A touchdown worth of takeaways from the Kent State overtime win over Ohio
After sputtering through most of the first three quarters, the Kent State football team’s offensive engine purred through the finish of Saturday’s thriller against Ohio University at Dix Stadium.
The Golden Flashes’ first 411 yards of total offense netted 10 points. Its final 325 yards, all gained during the fourth quarter and overtime, produced 21 points that teamed with some timely defensive stops to produce a 31-24 triumph over the Bobcats (2-3, 0-1 MAC) in their 2022 Mid-American Conference opener played before a lively Homecoming crowd of 20,392.
Despite six fumbles, a slew of drive-halting penalties and a gutsy challenge from pesky Ohio, the Flashes (2-3, 1-0) prevailed. In the end, the numbers wound up even better than they’ve usually been during the program-record 11-game home winning streak – 736 total yards (second-most in program history), a 240-yard rusher and a record-breaking receiver.
“It was sloppy, it was ugly. But at the end of the day our kids continued to fight, and we found a way to find success,” said KSU head coach Sean Lewis. “I think that speaks to our culture, our character, the environment that our kids are in day in and day out and the resiliency that they have, that even on a poor day you still find a way to win.”
Kent State football:Replay - Kent State football opens MAC play with overtime win over Ohio University
Seven of Kent State’s nine MAC victories during current home win streak, which dates back to the 2019 season, have come by seven points or less.
This week’s touchdown worth of takeaways begins with a deeper look at three incredible individual performances for the Flashes
Kent State junior wide receiver Dante Cephas
Dante Cephas broke the school record for single-game receiving yards with 246 on 13 catches. He gained 129 of those yards after the catch, repeatedly shoving defenders out of the way as he galloped downfield.
“When he stepped on campus he was like 170 pounds. He's put on the right weight,” said Lewis. “He's always had tremendous contact balance, now he’s got a little bit more mass about him. He's got these freakishly long arms, and he does a good job of using his off arm to really protect his legs. Pound for pound he’s one of the strongest kids we have in our program, so he’s really hard to bring down.”
A reigning First Team All-MAC performer, Cephas (6-foot-1, 186) had not reached 100 yards receiving in a game since the 2022 opener and looked like he’d come up short once again on Saturday. With under seven minutes remaining and his team trailing 17-10, Cephas stood at eight catches for 78 yards.
Then, simply stated, Cephas took over.
With Kent State facing a third-and-six from its own 14-yard line, Cephas caught a deep slant pass and batted away several defenders on his way to a 45-yard gain. After grabbing another slant for 16 yards, Cephas went deep down the sideline and made an acrobatic catch while getting both feet in bounds in the end zone despite being interfered with for a 29-yard score on a third-and-16 play.
“[Cephas] made a tremendous play on that deep ball. To fight through the contact and absorb the defensive [pass interference] and still make the catch was outstanding,” said Lewis. “That play really sparked a lot of that fourth-quarter turnaround, got the momentum back on our sideline.”
A 54-yard grab by Cephas near the end of regulation gave the Flashes a shot at a game-winning field goal that they were unable to convert. Minutes later he opened the overtime by catching a slant over the middle, shoving away several defenders, then reversing field and diving toward the end zone – falling one yard short. That effort set up what proved to be the game-winning 1-yard touchdown run by junior running back Marquez Cooper.
In the final seven minutes of regulation and overtime, Cephas caught five passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
“They’re giving him a lot of attention, and rightfully so,” said Lewis. “He just stays consistent throughout.”
Cephas is now over 500 yards receiving on the season.
Kent State junior running back Marquez Cooper
When Kent State’s offense was bogging down in the first three quarters Lewis continually pounded the ball inside with Cooper, and the 5-foot-7, 190-pound junior kept pounding away at the Bobcats.
Cooper finished with a career-high 240 yards on 40 punishing carries, and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“Feeling pretty good,” said Cooper afterward. “That’s something I dream about, carrying the ball 40 times. I'm so thankful.”
Cooper’s lone mistake came on the first drive of the second half, when he lost the football after ripping off a 31-yard gain.
“I told him that’s his one fumble for the year,” said Lewis. “He’s my guy, and I trust him intimately. He knows that. We're going to ride him. The kid loves everything that’s required to be an elite level player. His competitive spirit, his competitive stamina, allow him to be that workhorse featured back for us.”
Cooper reached 200 yards in the third quarter, and surpassed 500 rushing yards on the season.
Kent State junior quarterback Collin Schlee
Schlee struggled through several portions of Saturday’s contest, which is hard to believe considering his final numbers. He completed 24-of-38 passes for a career-high 398 yards and a touchdown while adding 77 yards and another score on the ground. He finished with 475 total yards, the second-highest total in program history.
Schlee sailed through Kent State’s tumultuous non-conference schedule as a first-year starter, making plays and running the show efficiently while keeping the mistakes to a minimum against elite competition.
On Saturday, Schlee made several rookie mistakes that cost his Flashes points.
Schlee fumbled the football four times. The first one led to a 24-yard loss that took Kent State out of field-goal range late in the first quarter. The second killed a second-quarter drive. The third was recovered by Ohio, on a play that started on the Bobcats 13. The fourth one miraculously bounced right back up to Schlee, who grabbed the football and continued on a 23-yard fourth-quarter run.
“They did a great job of generating pressure, and we need to be better with our ball security,” said Lewis. “We talk about in the pocket as quarterbacks we want to be two-handed monsters. We were low and loose, one-handed loosey-goosey with it, and that can’t be the case.”
But when the Flashes needed him most, Schlee delivered. He threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 60 yards and a score, during the fourth quarter and overtime to spearhead KSU’s comeback.
“He’s the guy that everyone in the locker room knows and values and holds in high regard. They want him to have the ball late,” said Lewis. “We've got tremendous confidence in him. We've just got to tighten up our fundamentals.”
Flashes their own worst enemy
The Flashes were able to drive up and down the field per usual during the first three quarters of Saturday’s game, but mistakes continually kept them from putting points on the board. After going through Ohio’s defense like a knife through butter while opening the contest with a 90-yard touchdown march, the Flashes only produced one field goal until the 4:11 mark of the fourth quarter.
Fumbles killed a pair of second-quarter drives and another to open the third quarter, then penalties derailed three consecutive second-half marches into Ohio territory.
Kent State fumbled six times, losing two, and was penalized nine times for 80 yards. The Bobcats did not turn the ball over, and were flagged just four times for 35 yards.
“It was ugly individually for Collin early. It was ugly in a lot of ways for our program,” said Lewis. “But in the end we found a way to find success.”
The 736 total yards is the second-highest total in an FBS game this season.
Kent State defense saves the day
While the offense faltered early on Kent State’s defense was solid, keeping the game tied at 10 through nearly three quarters. But in the final minute of the third quarter, Ohio freshman Sieh Bangura broke loose up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown run that gave his team a 17-10 lead.
Then one play after Kent State tied the game again, Bobcats grad student Sam Wiglusz got behind Flashes grad student safety Antwaine Richardson and hauled in a 71-yard touchdown pass.
“Bad play at the time, but my coaches told me to keep my head up and keep going,” said Richardson. “As a defensive back there’s going to be some ugly plays throughout the game. You’ve got to make sure you put that aside and just focus on the next play.”
The Flashes defense regrouped and nailed down the win by stopping three consecutive pass plays in overtime.
After an incompletion on second-and-goal from the 5, grad student linebacker Juan Wallace dropped into coverage and took away a throw from Ohio junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke to freshman tight end Will Kacmarek. Opponents have successfully gone to tight ends against the Flashes the past two weeks, so they were ready.
“Juan Wallace and (junior linebacker) CJ Harris did an unbelievable job with their tight end, who is a really good player,” said Lewis.
Then on fourth-and-goal, Richardson made Flashes fans forget about the mistake he made in the third quarter by tightly defending a pass attempt to sophomore Miles Cross in the back of the end zone to nail down the win.
“They ran a curl route. They hadn’t hit us on that route the whole game, so they felt like they could get that in the coverage we were playing,” said Richardson. “I made sure I stayed heavy inside and just trusted the process, trusted the play call.”
Kent State’s improving rush defense was solid once again, allowing 128 yards on 30 carries – with 50 coming on one play. Overall KSU outgained the Bobcats on the ground 338-128.
Sloppy Flashes find a way to win
Lewis was extremely concerned about his Flashes heading into Saturday’s contest. He was worried about being overconfident after playing No. 1 Georgia tough the week before, while the Bobcats were struggling to defeat FCS foe Fordham. He knew recent matchups with Ohio had almost all gone down to the wire, and fully expected the 2022 contest to play out the same way.
Sure enough, Kent State – a 12-point favorite - found itself in a dog fight on Saturday. The Flashes were able to play through injuries, mistakes, calls and various other misfortunes to pull out a win that will be huge as the MAC season progresses.
“This is a big cultural, character win for us,” said Lewis. “I'm really proud of these kids.”
The Flashes dug out a victory on the same day defending MAC champion Northern Illinois blew a 17-point lead to Ball State and lost in double-overtime.
Extra points: Kent State grad student linebacker Khalib Johns did not play on Saturday to an injury sustained last week at No. 1 Georgia. Johns entered the week leading the MAC in sacks and tackles for loss. Sophomore safety JoJo Evans was also not available on Saturday along with sophomore punter Josh Smith. Schlee handled the punting chores for the second time in the past three games. … Sophomore kicker Andrew Glass hit a career-high 50-yard field goal. … Sophomore wide receiver Devontez Walker continued his rise into the MAC elite, catching six passes for a career-high 107 yards. Cephas and Walker became the first 200-yard/100-yard single-game receiving tandem in school history.
Next: Kent State visits Miami of Ohio (2-3, 0-1) on Saturday
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Six takeaways from the Kent State Homecoming win over Ohio
