Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1026347
P R E G A M E R E P O R T K E N T S T A T E @ P E N N S T A T E T I M E N O O N , S E P T . 1 5 | T V F S 1 KENT STATE FACTS COACH Sean Lewis (Wisconsin, '07) COACH'S RECORD 1-1 in one season at Kent State; career record: same 2018 RECORD 1-1 RECORD VS. PSU The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 5-0. MOST RECENT MEETING Trace McSorley threw for 209 yards and Saquon Barkley rushed for 105 to help Penn State cruise past the visiting Golden Flashes, 33-13, on Sept. 3, 2016. It was McSorley's first game as the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback. GOOD NEWS Lewis has already had some suc- cess as he has worked to bring his up-tempo offense to Kent State. Through the season's first two weeks, the Golden Flashes are av- eraging 83 plays per game to rank 12th in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion. As co-offensive coordinator at Syracuse last season, Lewis helped the Orange lead the FBS with an average of 86 plays per game. BAD NEWS The Flashes will be decided un- derdogs this weekend, as Penn State has gone 25-3 all-time against opponents from the Mid- American Conference. The Lions' most recent loss to a MAC foe was to Ohio in 2012. DID YOU KNOW? At age 32, Lewis is the youngest head coach in the FBS. A native of Oak Lawn, Ill., just outside of Chicago, he is two years younger than the next-youngest FBS coach, Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley. T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M A year ago, Kent State faced Howard in its home opener and hung on to win by a touchdown, 38-31. This past Saturday, the Golden Flashes welcomed the Bison back to northeastern Ohio and had a much easier time, winning 54-14. It was the first time in a decade that Kent State topped 50 points in a game, but even more noteworthy than the scoring binge was that Kent State's victory was its first under new head coach Sean Lewis, a former Wisconsin quarter- back and tight end who in December was hired away from Syracuse, where he had been serving as offensive coordinator. FLASH FORWARD An improved Kent State team looks to shock the Lions McSorley rushed for 47 yards and threw for 209 in his previous ap- pearance against Kent State in 2016. It was the begin- ning of his reign as PSU's start- ing quarter- back. This week's game will be his 30th consec- utive start. Photo by Steve Manuel 1 S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M