2024 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

2024 Kent State Golden Flashes football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	0–5 (0–1 MAC)
Head coach	Kenni Burns (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mark Carney (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Dave Duggan (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Dix Stadium

2024 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Michigan		1	–	0					4	–	1
Buffalo		1	–	0					3	–	2
Central Michigan		1	–	0					3	–	2
Ohio		1	–	0					3	–	2
Toledo		0	–	0					3	–	1
Bowling Green		0	–	0					1	–	3
Miami (OH)		0	–	0					1	–	3
Western Michigan		0	–	0					1	–	3
Northern Illinois		0	–	1					2	–	2
Ball State		0	–	1					1	–	3
Akron		0	–	1					1	–	4
Kent State		0	–	1					0	–	5
Championship: December 7, 2024
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of October 2, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Kent State Golden Flashes football team will represent Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Flashes are led by Kenni Burns in his second year as the head coach. The Golden Flashes will play home games at Dix Stadium, located in Kent, Ohio.^[1]

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Kent State was picked to finish last in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.^[2][3]

MAC Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Miami	119 (9)
2	Toledo	109 (3)
T3	Bowling Green	92
T3	Northern Illinois	92
5	Ohio	81
6	Eastern Michigan	64
7	Western Michigan	60
8	Central Michigan	59
9	Ball State	42
10	Buffalo	37
11	Akron	24
12	Kent State	13

Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Miami	10
2	Toledo	2

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh*	Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	ESPNU	L 24–55	44,616
September 7	2:30 p.m.	Saint Francis (PA)*	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN+	L 17–23	11,585
September 14	7:45 p.m.	at No. 7 Tennessee*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	L 0–71	101,915
September 21	3:30 p.m.	at No. 10 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN	L 0–56	109,526
September 28	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN+	L 33–52	10,899
October 12	12:00 p.m.	Ball State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN+
October 19		at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award)
October 26		at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI
November 6	7:00 p.m.	Ohio	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN2/ESPNU
November 13	7:00 p.m.	at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 19	7:00 p.m./7:30 p.m./8:00 p.m.	Akron	Dix Stadium Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 26	7:00 p.m.	at Buffalo	UB Stadium Buffalo, NY	ESPN2/ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[4]

Game summaries

at Pittsburgh

See also: 2024 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Game One – Kent State Golden Flashes (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Flashes	7	7	10	0	24
Panthers	14	14	14	13	55

at Acrisure Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA

• Date: August 31, 2024
• Game time: 12:00 pm
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: SW at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
• Game attendance: 44,616
• Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

Game information

First quarter (11:56) PIT – Konata Mumpfield 11-yard pass from Eli Holstein, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 9 plays, 95 yards, 2:59; Pittsburgh 7–0) (10:15) PIT – Desmond Reid 78-yard punt return, Ben Sauls kick (Pittsburgh 14–0) (6:43) KSU – Luke Floriea 36-yard pass from Devin Kargman, Andrew Glass kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:32; Pittsburgh 14–7) Second quarter (13:10) PIT – Derrick Davis Jr. 2-yard run, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 3:55; Pittsburgh 21–7) (7:50) PIT – Raphael Williams 7-yard pass from Eli Holstein, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:08; Pittsburgh 28–7) (5:28) KSU – Naim Muhammad 34-yard fumble recovery, Andrew Glass kick (Pittsburgh 28–14) Third quarter (9:36) KSU – Chrishon McCray 29-yard pass from Devin Kargman, Andrew Glass kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:24; Pittsburgh 28–21) (8:39) PIT – Desmond Reid 46-yard run, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 0:52; Pittsburgh 35–21) (5:48) KSU – Andrew Glass 36-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 2:51; Pittsburgh 35–24) (3:34) PIT – Kenny Johnson 10-yard pass from Eli Holstein, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:14; Pittsburgh 42–24) Fourth quarter (11:52) PIT – Ben Sauls 50-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 1:41; Pittsburgh 45–24) (9:32) PIT – Raphael Williams 6-yard pass from Nate Yarnell, Ben Sauls kick (Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 1:59; Pittsburgh 52–24) (1:47) PIT – Ben Sauls 39-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 32 yards, 2:38; Pittsburgh 55–24)

Statistics	KENT	PIT
First downs	15	31
Total yards	212	560
Rushing yards	31	191
Passing yards	181	369
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–28–1	34–48–1
Time of possession	32:26	27:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Devin Kargman	14/28, 181 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ky Thomas	18 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Luke Floriea	6 receptions, 104 yards, TD
Pittsburgh	Passing	Eli Holstein	30/40, 336 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Desmond Reid	14 carries, 145 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kenny Johnson	7 receptions, 105 yards, TD

Saint Francis (PA) (FCS)

See also: 2024 Saint Francis Red Flash football team

Game Two – Saint Francis Red Flash (FCS) (0–1) at Kent State Golden Flashes (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Flash (FCS)	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Flashes	0	0	0	0	0

at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH

• Date: September 7, 2024
• Game time: 2:30 pm
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Randy Buffington (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SFPA	KENT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Saint Francis (PA)	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kent State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 7 Tennessee

See also: 2024 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Game Three – Kent State Golden Flashes (0–2) vs No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	0	0	0	0	0
No. 7 Tennessee	37	28	3	3	71

at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN

• Date: September 14, 2024
• Game time: 7:45 p.m.
• Game attendance: 101,915
• TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	KSU	TENN
First downs	8	32
Total yards	112	740
Rushing yards	54	456
Passing yards	58	284
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	9–16–0	16–25–0
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	28:10	31:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Devin Kargman	9/15, 58 yards
	Rushing	JD Sherrod	7 carries, 56 yards
	Receiving	Chrishon McCray	3 receptions, 27 yards
Tennessee	Passing	Nico Iamaleava	10/16, 173 yards, TD
	Rushing	Dylan Sampson	13 carries, 101 yards, 4 TD
	Receiving	Dont'e Thornton Jr.	2 receptions, 64 yards

at No. 10 Penn State

See also: 2024 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Game Four – Kent State Golden Flashes (0–3) at No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	0	0	0	0	0
No. 10 Penn State	7	21	14	14	56

at Beaver Stadium • State College, PA

• Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Light Rain then Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
• Game attendance: 109,526
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (BTN): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst) and Brooke Fletcher (sideline)
• ESPN box score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Tyler Warren, 16-yard TD pass from Drew Allar, Sander Sahaydak kick, 2:38 (PSU 7–0) Second quarter PSU – Nicholas Singleton, 17-yard TD pass from Warren, Sahaydak kick, 5:49 (PSU 14–0) PSU – Liam Clifford, 14-yard TD pass from Allar, Sahaydak kick, 1:29 (PSU 21–0) PSU – Allar, 5-yard TD run, Sahaydak kick, 0:15 (PSU 28–0) Third quarter PSU – Omari Evans, 59-yard TD pass from Allar, Sahaydak kick, 13:13 (PSU 35–0) PSU – Khalil Dinkins, 13-yard TD pass from Beau Pribula, Sahaydak kick, 4:55 (PSU 42–0) Fourth quarter PSU – Cam Wallace, 1-yard TD run, Sahaydak kick, 9:21 (PSU 49–0) PSU – Pribula, 1-yard TD run, Ryan Barker kick, 1:25 (PSU 56–0)

Statistics	KENT	PENN
First downs	6	40
Total yards	67	718
Rushing yards	49	309
Passing yards	18	409
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	2–13–0	24–31–1
Time of possession	24:19	35:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	JD Sherrod	2/6, 18 yards
	Rushing	Ayden Harris	10 carries, 20 yards
	Receiving	Ardell Banks	1 reception, 13 yards
Penn State	Passing	Drew Allar	17/21, 309 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Nicholas Singleton	11 carries, 81 yards
	Receiving	Omari Evans	4 receptions, 116 yards, TD

Eastern Michigan

See also: 2024 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Game Five – Eastern Michigan Eagles (3–1) at Kent State Golden Flashes (0–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Michigan	0	0	0	0	0
Kent State	0	0	0	0	0

at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH

• Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EMU	KENT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kent State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ball State

See also: 2024 Ball State Cardinals football team

Game Six – Ball State Cardinals (0–0) at Kent State Golden Flashes (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ball State	0	0	0	0	0
Kent State	0	0	0	0	0

at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH

• Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
• Game time: TBD p.m. EDT

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	BALL	KENT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kent State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "2023 Football Coaching Staff". Kent State Golden Flashes. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
2. "Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
3. "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
4. "2024 Kent State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.