the freshmen happen to ball out, they’ll likely bolt for greener pastures, and the cycle will repeat—holes filled with more freshmen and even less impactful transfers. It’s a brutal, unsustainable model. Mark Carney faces a near-impossible task trying to turn things around under these conditions. Kent’s best hope at a win comes right out of the gate against Merrimack. Outside of that, I just don’t think there’s enough talent or experience on this roster to find another one. Maybe they catch a break and steal a win against a team breaking in a first-year head coach if everything lines up perfectly—but that’s a big maybe. As for the rivalry game, I’m calling for Akron to blow out the Flashes, 45-10. Game Day Notes: Kent State has been fairly effective through the air in conference play, thanks in large part to redshirt sophomore Dru DeShields, who has brought stability to the offense and done a great job protecting the football. He’s thrown for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. The run game has been inconsistent, with Gavin Garcia and Minnesota transfer Jordan Nubin splitting carries. The pair has combined for 590 yards and 2 touchdowns but hasn’t been much of a factor in the passing game. Former running back Cade Wolford has transitioned to the slot and provided a spark with several explosive plays from that spot. Da’Shawn Martin — a player we once offered out of high school — and Wayne Harris are DeShields’ primary targets in the passing game. The rebuilt offensive line has actually held up well in pass protection, but the group has struggled to generate much consistency in the run game. Kent State rotates plenty of bodies on defense and blitz often. While none of the defensive linemen truly stand out, Southern Illinois transfer edge rusher Jamond Mathis has been the top pass rusher on the roster. Linebacker CJ Young leads the team in tackles and has put together an all-conference caliber season. The Flashes have been fairly stout against the run in MAC play, ranking fourth in the conference, but they’ve been torched through the air and have allowed more passing yards than any other team in the league. Mark Carney has Kent State playing well above its talent level, but there are still holes on the roster that simply can’t be masked without more overall talented depth. This is a game Akron should win, even with the Flashes having battled competitively in most of their MAC matchups. Time to start looking at potential All-Conference contenders. Not everyone listed here will ultimately make it, but these are the guys with the best shot from the Zips based on MAC-only stats: Offense - Finley is fourth in the league in passing yards and first in touchdown passes. It’s a six-man race for the three All-MAC quarterback spots, with Roberson (Buffalo), Kim (EMU), Gleason (Toledo), Parker (Ohio), and Finn (Miami) also in the mix. - Gant leads the conference in rushing yards and is on pace to be First Team All-MAC, likely alongside Bangura from Ohio. - Mason and Polk rank tenth and eighteenth in receiving yards, respectively. Mason has a strong case for All-MAC consideration with his four touchdowns (tied for third-most in the conference), while Polk would need a strong finish in receiving yards to earn a spot on an All-Conference team. However, Polk is also tied for third in touchdown receptions, which helps his case. Ma. Williams could work himself into the conversation as well if he strings together a few more performances like this past one. - Up front, Lyons (center), K. Davis (right guard), and King (right tackle) all have a shot to land on an All-MAC team, depending on how the final few weeks play out. Defense - Laventure looks like a lock for First or Second Team All-MAC as he sits fourth in tackles for loss and tied for seventh in sacks. Dall would be in the conversation too, but judging purely by his stats, they’ve dipped a bit in MAC play — though his disruption has not. - Summers and Spriggs could both sneak into the discussion — Summers has been a turnover machine, while Spriggs has come on incredibly strong over the past two weeks. - In the secondary, DeWalt and Reed have both been playing at a high level, but if it came down to one, I’d give the nod to DeWalt. Edited 3 hours ago by catdaddyp 4 1 Quote
exit322 Posted July 26 Report Posted July 26 What we don't 100% know on Kent State was how much of their struggling was also because Burns was an awful game day coach. Maybe (and it's a stretch) they really weren't THAT comically bad last year and they could surprise people with a couple wins. Still agree with Akron blowing them out here, but I wouldn't be shocked if Kent was just "run of the mill bad" this year and not otherworldly bad. 2 Quote
clarkwgriswold Posted July 26 Report Posted July 26 This being a close game could be the final nail in Morehead's coffin. Quote
catdaddyp Posted 3 hours ago Author Report Posted 3 hours ago Game Day Notes: Kent State has been fairly effective through the air in conference play, thanks in large part to redshirt sophomore Dru DeShields, who has brought stability to the offense and done a great job protecting the football. He’s thrown for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. The run game has been inconsistent, with Gavin Garcia and Minnesota transfer Jordan Nubin splitting carries. The pair has combined for 590 yards and 2 touchdowns but hasn’t been much of a factor in the passing game. Former running back Cade Wolford has transitioned to the slot and provided a spark with several explosive plays from that spot. Da’Shawn Martin — a player we once offered out of high school — and Wayne Harris are DeShields’ primary targets in the passing game. The rebuilt offensive line has actually held up well in pass protection, but the group has struggled to generate much consistency in the run game. Kent State rotates plenty of bodies on defense and blitz often. While none of the defensive linemen truly stand out, Southern Illinois transfer edge rusher Jamond Mathis has been the top pass rusher on the roster. Linebacker CJ Young leads the team in tackles and has put together an all-conference caliber season. The Flashes have been fairly stout against the run in MAC play, ranking fourth in the conference, but they’ve been torched through the air and have allowed more passing yards than any other team in the league. Mark Carney has Kent State playing well above its talent level, but there are still holes on the roster that simply can’t be masked without more overall talented depth. This is a game Akron should win, even with the Flashes having battled competitively in most of their MAC matchups. Time to start looking at potential All-Conference contenders. Not everyone listed here will ultimately make it, but these are the guys with the best shot from the Zips based on MAC-only stats: Offense - Finley is fourth in the league in passing yards and first in touchdown passes. It’s a six-man race for the three All-MAC quarterback spots, with Roberson (Buffalo), Kim (EMU), Gleason (Toledo), Parker (Ohio), and Finn (Miami) also in the mix. - Gant leads the conference in rushing yards and is on pace to be First Team All-MAC, likely alongside Bangura from Ohio. - Mason and Polk rank tenth and eighteenth in receiving yards, respectively. Mason has a strong case for All-MAC consideration with his four touchdowns (tied for third-most in the conference), while Polk would need a strong finish in receiving yards to earn a spot on an All-Conference team. However, Polk is also tied for third in touchdown receptions, which helps his case. Ma. Williams could work himself into the conversation as well if he strings together a few more performances like this past one. - Up front, Lyons (center), K. Davis (right guard), and King (right tackle) all have a shot to land on an All-MAC team, depending on how the final few weeks play out. Defense - Laventure looks like a lock for First or Second Team All-MAC as he sits fourth in tackles for loss and tied for seventh in sacks. Dall would be in the conversation too, but judging purely by his stats, they’ve dipped a bit in MAC play — though his disruption has not. - Summers and Spriggs could both sneak into the discussion — Summers has been a turnover machine, while Spriggs has come on incredibly strong over the past two weeks. - In the secondary, DeWalt and Reed have both been playing at a high level, but if it came down to one, I’d give the nod to DeWalt. 2 1 Quote
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