Kent State home opener vs. Long Island: Five talking points
Kent State will seek a program-record 10th consecutive home victory on Saturday when Long Island visits Dix Stadium for the 2022 home opener. Kickoff is set for noon.
The Golden Flashes earned nine consecutive wins twice previously, from 1949-1951 and 2011-2013. The Flashes went unbeaten at home during both of their Mid-American Conference East Division championship seasons, in 2012 and 2021.
Kent State’s current nine-game home winning streak started with an improbable rally from a 21-point deficit with less than eight minutes remaining against Buffalo on Nov. 14, 2019. Eight of those victims have been MAC opponents, with all but one win coming by 10 points or less.
The Flashes are eager to play in front of their home fans after opening the 2022 season with losses at a pair of unbeaten Power Five schools, Washington and No. 7 Oklahoma.
“We’re excited to get in front of our fans, to be at home and have the comforts that come with home and the home field advantage. People are cheering for us, as opposed to the colorful language that I heard as I was standing in the tunnel waiting to come out in Norman,” said KSU head coach Sean Lewis. “We’re excited to see Dix packed, and to keep our home win streak intact. We’re looking forward to the energy and excitement that will be at Dix Stadium this Saturday as we have a very good FCS opponent in Long Island coming in. We get a limited number of opportunities to put on a show in front of our fans. We need to go out and have pride in our program and pride in our community, and defend our home turf.”
Here are five talking points heading into Saturday’s contest:
Kent State not overlooking LIU
After hanging tough against two Power Five behemoths to open the 2022 season, it would be easy for Kent State to fall into the obvious trap of overlooking a Sharks squad that finished 2-8 at the FCS level last season. Lewis is doing everything in his power to make sure his Flashes have all of their attention on Long Island this week.
"Yes, you have to have that knowledge, you have to get that information on who you’re playing. But ultimately the real strength and the true power and true wisdom is to know yourself and what you stand for, what your standard is," said Lewis. "It doesn't matter that it was Oklahoma last week and it’s Long Island this week, and it happens to be Georgia the next week. Each week has its own unique set of challenges.
“We’re going to study our opponent, going to have respect for them. You have to hold the process of winning in high regard. We’re going to do that because that’s what our standard of expectation is in our Kent State football family. That’s the right thing to do."
September meat grinder
While no team in the nation faces a more rigorous non-conference schedule than Kent State, LIU’s first three games of the 2022 campaign are tremendous tests in their own right.
The Sharks opened the season against perennial MAC title contender Toledo on the road. They trailed just 3-0 after one quarter and 20-0 heading into the final period before falling 37-0. Long Island was outgained by the Rockets 437-113.
Last Saturday Long Island hosted Villanova, the fifth-ranked FCS team in the nation. The Sharks were down only 17-7 at the half before the Wildcats eventually pulled away to win 38-21. LIU was much better offensively in game two, posting 359 total yards, while its defense intercepted four of Villanova’s 12 pass attempts.
“They've had their own [tough] tests,” said Lewis. “You can tell from Week 1 to Week 2 that they’re making marked improvements. They're very opportunistic defensively. They deploy a defensive structure where they utilize a lot of talented [defensive backs] and generated four turnovers last game against a very talented Villanova team. Offensively they're coming together. The quarterback play has gotten better. It’s a talented group with some dynamic guys.”
'Schlee Show' comes to Dix Stadium
Collin Schlee promises to be worth the price of admission alone for Kent State football fans this season. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound dual-threat junior quarterback will make his first start at Dix Stadium on Saturday and will be looking to put on a show for sure after repeatedly making prominent defenders from Washington and Oklahoma look foolish during his first two collegiate starts.
“We knew he was a really mobile, athletic guy, and we knew he could make all the throws. And he did a great job and made us miss at times,” said Sooners defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “I give that kid credit.”
The Flashes were able to move the ball at times against both the Huskies and Sooners, but managed to produce just 16 total points on six trips to the red zone. Finishing drives will be the top priority for Schlee and the offense on Saturday.
Flashes defense making strides under first-year coordinator
Kent State has shown drastic improvement on the defensive side of the ball in the first two games of the season under first-year defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson.
A run defense that’s been shredded by the opposition over the past several seasons is allowing just 133 yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry in 2022. Kent State’s defense was carved up through the air in game one at Washington, but bounced back to blank Oklahoma for the first 29-plus minutes of last Saturday’s contest.
The Sooners finished the first half with 7 yards rushing on 13 carries, with a long run of 5 yards. They had 82 total yards until a late first-half drive and went 1-of-6 on third down in the opening 30 minutes before finding their groove in the final two quarters.
“There's great visual evidence of when we do things the right way how good we can be,” said Lewis. “The proof’s in the pudding now. There’s a whole half of football against a really good quality opponent that we can take confidence from, and there’s plenty of lessons from the second half that we can learn from so we can continue to get better and realize our full potential.”
The Flashes are getting solid contributions from multiple players on all three levels of the defense.
“Each week as we continue to get a feel for who does what best and how we can deploy their skill set given the situation, that’s going to put us in the best position to be successful,” said Lewis.
The Flashes will look to find success defensively against a Long Island squad that’s averaging just 3.6 yards per play and has reached the red zone just three times in its first two contests.
Cooper due to bust out
After rushing for 1,205 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, Kent State junior feature back Marquez Cooper has been held to 91 yards on 33 carries by formidable defenses from Washington and Oklahoma. But the Flashes aren’t the least bit concerned about Cooper, who has actually made the most of the few small creases he’s seen thus far this fall.
“I’ve got 100 percent confidence and trust in Coop,” said Lewis. “We're in our third season together, and pound for pound he’s one of the strongest kids that we’ve got. And you can’t measure his heart. His ability to make people miss and fight, his competitive nature ... He wants the ball every single play, and that’s exactly how I want our skill guys to be. I trust him. He's a resilient fighter.”
Look for the Flashes to unleash Cooper on Saturday against a Sharks defense that’s been gashed for 591 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in its first two contests of 2022.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State football team home opener vs. LIU: Five talking points
