Week four of college football continues as the Bowling Green Falcons travel to Dix Stadium to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, Sep. 21 at 3:30 P.M. This will be the 87th meeting between these two teams with the last meeting occurring in 2018 when Kent State won by a score of 35-28.
Bowling Green Looks To Improve Offensively
The Bowling Green Falcons entered the 2019 season with expectations of another down year. Last season, Bowling Green won just three games and went an awful 2-6 in MAC play. As a result, people assumed that this season would be the same story as Bowling Green would look like a below-average football team. So far this season, that prediction has looked accurate as Bowling Green has lost its last two games after getting a win against an FCS school in week one. The main reason for the Falcons’ losing record has been their offense which has been practically useless for the last two weeks. Specifically, the Falcons have scored just seven points in those two games combined. However, Kent State is significantly worse than Kansas State and Louisiana Tech so perhaps Bowling Green’s offense can get it going on Saturday.
The starting quarterback for the Falcons is senior Darius Wade who looked okay in the first three games of the regular season. Specifically, he has thrown for 503 passing yards along with three passing touchdowns and one interception. However, most of those numbers came against Morgan State in week one as Wade thrown zero touchdown passes in the last two games. Wade has the potential to be a decent starting quarterback but he has simply been overwhelmed against quality defenses. Luckily for him, Kent State’s defense is well below average so Wade should play a lot better in this game.
Solid start to the 2019 season last night. Here are some highlights from the 46-3 victory over Morgan State. #RelentlessEffort // #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/nri5FP3sph
— BG Football (@BG_Football) August 30, 2019
Bowling Green’s biggest contributor on defense has been junior linebacker Kholbe Coleman who has been great this season. Specifically, Coleman leads the team with 25 tackles and two sacks. In addition, he has also forced and recovered a fumble which is important considering the fact that Bowling Green has only forced three turnovers so far this season. With the way Bowling Green’s offense has been playing lately, its defense will need to step up and Coleman should play a big role if its defense plays well on Saturday.
Kent State Looks To Get Back To .500
The Kent State Golden Flashes entered the 2019 season with expectations of finishing in the basement once again in the MAC. Last season, Kent State won just two games and finished last in its section of the conference. However, this is nothing new as Kent State has not won more than four games in a season since 2012. As a result, everyone assumed that this year would be the same story as Kent State would finish with about three wins. So far this season, that prediction looks pretty accurate as Kent State is 1-2 with its only win requiring overtime against an FCS opponent. However, Kent State is surprisingly a double-digit home favorite so the markets actually expect the Golden Flashes to get back to a .500 record before having to play a ranked Wisconsin team on the road in week six. On the bright side, if Kent State does win this game, it will most likely avoid finishing last in the MAC East again.
The starting quarterback for the Golden Flashes is junior Dustin Crum who has looked good so far this season. After becoming the starter in week two, he has thrown for 387 passing yards along with two passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. In addition, he also added a rushing touchdown so he has the ability to move the chains with his legs. Even though his team lost to Auburn last week, it was the best game of his career as he posted an impressive 92.0 QBR against a solid Auburn defense. With a much weaker defense up next, Crum will look to continue playing well.
Isaiah McKoy is fast and he is spectacular! His third TD of the season comes on this 55-yard dime!#FlashFAST | #BTA pic.twitter.com/2E2HGiUB57
— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) September 15, 2019
Kent State’s biggest X-factor on offense has been sophomore wide receiver Isaiah McKoy who has been great this season. Specifically, McKoy has 13 receptions for 236 receiving yards. Even more impressively, he has scored a touchdown in each of his three games with two of them being at least 50 yards. McKoy has proven to be a reliable deep threat in this offense and he will look to extend his touchdown streak on Saturday against Bowling Green.
Team Trends
Back
- Road team is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Falcons are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
- Golden Flashes are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in September.
More