Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
8 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Kent State is trying to regain its stride after finishing 1-11 last fall, the Golden Flashes' worst season since go- ing winless in 1998. Given the need to build some positive mo- mentum, a September schedule featuring road trips to Pitt, Tennessee and Penn State is sub- optimal, but that's life in the Mid-American Conference; eight of the MAC's 12 teams are set to face at least one op- ponent that finished in the top 25 of the final College Football Playoff rankings. The real test for Kent State will be whether it can make headway when the conference season starts in late September. Coach Kenni Burns is getting ready for his second campaign with the Golden Flashes. He was an accomplished assis- tant coach at Minnesota where he over- saw the running backs for six seasons and helped develop the likes of Rodney Smith and Mohammed Ibrahim. Burns will have a former Gopher in his backfield this fall, with senior Ky Thomas having transferred to Kent State after previous stints at Kansas and Min- nesota. A 5-foot-11, 200-pound redshirt senior, Thomas rushed for 824 yards and 6 touchdowns in his lone season in Min- neapolis. He'll be running behind an of- fensive line that returns four players with starting experience and is coached by former Penn State assis- tant Matt Limegrover. Also returning is ju- nior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski. Last fall, the 6-2, 181-pound Chicago native saw action in 10 games and started three, passing for 737 yards, with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He'll have some inviting receivers to target this fall, with Michigan State transfer Sebastian Brown joining a trio of returnees head- lined by redshirt sopho- more Chrishon McCray. Last year, McCray had 41 catches for 610 yards and 4 touchdowns. With seven starters back, Kent State is eager to see improvement on the of- fensive side of the ball. Indeed, improve- ment is mandatory if the Golden Flashes are going to better last year's record. They averaged 14.7 points and 270.4 yards per game in 2023, ranking last in the FBS in the former category and 128th in the latter. As for the defense, it will be under new leadership after coordinator David Dug- gan returned to the high school coaching ranks in his native Mississippi in April. Safeties coach Kody Morgan was pro- moted to DC in early May, and now he'll be looking to upgrade a unit that allowed 34.6 points per game to rank 119th na- tionally. The key returnees are senior lineback- ers Khalib Johns and Nicholas Giaco- lone. Johns has been bothered by injuries but was effective when healthy in 2022, totaling 7 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in only four games. Giacolone, a Texas A&M transfer, was the team's second- leading tackler last year with 54 stops, including 4.5 for loss. The defensive line will miss All-MAC tackle CJ West, who transferred to In- diana in May. With the 315-pound West gone, the Golden Flashes have only three defensive tackles on their roster listed at more than 260 pounds, a trio topped by 290-pound redshirt sophomore Mason Maddox. Besides developing its run-stopping muscle, Kent State needs to find a way to put more heat on opposing passers after totaling only 12 sacks in 2023, the third-lowest total in the FBS. If the pass- rushing concerns aren't addressed, it will put considerable pressure on a secondary that returns only one starter in senior safety Alex Branch. — Matt Herb S E P T . 2 1 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . Second-year head coach Kenni Burns previ- ously spent six years in the Big Ten as an assistant at Minnesota. PHOTO COURTESY KENT STATE ATHLETICS GAME 3 KENT STATE QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 6-0 Last Meeting: The Lions ran for 297 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 63-10 win over visiting Kent State on Sept. 15, 2018 Head Coach: Kenni Burns (1-11 in one season at Kent State; career coaching record: same) 2023 Record: 1-11, 0-8 Mid-American Confer- ence Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense, 5 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Gavin Garcia (544 yards, 2 TD) Passing: QB Tommy Ulatowski (737 yards, 7 TD) Receiving: WR Chrishon McCray (610 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: LB Nicholas Giacolone (54) Sacks: LB CJ Harris (2) Interceptions: LB Nicholas Giacolone, DT Ste- phen Daley (1) BEST-CASE SCENARIO The trips to Tennessee and Penn State probably aren't going to go well, but Pitt was no juggernaut last year. If the Golden Flashes show signs of progress in their opener, they can build some confidence and perhaps steal a few MAC games in October and November. WORST-CASE SCENARIO Another one-win season seems unlikely, but it can't be ruled out, either. Only two of Kent State's 11 losses last year were decided by fewer than 14 points. There's a lot of ground to make up. 2024 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2023 Result Aug. 31 at Pitt — Sept. 7 Saint Francis (Pa.) — Sept. 14 at Tennessee — Sept. 21 at Penn State — Sept. 28 Eastern Michigan L, 28-14 Oct. 12 Ball State L, 34-3 Oct. 19 at Bowling Green L, 49-19 Oct. 26 at Western Michigan — Nov. 6 Ohio L, 42-17 Nov. 13 at Miami (Ohio) L, 23-3 Nov. 19 Akron L, 31-27 Nov. 26 at Buffalo L, 24-6