25 Questions that Flash...

What is their body of work?

Kent Makes Post-Season.
Worst Helmet Ever.

Well, we all know that last year they had their best year in pretty much forever.  Their 11 wins were more than the previous two seasons.  Then, they lost their coach and came out and really struggled against a very average FCS team--Liberty.  Now, you could look at that two ways.  You could say that the team spent their off-season congratulating themselves and maybe the new coach isn't ready yet....OR, you can remember that Dri Archer got injured early and it could have had a huge effect on
the team, much like the game where Omar Jacobs was injured against WMU.  Which is true?  I guess we will find out.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

22, which is about average.

Who are their returning statistical leaders?

Dri Archer was the #5 all-purpose rusher in FBS and #13 in scoring.

What was their turnover ratio?

They had a crazy +20 last year, coming off +12 the year before.  This is one of the things Phil Steele believes will come back to bite a team the next year.  We shall see.  They were -1 against Liberty.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Well, this is another mystery.  R-FR Colin Reardon had a nice day against Liberty but remains unproven.  We will see how he fares against the BGSU defense.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

They had a huge offensive season last year at 33 points per game, almost double what they scored the season before.  They had 5.8 yards per play, which is just MAC average.  (That's all those turnovers at work).  They scored 17 against Liberty and 4.7 yards per play.

Words escape me...

Can they run the ball?

Last year, they were a great running team--2nd in the MAC.  Even with Archer not at 100% (he did not practice Tuesday and Wednesday and is either day-to-day or probable), they still have Trayion Durham who had 4.8 yards per carry.  They brought only 2 OL back and one of them--G Pat McShane--is of questionable health, though expected to be "available."  BG's run defense was very stout against Tulsa and this will be a very good test.

Do they pass the ball?

They were very inefficient passing last season--10th in the MAC.  They went with a young QB and, as mentioned, we don't have much to judge from him.  Coach Clawson talked up their WRs but Phil Steele ranked them 11th in the MAC.

How is their run/pass balance?

They ran on 64% of their plays against Liberty, which is about where they were last year.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Consistent with generally poor marginals, they converted at only 35% last season and 50% against Liberty.

Do they score in the red zone?

Last year they were just average at 4.7 points per trip.  They scored on their only trip against Liberty.

It's Flushes.
To make it funny.

Do they protect the quarterback?

While they were not sacked last year, they did give up sacks on 6% of their pass plays last year.

Two things here.  If Kent doesn't get turnovers last year, their offense is much less productive.  And, without Archer, they struggle to get to the numbers they had.  Now.  Reardon might make a difference and Archer might be healthy.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They allowed only 24.5 points per game and 5.6 yards per play last year, the first a good number and the second slightly above average.  Turnover differential makes a difference on defense too.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They had a great front last year and allowed only 3.8 yards per carry.  Roosevelt Nix is back, though they did lose two starters up front.  Liberty FWIW had 33 yards on 22 carries.

Can they be passed on?

They were pretty good last year, at 58th in the nation in efficiency.  They have 3 starters back in the backfield and had a good day defending the pass against Liberty.  One starter--FS Calvin Tiggle--is not expected to play.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They do, they allow 38% first downs, which was in the top 1/4 last year.

Do they defend in the red zone?

This is one area they excel in...4.49 yards per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

They are really good on the pass rush and it will be a test for our defense.  They had 2.5 sacks per game last year and 3 against Liberty.

Special Teams:

These aren't the Flashes
you're looking for

Punting?

It is good.  They had the 12th best net punting unit in the nation last year and their punter is back and only a SO.

Punt Return?

This is an unknown.  Archer is slated to return punts on the depth chart--which makes it good, automatically.  His back up is Luke Wollet, a starting safety.

Placekicking?

Well, they graduated Freddy Cortez, who had kicked at Kent since the early years of the Clinton administration.  Their PK is their punting...who made his only attempt at 39 yards against Liberty.

Kickoff?

They were strong against Liberty, with 2 TBs and a 22 yard average starting position.

Kickoff Return?

Once again, this one is Archer-dependent.  He had 3 TDs last year, so he clearly makes an impact on this unit.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

A few things.  First, this is early to have such a big game and Kent didn't have a very good tune-up or a very big confidence builder, as it turned out.  Second, Kent has injury problems and a FR QB right out of the gate, which presents uncertainty.  On the flip side, they have an effective D-line that will present a big test for BG's offensive line, and, yeah, BG is starting a FR QB, too.  It could be a low scoring game, is what I am saying.  If Archer is not 100%, it makes a huge difference.  I believe that if BG plays on defense like it did in the opener, we'll be tough to beat.  In fact, this Kent team is a lot like Tulsa...