Kent State (3-7,2-4 MAC) defeated the Owls (3-7,2-4) 41-38 in a game that featured 915 yards of offense along with four turnovers, and 44 second half points.

 

However, this rain-soaked affair would not be decided until a 26-yard field goal from Nate Reed with 6:08 remaining in regulation to give the Flashes their first win over a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision at home since November 17, 2006 when they defeated Eastern Michigan.

 

“I could not be more proud of our football team tonight” said Kent State head coach Doug Martin. “It was a great team win. The defense struggled at times but in the end they made plays and they got stops and secured the win.”

 

Senior running back Eugene Jarvis rushed for a season high 185 yards and a touchdown.

 

Jarvis, a senior from Pittsburgh, has been hampered by a high ankle sprain that cost him three games but since gaining 105 yards and scoring four touchdowns at Miami on October 25^th, Jarvis has looked like the rusher that came into this season as the FBS’ leading returning ground gainer

 

‘I’m not 100 percent yet, but there are two games left (in my career) so you have to leave it all on the field,” Jarvis said.

 

Fellow senior, quarterback Julian Edelman, had 144 yards of his own on the ground with a career best three scores while connecting on 18-of-26 passes for an additional 232 yards and a touchdown.

 

Edelman, a senior from Redwood City, California became the second quarterback in Kent State history to throw for 1000 yards and rush for 1000 yards in the same season joining Josh Cribbs who accomplished the feat in 2002.

 

One play that worked offensively for Kent State all evening was the option play and Edelman remarked “Temple was a huge cover two team. I check up at the line of scrimmage and we executed that play well all night.” According to Edelman, the option has been in the Flashes playbook all season long

 

 “We were going against one of the top defenses in the Mid-American Conference and handled them,” added Martin.

 

Kent State scored on its first possession.

 

Taking advantage of the kickoff going out of bounds, and using the no-huddle, it took ten plays to traverse the 60 yards with Edelman taking the ball into the end zone from one yard out.

 

Temple, which had an outside chance to make the MAC Championship Game if they won their last three games and got some help from the teams ahead of them, responded with a score on its first possession of the evening.

 

Thanks to a good return from Travis Shelton, the Owls had possession on the Kent State 46 yard line, but could only advance to KSU’s 26-yard line where the drive stalled and had to settle for a 43 yard field goal from Jake Brownell to make the score 7-3.

 

The Flashes would extend the lead early in the second quarter.

 

Taking possession on their own 19-yard line after a Temple punt, the Flashes moved the 81 yards in nine plays to make the score 14-3 with Jarvis scoring the touchdown from three yards away.

 

The Kent State defense then got into the act as it forced a fumble from Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele and was recovered by linebacker Cobrani Mixon on the Temple 37-yard line.

 

From there it took just two plays for the Flashes to score their third touchdown with Edelman taking it himself from a yard out, extending Kent State’s lead to 21-3.

 

The Owls then got a break when on the next Kent State possession, Edelman was intercepted by strong safety Dominiqie Harris at the KSU 27-yard line.

 

That interception woke up a stymied Temple offense.

 

The Owls used just three plays to score their first touchdown of the evening as running back Kee-ayre Griffin ran the football 21 yards for the score. Griffin would lead the Temple rushing attack on the evening with 56 yards on 11 carries.

 

Just before halftime, Temple started to gain momentum and closed the gap on the Flashes by engineering an 80 yard,16-play drive that ended with a touchdown as DiMichele found senior wide receiver Bruce Francis behind the cornerback and in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown, making the score 21-17 Kent State at halftime.

 

The waterlogged fans were treated to a fireworks show at halftime. Little they would know they would get fireworks on the field in the second half.

 

It started with the opening kickoff  as Shelton, one of the top kick returners in the MAC, took the second half kick 98 yards for a touchdown and gave Temple its first lead of the evening, 24-21.

 

Kent State responded with a touchdown on the following possession thanks to a running game that worked so well on the night as Edelman scored his second rushing touchdown of the night capping a seven play 60 yard drive as the Flashes regained the lead at 28-24.

 

But before you blink your eye, The Owls regained the lead at 31-28 on a 65-yard march in just four plays with DiMichele finding wide receiver Jason Harper from 35 yards out for the score.

 

Harper, a junior from Budd Lake, New Jersey would have a career night in the rain hauling in ten passes for 209 yards and two scores.

 

But Kent State persevered and for the second time in the quarter regained the advantage thanks to a 10-play 63 yard drive with Edelman finding wide receiver Sam Kirkland from seven yards out and the score became 35-31 Golden Flashes.

 

Before the end of the quarter, both teams turned the ball over but Temple’s miscue would cost them points.

 

After DiMichele completed a pass to Kevin Armstrong, senior linebacker Derek Burrell hit Armstrong causing the fumble and safety Rico Murray recovered at the Temple 38 yard line.

 

As the fourth quarter began, the Flashes got the ball to the Owls two-yard line but the Temple defense stiffened and Reed came on to make a 21-yard field goal to extend the Kent State lead to 38-31.

 

But Temple, like Kent State in the third quarter, responded and tied the score 38-38.

 

Using a five-play 65 yard drive which ended in DiMichele and Harper connecting for the second time in the game this one from 51 yards away as Harper found space in the middle of the defense and flat out ran away from the Kent State secondary.

 

But Kent State would eventually get the final word on their next drive.

 

Taking possession on his own 31-yard line, Edelman started the drive with a 35-yard run after he was flushed out of the pocket by the Temple rush. The drive moved to the Owls’ nine-yard line where again the drive stalled but Reed responded with his second field goal of the game, a 26-yarder to give Kent State a 41-38 lead.

 

It was certainly one of Reed’s better outings this season.

 

Earlier this season he missed a 23-yard field goal in the second overtime that gave Akron a win at home. The next week against Ohio, he missed an extra point and was benched. But Martin stayed with him and was rewarded with the game-winning points Wednesday night.

 

From there, the Flashes defense made their stand stopping Temple on their last three possessions of the game, the last being a fumble recovery by linebacker Monte Simmons that sealed the Owls fate.

 

“It was a huge step for this program. We need to learn to win close games. We need to learn how to handle adversity coming back and played their hearts out” Martin stated.

 

Kent State finishes its 2008 home schedule on Tuesday night when Northern Illinois comes to Dix Stadium while Temple finishes the campaign with two home games beginning on November 22^nd when Eastern Michigan comes to Lincoln Financial Field.

 

NOTES: The game was Temple’s first ever visit to Dix Stadium…In their head-to-head matchup Doug Martin is 2-1 lifetime against Temple head coach Al Golden…With Julian Edelman reaching 1000 yards rushing during the game he joins Josh Cribbs as the only KSU players to rush and pass for 1000 yards in a season and it made the Flashes just the fifth school in FBS history to have two players accomplish the feat (Air Force, Louisiana-Lafayette, Navy, and Nebraska the others)…Kent State has had 17 players with at least one pass reception this season only Troy (21) and Tulane (18) have had more players catching the football in 2008… The 41 points are the most by Kent State at home since October 13, 2001 when they defeated Northern Illinois 44-34…Bruce Francis-TU extended his consecutive streak of catching at least one pass to 36 games and his touchdown made him Temple’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 19…Travis Shelton-TU 92 yard kickoff touchdown return to start the third quarter made him Temple’s all-time leader in return yardage and was the first time Kent State allowed a kickoff for a touchdown since Michael Turner-Northern Illinois in 2001.