by In a game against Sacramento State in which the Kent State football team was favored by a touchdown, the Golden Flashes suffered possibly the worst loss in the Mark Carney era.
Down 17-10 in the fourth quarter, redshirt junior quarterback Dru DeShields turned the ball over on back-to-back drives when the Flashes needed it most. The first turnover proved to be the most fatal/fatal blow, as senior safety Donovan Turner picked off a pass and took it to the end zone to put the Hornets up by two scores.
Sacramento State(2-7,1-5) held on to the lead, earning their first win against an FBS opponent as an FBS and Mid-American Conference program.
With the loss, Kent State moves to 3-6(2-3), one loss away from being eliminated from bowl eligibility and is now likely out of conference title conversations entirely.
It was another dreadful day of production for offensive coordinator Clay Patterson’s unit. The Flashes took the lead on a 92-yard bomb from DeShields to sophomore phenom Wayne Harris, his fourth touchdown in two games.
However, that was all the success KSU found on a late night in Sacramento. Other than a made field goal late in the second quarter, every other drive for the Flashes ended in a turnover or a punt; the Hornets forced five total turnovers for the game.
Despite the poor offensive showing, the Flashes actually took a 10-6 lead into halftime. But after a 36-yard Sac St. field goal ignited their offense, a three-play, 35-yard drive capped off by a rushing touchdown from freshman Isaiah Ene put the Hornets in front.
Following the momentum shift, head coach Alonzo Carter’s squad went on to score 25 unanswered points in the second half.
The fourth quarter was where the wheels ultimately flew off for the Flashes, the same team that was riding high after blowing out their rival Akron last week. Three back-breaking turnovers, all committed by DeShields, kept the game out of reach entirely.
Sacramento State’s special teams unit, led by redshirt freshman punter Hamish Adams, was a key factor in the win. The Flashes started deep in their own territory on what felt like every other drive, as Adams had two 50-yard punts and three downed within the 20-yard line.
Although it felt like the Flashes could do nothing right, Harris did finish with another strong stat line with three catches for 122 yards and a score.
For all intents and purposes, this game was an absolute must-win for the Flashes. Instead, it goes down as potentially the worst loss for the program since the Kenni Burns years.
Carney’s squad will stay on the road but return to Ohio, as they’ll take on the Bowling Green State Falcons(2-6, 2-2) on November 10 after the bye. This loss puts Kent State in an incredibly deep hole, and they’ll need to be perfect every step of the way to salvage what was supposed to be a very different season.
