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That bravado did not help the Blue and Gold while it lost three of their next four games, including an October 10 home loss in which KSU squandered a 12-point fourth quarter against Bowling Green. But the Flashes made their own statement to the remainder of the Mid-American Conference Saturday, and that statement was that they are in the Eastern Division race.

 Kent State (5-4,4-1 MAC) won it's third consecutive game by defeating the Western Michigan Broncos 26-14 before a gathering of 15,206. The victory ended a 12-game losing streak to the visitors and put them just one-half game behind Temple in the East as the Owls went out of conference Saturday,  winning at Navy 27-24.

With three games remaining, the Golden Flashes have the MAC East and their first bowl appearance since the 1972 Tangerine Bowl in their own hands. Next week they make the short trip to Akron to face the Zips for the battle of The Wagon Wheel.  After that, they make the trip to South Philadelphia to take on Temple in a game that could decide the Eastern Division title.

 “They got a great belief in each other right now…They got something special going right now,”  Martin said after the game. “They are making plays at crucial times.”

Freshman quarterback Spencer Keith completed 24-of-34 passes for a career best 373 yards and two touchdowns against Western Michigan.

“I have a lot of trust in our receivers," Keith said. "They have proved the last three weeks they can get the ball ... and make a play.”

Fellow freshman, wide receiver Tayshon Goode had 11 receptions for a career-high 198 yards. The pair was part of a KSU offense that amassed a season-best 477 yards

 Like the offense, the Golden Flashes defense also came up big as it limited the effectiveness of Broncos quarterback Tim Hiller and the running game of Brandon West - holding the WMU offense to 293 total yards while registering four sacks and an interception. It was the third consecutive opponent KSU has held under the 300 yard mark.

“We gave up yards, but we didn’t give up points. Holding them to what we held them to was a remarkable job” Martin said.

“We wanted to make them a one-dimensional team, and we did today” defensive lineman Monte Simmons added.

Hiller, the fifth-year senior from Orville, Ohio, playing in front of family and friends, completed 31-of-49 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown while West was held to just 61 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Two major keys in the game for Kent State were their ability to convert on third down and conversions in the red zone. Going into the game,KSU was 119th and 117th, respectively, in Division I-A in both categories. Against Western Michigan , they were 10-of-14 on third downs, and three-of-five inside the WMU 20.

 “Earlier in the season we were horrific. But since the Baylor game, our third down and red zone conversions have been pretty good, and we got better each week” Martin said.

 Western Michigan (4-5,3-3 MAC) suffered its second loss in the last three games and saw its chances for a post-season bowl bid take a major hit.

 “It was very disappointing today” head coach Bill Cubit said afterwards. “To (allow them to) throw for 373 yards is inexcusable;, 10-of-14 on third down - that is inexcusable. There are some things on Sunday (when you review the film) that you are not going to like, and that is just two of them”

 From the start of the game, it was apparent that Kent State was going to move the ball on the Western Michigan defense. On the first possession of the game, the Golden Flashes, taking the wind in the first quarter, moved the ball from their own 20 yard line to the Broncos seven, where the drive stalled and freshman place kicker Freddie Cortez connected on a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

One of the keys to Kent State moving the ball in the first half  was Keith’s ability to make the big play with the pass. On their second drive, deep in his own territory, he connected with wide receiver Jameson Konz for 44-yards. The drive reached the Broncos 13 but got no points as linebacker Mitch Zajac intercepted a pass and returned it to the WMU 31.

 As the first quarter became the second, Tim Hiller engineered an 11-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. He found wide receiver Ansel Ponder in the end zone from two yards out for the TD and a 7-3. Broncos lead.

 Kent State responded with a scoring drive of its own. Again it was Keith with the big play. On the first play of the drive, he found Goode for a 40-yard reception. The Golden Flashes got the ball to the WMU 22 where, again, the drive stalled. This time against the wind, Cortez connected on a 39-yard field goal to narrow  the deficit to 7-6.

After holding the Broncos to three plays and a punt, KSU took the lead for good with a seven play, 83-yard drive. For the third consecutive drive, it was the big play arm of Keith that got them the touchdown as he connected with Goode on a 34-yarder to make the score 13-7.

The Broncos had a chance to get some points before the first half ended. Taking possession after the kickoff on their own 28. Hiller and the offense moved the ball to the Kent State 23.

After Ponder dropped a third-down Hiller pass in the end zone, Cubit decided to go for the touchdown, rather than attempt a field goal with the wind. On fourth down, Hiller threw an incomplete pass and KSU held that 13-7 advantage at halftime.

 Kent State would add to its lead at the start of the third quarter. The defense, aided by an illegal crack back block penalty that pinned the Broncos back on their nine yard line, held on three plays. Then against the wind, punter Ben Armer’s kick traveled just 19 yards going out of  bounds at the Broncos 25.

From there, it took just three plays for Kent State to get the touchdown as Keith connected with Goode again - this time from 19-yards away - to make the score 20-7.

The Broncos had a chance to get back into the game after the touchdown. When Cortez put the kickoff following the touchdown out of bounds, WMU moved the ball from their own 40 to the Kent State 14, thanks to a 15-yard personal foul penalty.

Hiller sent the ball into the end zone three times and each time the pass was incomplete. Then to add insult to injury, place kicker John Ponder missed a 32-yard field goal attempt.

Western Michigan got another opportunity to get back into the game when the Broncos recovered a KSU fumble. Keith completed a third-down pass to Konz, who took two steps and then lost possession in mid-air. Defensive back Vernon Stewart recovered at the WMU 40, but the offense failed to covert the turnover into points.

Western Michigan regained possession early in the fourth quarter when Keith threw his second interception of the game with defensive back Damon Smith getting the ball on the KSU 29. This time, Hiller cashed in with a nine-yard strike to wide receiver Robert Arnheim to make the score 20-14.

While many in the crowd remembered what happened to Kent State against Bowling Green a few weeks earlier, there would be no such repeat this time. Keith and the offense drove 72-yards for a clinching touchdown.

Again it was the big play arm of the freshman that got them going. On the first play of the drive he found running back Jacquise Terry for 28 yards. Then on a third-down and 15 from the Western Michigan 49, he hit wide receiver Phil Garner for 19 yards and a first down to keep the drive going,

Terry, who is now the main running back due to the season-ending kidney injury to Jarvis, finished the drive with a 15-yard run off left tackle and the touchdown. With the margin at eight points, 26-14, Martin decided to go for two but Keith’s pass was incomplete.

WMU’s final gasp was snuffed out by freshman linebacker Luke Batton who intercepted a Hiller pass at the KSU 31. From there, Kent State just ran out the clock thanks to another big completion by Keith to Goode and a pair of 17-yard runs by Terry.

Western Michigan, in the midst of a three game road trip, completes its non-conference schedule Saturday at Michigan State and follows with a trip to Eastern Michigan before ending the regular season at home against Ball State on November 24th.

NOTES:
- The game was the first meeting between the two schools since 2005 at Kalamazoo and the first at Kent since 2000…

- It was Kent State’s first win over Western Michigan at home since 1987

- Spencer Keith’s 343 yards were the most by a KSU quarterback since Julian Edelman’s 305 yards against Akron in 2006…

- Tim Hiller's touchdown pass in the third quarter marked 35th time in his 38 career games as a Bronco with at least one touchdown pass