Kent State Golden Flashes Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
Kent State Golden Flashes Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Kent State season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Kent State Golden Flashes Preview
Head Coach: Sean Lewis, 5th year at Kent State, 19-24
2021 Preview: Overall: 7-7, Conference: 6-2
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Kent State Top 10 Players | Kent State Schedule
Kent State Golden Flashes Preview 2022
Now it’s time to see just how well this whole thing works.
The FlashFast style of offense under Sean Lewis has completely turned the program around, and it’s easy to point to the exact moment when it happened.
In 2019, poor old Kent State was chugging along to another awful losing year with a 3-6 record and Buffalo hammering away, and then came the stunning comeback for a Golden Flash win, then came the four game winning streak with a bowl victory, and then came the run of three straight years without a losing record for the first time since 1972 to 1974.
Bowl appearances aren’t normal at Kent State. They are now under Lewis.
However, last year’s team was loaded with veterans and firepower, the sixth-year senior factor played a big role, and it all led to an appearance in the MAC Championship and a trip to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Golden Flashes lost both games, and now they’re all but starting over in several areas.
But the high-powered offensive system should still be great, the defense at least has veterans – to be kind – and this should still be fun.
Kent State Golden Flashes Preview 2022: Offense
The O will still roll fast, score fast, work fast even with a whole lot of new parts to the machine. The Golden Flashes finished fourth in the nation in total offense averaging close to 500 yards per game. It has to do a better job of closing out drives with points, and time of possession is totally meaningless, but the No. 3 rushing attack in college football should be just fine because of …
The running backs – they’re great. The O found its twosome in Marques Cooper and Xavier Williams – two smallish quick backs – who combine for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. They’re the lightning, and 243-pound Bryan Bradford will bring the power for the harder yards.
The O line loses just about everyone, but there’s just enough talent back to build around. Jack Bailey is a versatile option on the inside, and there’s size, but this group is going to need a little work. The transfer portal is bringing in a few options.
Dustin Crum was everything. He was the one who ran it all, knew how to keep everything moving, and was ultra-efficient as an all-around playmaker. He’s done, and now it’s up to Collin Schlee to try cranking up the production in place of the guy who threw for close to 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and ran for over 700 yards with 12 scores.
The receiving corps is going to be great thanks to the return of all-star Dante Cephas. He’s the go-to guy, but he’s not alone with Ja’Shuan Poke and Devontez Walker two good prospects about to do a whole lot more.
And then there’s the …
Kent State Golden Flashes Preview 2022: Defense
The offense had to keep rocking and rolling to make up for all of the problems on the other side. The Kent State defense was the worst in the MAC, gave up more first downs than anyone in the country, and couldn’t generate any sort of pass rush or come up with third down stops. What it did do, though, was take the ball away.
The veterans are there on the defensive front. There’s size in 330-pound CJ West on the nose, and the big ends as least have the bulk and experience to potentially hold up better. Getting into the backfield more would be a huge plus.
The defensive back seven gets back leading tackler Dean Clark at safety – he didn’t make every play for the D, but it sure seemed like it – but the next seven tacklers off of last year’s defense are done. The linebacking corps isn’t totally staring over, but it’s close. There’s no size, but this will be a quick group.
Montre Miller is a solid all-around corner who led the team with four picks, but the rest of the secondary needs help with more of a pass rush. There’s help from the transfer portal at safety.
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Kent State Top 10 Players | Kent State Schedule
Kent State Golden Flashes: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Kent State Golden Flashes: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Kent State Golden Flashes: Key To The 2022 Offense
Run, run, run.
The FlashFast style of offense is balanced, efficient, and it doesn’t turn the ball over when everything is working right. The whole idea is to keep defenses on their heels, and all of that goes a lot better when the ground game is rolling.
The offense has the running backs, QB Collin Schlee will take off, and there will be times when the attack gouges defenses that can’t handle the pace.
Run for 200 yards, and it’s over. Kent State was 7-2 last year when it got the mark – and 13-3 over the last 16 games – and 0-5 when it didn’t. The team is 1-9 in its last ten games when it didn’t hit 200.
Kent State Golden Flashes: Key To The 2022 Defense
Stop giving up so many first downs.
The pass rush was mediocre, the run defense was bad, and the experienced defense that should’ve been a whole lot better got ripped to shreds way too easily. The biggest overall issue?
First downs.
As is with the team’s style of offense, the time of possession factor is always going to be heavily tilted the other way. It doesn’t help when the D gives up more first downs than anyone in America.
Kent State was the worst team in college football in first downs allowed by more than one per game – allowing teams to come up with 26 every time out – and gave up 33 more than the defense that allowed the second most, WKU.
It was a bigger deal when teams ran for the first. Kent State was 1-6 when teams ran for double-digit first downs.
Kent State Golden Flashes: Key Player To The 2022 Season
QB Collin Schlee, Jr.
The defense needs a whole slew of parts to rise up, and the offensive line could use as many good new starting blockers as possible, but there’s nothing happening this year unless Schlee – or one of the other options – can rise up and rock in place of Dustin Crum.
All Crum did was throw for over 7,400 yards and 55 scores, run for over 2,000 with 24 touchdowns, and do it all while not turning the ball over enough to matter.
Kent State Golden Flashes: Key Transfer
DE AJ Campbell, RFr.
A few transfers from the offensive line should matter, and the secondary is getting some help, but the Golden Flashes need a pass rusher.
The 6-4, 245-pound Campbell started his career at UCLA, didn’t play, and now he’s coming to Kent State where he needs to grow into a desperately needed disruptive force
Kent State Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Miami University, Oct. 8
The Golden Flashes beat the RedHawks in a wild 48-47 game last year for the first victory in the series since 2017. This time around, it’ll probably be for the MAC East title.
If Kent State can beat Ohio to open the MAC season and then get by MU, it’ll likely be a two-game season – at Toledo, at Buffalo – to get back to the conference title game.
Kent State Golden Flashes: 2021 Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Opponents 33:15 – Kent State 26:41
– Sacks: Opponents 40 for 230 yards – Kent State 23 for 156 yards
– Rushing TDs: Opponents 40 – Kent State 36
O, D Breakdown | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Kent State Top 10 Players | Kent State Schedule
Kent State Golden Flashes Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Kent State Golden Flashes Season Prediction, What Will Happen
There are way too many big replacements to make.
It’s asking a lot to get the same production out of an offense that lost too much off the line and at quarterback, the defense has miles to go to be merely bad, and …
The offense should still be dangerous enough – and the schedule manageable enough – to go on another nice run and have a winning season. It might take a little while to get there, but …
Set The Kent State Golden Flashes Regular Season Win Total At … 6.5
The problem is the start. Kent State will almost certainly be 1-3 with at Washington, at Oklahoma, and at Georgia in September – along with a likely win over Long Island – so there isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room the rest of the way.
At Toledo, at Miami University, at Buffalo. Those are the three toughest remaining games, but if the O is rolling like it’s supposed to by the middle of the season, the Golden Flashes should be able to grind their way up to six wins.
There can’t be a blown tire against a Ball State or Eastern Michigan at home, though. As is it might take a road upset to have any shot at 7+ wins, but Kent State should be able to pull one off.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Kent State Top 10 Players | Kent State Schedule
