Kent State Golden Flashes 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Kent State 2008 Record: (4-8, 3-5)
Kent State 2008 Bowl: none
Kent State Coach: Doug Martin (19-39 at Kent State, 19-39 overall)
Kent State Offensive Coordinator: A.J. Pratt
Kent State Defensive Coordinator: Pete Rekstis
Kent State Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Eugene Jarvis, RB, 801 yards
• Passing: Anthony Magazu, QB, 205 yards
• Receiving: Eugene Jarvis, RB, 273 yards
• Tackles: Brian Lainhart, S, 106
• Sacks: Kevin Hogan, DE, 5.0
• Interceptions: Brian Lainhart, S, 6

Notable Kent State Returning Players: C Chris Anzevino, G Michael Fay, DT Sam Frist, WR Phil Garner, S Dan Hartman, DT Aaron Hull, LB Cobrani Mixon, OT Pat Reedy, G Mike Roder, CB Danny Sadler, TE Jonathan Simpson, WR Alan Vanderink

Kent State Key Losses: WR Shawn Bayes, LB Derek Burrell, QB Julian Edelman, DE David Filippi, LB Cedrick Maxwell, CB Rico Murray, OT Augustus Parrish

Kent State had a disappointing 2008 season. I called for the Golden Flashes to compete for the MAC East crown and qualify for a bowl game but instead they suffered four losses in five games down the stretch of the season to miss the postseason for the fifth time in five seasons under head coach Doug Martin. A large culprit was the defense, which allowed a Martin era worst 32 points per game, good for 11 th out of 13 teams in the conference.

The offense, however, scored nearly 26 points per game in 2008, a four year high, and most of that unit returns this fall. However, their best offensive player was quarterback Julian Edelman and he is now the property of the New England Patriots. His loss can’t be stated strongly enough: Edelman accounted for 26 touchdowns last fall, half running and half passing, nearly 70% of all Kent State touchdowns! However, there is hope; Diminutive senior tailback Eugene Jarvis rushed for 800 yards and 9 touchdowns last fall despite missing 3 games due to injury. He was also the MAC’s leading rusher in 2007, so expect Kent State’s new starting quarterback to have the ability to run play action thanks to a solid running game as four starters return on the O-Line. Speaking of the quarterback position, sophomore Gio Morgan is expected to start after redshirting last fall. Unfortunately, his returning receivers had hardly any catches in 2008 and will be just as inexperienced as he is (36 career pass attempts). Expect the Flashes to fall back on offense this year.

Defensively, Kent State brings back seven starters from last year’s 11 th place unit. Up front they are led by 2008 1 st team All-MAC nose tackle Sam Frist and hybrid end Kevin Hogan, who led the team in sacks last fall. Both are seniors and should anchor an improved rush defense. At linebacker, junior Michigan transfer Cobrani Mixon is the only starter back and he will have to step up his game to account for the loss of last year’s leading tackler, Derek Burrell. The secondary picture is much brighter as the Flashes return three upperclassmen starters, led by junior safety Brian Lainhart, their leading returning tackler with 106 last year. The Flashes actually improved upon their pass defense last year from 2007 so another year for this group should see further gains against the pass. Kent State’s defense should be improved this fall (I will be surprised at another 11 th place finish) but no one should associate this group with a lock down unit.

The Golden Flashes also have the competitive advantage of playing six East Division games. However, they face WMU and EMU from the West, both of which are expected to be among the leaders in their division. Even worse for KSU, they have to play the three teams that I picked ahead of them in the division on the road, including a stretch of four road games in five tries beginning in mid-October. In the non-conference slate, the Flashes have a league-high 3 BCS games, including a home game against Iowa State, who they defeated in 2007. Overall, this Kent State team has a tough conference schedule and three BCS opponents in the out of conference season, making it very hard for me to even predict bowl eligibility, much less a shot at competing for the division title. With Coach Martin at risk of his 6 th consecutive non-winning season, Kent State could find themselves with a new head coach next year if they don’t surprise everyone in 2009.

Kent State Big Games: Sept. 19th vs. Iowa State, Sept. 26th vs. Miami (OH), Oct. 10th vs. Bowling Green, Nov. 21st @ Temple, Nov. 27th vs. Buffalo

Kent State’s Strength:

However, the offense is full of potential, even if the quarterback situation remains unsettled. Running back Eugene Jarvis is a great back who averaged nearly five yards per carry and made ten total trips to the end zone. The offense will rely on Jarvis while the passing game adjusts to life without Edelman. And that should be fine with the return of four linemen who did a superb job paving the way for the ground game last year and should be even better this time around. Jarvis is also a decent pass catcher and the new signal caller might look his way quite a bit this year now that Shawn Bayes has run out of eligibility. Bayes was the only consistent receiver on the team last year. Phil Garner and Alan Vanderink, along with tight end Jonathan Simpson have potential and experience and it is time that they step up and become consistent receiving threats.

Kent State’s Weakness:

Too often, due to turnovers, the offense put the defense in a bad situation. The team ranked seventh in the conference in total defense, but still gave up nearly 32 points per game. If the offense can hang onto the ball, the defense will be better, but how much better? Linebacker Derek Burrell was easily the best player on that side of the ball and now he is gone. Suddenly junior Cobrani Mixon is the most experienced linebacker on the roster and he will have to go from a roleplayer to a leader. The secondary returns some talent, most notably Brian Lainhart, but they gave up well over 200 yards in the air per game in 2008. That could change with a year of experience, but it would also help if the front four can get pressure on the opposing quarterback. Senior end Kevin Hogan is the likely candidate to get into the backfield, but the team needs to find another quality end.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Golden Flashes:

Kent State has not been to a bowl game since 1972. Will that streak end this year? Probably not, but it is certainly a possibility. The defense should be a little bit better now that they are more experienced and the Golden Flashes have one of the best rushers in the conference. If the offense can balance itself out with a decent passing attack, there is no reason to believe that this team cannot win a majority of their home games and steal a road victory or two against a team like Eastern Michigan and find themselves eligible for a bowl.

Kent State Betting Odds

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