AP Photo/Michael Woods
Outside of the Sean Lewis era, things haven’t been great for Kent State in the last decade. The Golden Flashes only have two bowl appearances during that span — both under Lewis — and have eclipsed three wins only three times. Again, each was under Lewis.
Kenni Burns enters his second season as the head coach, and Kent State is still in rebuild mode. The Golden Flashes went 1-11 in Burns’ first season. Burns inherited the most inexperienced roster in the FBS, and while still fairly young, there’s plenty more experience and maturity on this year’s squad.
This season will be another year for Burns’ program to find its footing, but the Golden Flashes will be an underdog against nearly every opponent. Those kinds of teams can sometimes be the most dangerous as the Golden Flashes will look to be just that as they seek some upsets in the MAC.
Kent State’s odds to win the MAC are +15000, via BetMGM.
Kent State’s win total Over/Under is 2.5, with the Over at -155 and the Under at +130.
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8/31 at Pitt
9/7 vs Saint Francis
9/14 at Tennessee
9/21 at Penn State
9/28 vs Eastern Michigan
10/12 vs Ball State
10/19 at Bowling Green
10/26 at Western Michigan
11/6 vs Ohio
11/13 at Miami (Ohio)
11/19 vs Akron
11/30 at Buffalo
Bold indicates MAC contests
WR Chrishon McCray
K Andrew Glass
WR Luke Floriea
It seems that, naturally, Burns’ teams would be strongest on offense. Burns has spent his entire coaching career in an offensive role and played running back at Indiana. However, last year’s Kent State offense faded away from the high-powered attack that it had under Lewis. The Golden Flashes played more of a tough brand of football.
Regardless of what its style of play is, Kent State’s offense and its nine returning starters are going to be what gives the Golden Flashes signs of life this year.
Quarterback Tommy Ulatowski showed promise last season during his limited playing time. The sophomore performed well off the bench and eventually started three games before being injured late in the season. He finished with 737 yards and seven touchdowns to two interceptions.
The young signal caller will be able to turn to a pair of returning all-conference receivers in Chrishon McCray and Luke Floriea. McCray was second in the MAC in receiving yards per game (67.8) and finished with 610 yards and four TDs despite missing three games. Floriea finished with 39 receptions for 410 yards and four scores.
The running back room should also provide some help for Ulatowski. It may not be as productive as it was during the Marquez Cooper years, but Ky Thomas should keep defenses honest. Thomas missed last season because of transfer rules and spent one season at Kansas before suiting up for Minnesota, where he rushed for 824 yards in 2021. The offensive line will also be much improved.
The Golden Flashes ranked last in the league last season, averaging just 14.7 points per game. Their 270.5 yards per game were second-to-last ahead of only Eastern Michigan. I’m not expecting fireworks, but they should improve on these numbers. And although we might expect the defense to also take a step forward, I believe this offense can be what allows Kent State to exceed expectations.
Kent State won’t win its first MAC title since 1972, as the team has by far the longest odds to win the conference. I don’t anticipate it being easy for the Golden Flashes to go Over 2.5 wins or make it to a bowl game, either. While they could beat Saint Francis, the rest of the non-conference slate is difficult.
Kent State does have three conference games that seem winnable, though. The first are against Eastern Michigan and Ball State to open league play, and both are at home. The game against Ball State is off a bye. Kent State also hosts Akron in Week 13 where the winner may avoid being the team to finish last in the conference.
While some teams with lowly expectations don’t play with much pride, I don’t think that is the case for Kent State. The energy surrounding this program seems high, and it’s a good sign the top players from last season didn’t enter the transfer portal.
This fall will be another brick added to the foundation that will hopefully lead to Burns and the Golden Flashes being a competitive program in the MAC once again.
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