 KENT STATE 24, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 21 FINDING A WAY TO WIN
"It was a dramatic finish. I'm very proud of our football team and how they keep battling, how close they are, and how they've grown the last 11 months,” KSU Head Coach Darrel Hazell said. “Finding a way to win a tough football game in November is something I'm very proud of.
“We probably didn't play as well as we could have defensively; we gave up too many yards and too many big plays. We battled at the end tokeep them out of the end zone. Offensively, I thought we did a good job controlling the football and a good job of running it, as well as making some easy throws.”
The contest was a roller coaster ride that featured the participants combing for 824 yards of total offense, but at the end, Kent State's hopes of a MAC East Division crown remained alive. After dropping three games by a one-possession margin -- two of which came at home -- the Flashes have rattled off two straight victories.
QB REGISTERS SEASON HIGHS
Junior quarterback Spencer Keith sparked the victory with a breakout performance. A week after posting his highest completion rate and passing yardage output of the 2011 season, Keith threw for a season-high 281 yards and tossed three touchdown passes. Redshirt junior wide receiver Matthew Hurdle hauled in a touchdown pass and piled up a career-high 102 receiving yards Freshman tailback Trayion Durham rumbled for a career-high 91 yards on 18 carries.
"It opens things up having the run game going. They (offensive line) did a great job today
creating holes for him. He ran really hard the whole game, Keith said of Durham’s contribution.
Kent State's first touchdown was set up when sophomore safety Luke Wollet picked off Central Michigan junior quarterback Ryan Radcliff's pass at the Central Michigan 44 on the Chippewas' opening possession. Four plays later, Keith found senior running back Jacquise Terry for a 15-yard scoring strike with just over 10 minutes to play in the opening quarter.
The Flashes struck again just 18 seconds into the second quarter when Keith hit Hurdle for an 85-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.
LONG DRIVE TIES CONTEST
The Chippewas answered right back on their next drive, though, when Radcliff engineered an eight-play, 86-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Cody Williams. After forcing Kent State to punt on the next possession, Central Michigan knotted the contest at 14-all, marching 96 yards in 11 plays in a drive that spanned nearly seven minutes. Radcliff found freshman wide receiver Titus Davis for the score with a 36-yard touchdown pass."
Titus did a heck of a job today. He really stepped up big when we needed him, he had a
couple big plays that got us back into it,” Radcliff said. “He's been growing a lot in the mental part of the game and the physical part.”
“I knew I had to come into this game as a starter. I knew I had to step up and have a big day
for the team and for the coaches.,” Davis said.
Both defenses held their ground in a scoreless third quarter, setting the stage for another dramatic MAC finish.
SAULTER PROVIDES TURNOVER
Kent State drove 80 yards in nine plays and scored when Keith connected with Gilbert for a 25-yard touchdown pass with just under 14 minutes to play. After redshirt junior defensive back Sidney Saulter picked off Radcliff to end Central Michigan's ensuing drive, the Golden Flashes extended their advantage to 10 when junior kicker Freddy Cortez nailed a 34-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 73-yard drive with just over seven minutes to go.
The Chippewas weren't done yet, though, as Radcliff connected with Young again, this time on a 52-yard pass to cut Central Michigan's deficit to three.
After forcing Kent State to punt, Central Michigan took over with 3:27 remaining. Starting from their own 18-yard line, the Chippewas marched to the Kent State 11-yard line. After the teams traded timeouts with five seconds to go, Harman's try missed its mark and the Kent State bench stormed the field in celebration.
MOVING FORWARD
Kent State goes for its third straight win next Saturday when it travels to the Rubber City for its annual Wagon Wheel rivalry matchup at Akron. Kent State will attempt to maintain possession of the rivalry trophy for the second straight year after a 28-17 victory in 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the contest will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.
Central Michigan must quickly turn its attention to a tough matchup against an Ohio team in the thick of the MAC East race.
"Right now we don't pick ourselves up, we lick our wounds,” Radcliff said. “We come back in tomorrow and we start to see what happened. Go from there, and learn to come out next week. We have a good
team in Ohio we get to play, so we have another short week and get back to the grind."
Courtesy of Kent State Athletics
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