Tennessee football returns home to Neyland Stadium on Saturday night in its final non conference tune up before opening up SEC play a week later at Oklahoma.
Here’s a look at a Kent State Golden Flashes team that might be the very worst in the football bowl division.
How The Golden Flashes Got Here
Kent State enters the week three matchup at Neyland Stadium 0-2 on the season. The Golden Flashes 55-24 loss against Pitt in week one was no surprise but their 23-17 week two loss against FCS St. Francis was unexpected and a bad sign.
It’s been a tough go of things for head coach Kenni Burns in his two short time as Kent State’s head coach. After going 1-11 last season, Burns is now 1-13 in his two seasons as head coach. He’s now 0-12 against FBS teams and 1-1 against FCS teams.
Kent State’s Strengths
The Golden Flashes don’t have too many strengths given they may be the single worst team in the entire FBS.
But Kent State’s defensive line has been pretty solid so far this season. The Golden Flashes have recorded six sacks in two games this season, a mark that is tied for 25th best in the entire country.
Kicker Andrew Glass has also been solid, making all five extra point attempts as well as two of three field goal attempts with his lone miss coming from 40-to-50 yards.
Kent State’s Weaknesses
There’s a lot to choose from here but let’s start with the offensive line. Kent State has been completely unable to run the ball this season, totaling only 109 yards on 64 carries. That’s good for an impressive 1.7 yards per carry.
With an inability to run the ball, struggles both in the red zone and on third downs have followed. The Golden Flashes rank last nationally scoring on just 40% of their red zone opportunities while 17% third down conversion rate is second to last nationally.
Defensively, Kent State ranks 115th nationally in run defense by allowing over 200 yards a game on the ground. They also rank 120th nationally in pass defense by allowing 282 yards per game through the air.
Golden Flashes Players To Know
Quarterback Devin Kargman
Kargman is Kent State’s junior starting quarterback. He played sparingly in each of his first two seasons at Kent State but now he’s the full-time starting quarterback for the Golden Flashes.
In two games this season, Kargman completed 36-of-66 passes for 374 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was solid against Pitt, completing 50% of his passes for 181 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Kargman is not much of a running threat. He has two rushes of positive yardage this season. One of 12 yards and another for three yards.
Receiver Luke Floriea
Floriea is the top offensive threat on Kent State’s roster. After a solid senior season, Floriea is off to an elite start in his super senior season.
In two games, Floriea has caught 12 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He was particularly effective against Pitt where he caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
The 5-foot-10 Ohio native plays as both a slot receiver and as an out wide receiver.
Defensive End Kameron Olds
Olds is a 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior who is the most impressive player on Kent State’s entire roster in what’s looking like a breakout junior season.
After not recording a single sack in his first two years of college football, Olds has three sacks in just two games this season. The defensive end recorded one sack in Kent State’s loss against Pitt and two more against St. Francis.
What Josh Heupel Said About The Golden Flashes
On Kent State
“For us defensively, heavy mix of zone, inside and outside zone, and a lot of window dressing. You know, with motion shifts, trade. We gotta do a great job being gap sound and communicate at a high level. Offensively, multiple in their coverages. A lot of pressure. So we gotta do a great job on identification. It’s in run games and pass pro and protecting the quarterback when we’re dropping back. And we gotta go win some one-on-ones.”
