by The Golden Flashes’ already disappointing 2026 season was virtually ended on Tuesday night when Bowling Green senior Nick Sawyer intercepted a prayer heave from redshirt junior Dru DeShields late in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, poor offensive line play and turnovers led to the Flashes’ 33-28 loss, and they will move to 3-7(2-4). Head coach Mark Carney’s squad will be kept out of postseason play for the fifth straight season.
DeShields had built up some serious momentum on the Flashes’ previous two drives with a touchdown pass to sophomore Wayne Harris and an impressive quarterback draw play that ended with the signal caller in the endzone, his second rushing touchdown of the night.
But just as it seemed the Flashes were about to mount an impressive 13-point comeback, the Falcons found themselves back on top in just three plays. Sophomore Nakai Amachree, who finished with an impressive 197 scrimmage yards, took it 64 yards deep to put BG up by five on what became the game-winning play.
However, what really cost the Flashes the game was poor offensive line play. DeShields was sacked a whopping eight times, five of which came from one man alone.
That man was Bowling Green senior Myles Bradley, who was absolutely unstoppable on Tuesday night. Three of Bradley’s five sacks came on Kent State’s last two drives, including one that preceded the game-sealing interception.
What makes this loss sting especially bad for the Flashes isn’t just that it keeps them out of bowl season. It was another contest, similar to last week’s embarrassing loss to Sacramento State, where Kent State came out hot but stalled badly in the third quarter.
Offensive coordinator Clay Patterson’s unit could neither score nor move the ball coming out of halftime, as both of the Flashes’ drives in the third ended in punts.
Another ugly recurring trend from last week that came back against Bowling Green was Kent State turnovers. Tuesday night’s contest was another two-interception day for DeShields, bringing him to nine on the year.
After another tough road trip that ended in multiple Kent State losses, the Flashes will return home for senior night next week. Carney and his squad will welcome in the Miami RedHawks (5-4,3-2) for the 2026 home finale.
