by Despite holding the Ohio Bobcats to little to no air attack as OU continued to shuffle quarterbacks, the Kent State football team lost its homecoming game 13-10 on a breezy day at Dix Stadium. Ultimately, it was turnovers that handed the Flashes the loss, as DeShields threw two interceptions and the Bobcats blocked both a punt and a potential game-tying field goal.
Moving to 2-3, the Flashes will embark on a difficult road trip, with stops in Kalamazoo and Tampa Bay to take on Western Michigan and South Florida, respectively.
Both teams struggled mightily on offense; heading into the fourth quarter, the Bobcats mustered only 71 passing yards between two quarterbacks, junior Matt Vezza and freshman Levi Davis.
But it was Vezza who scored the first touchdown on Saturday, as he galoped into the end zone from 35 yards to give the Bobcats a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter-a lead they would keep heading into halftime.
As for the Flashes, they could get nothing out of their run game, which was crucial in last week’s win against Ball State. Through three quarters, they only scraped a total of 35 rushing yards on 14 total carries.
But like the Bobcats, Kent State’s weakness was what scored them their only touchdown of the game. On a marathon drive that needed two fourth-down conversions, redshirt senior Mason King ran it to tie the game at 10-10 midway through the third quarter.
However, the Bobcats still moved the ball down the field in spite of their lackluster passing game. A 44-yard field goal from former KSU kicker Will Hryszko gave OU the 13-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In response, DeShields, who threw a pair of really tough interceptions on Saturday, moved the ball deep into Bobcat territory. However, a sack turned freshman Sean Leonard’s field goal attempt into a 50+ yarder-and it was blocked by OU.
The Bobcats got the ball with the game winding down. Trying to seal the win, they ran the ball on fourth down with one yard to go.
Looking for someone to make a play, the Flashes found a hero in sophomore defensive back Derrick Jackson III, who stopped Davis in his tracks on a QB keeper.
With just over two minutes left in the ballgame, the Flashes found themselves needing another fourth-down conversion. Looking for sophomore Ardell Banks, DeShields threw an incompletion-that was overturned by a defensive pass interference.
A few plays later, DeShields targeted Banks again, resulting in a big play that put Kent State deep in opponent territory.
Carney decided to put his faith in Leonard, who had already missed a kick earlier that day-and he would miss once again.
Leonard, who came into this week as the reigning Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, will head into the road trip with the weight of the world on his back.
