Ohio and Kent State will meet for the 71st time Saturday, when the Bobcats travel north to Dix Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Ohio leads the all-time series 43-25-2, and recently, Ohio has had the upper hand.
Here are the last three head-to-head matchups:
Nov. 10, 2015 | Ohio 27, Kent 0
Ohio and Kent State faced off in mid-week MAC play in 2015, and the Bobcats steamrolled the Golden Flashes. Derrius Vick didn’t have to do much — neither did the offense as a whole — but Vick went to work quickly.
He found Sebastian Smith for a 49-yard touchdown not even two minutes into the game, which oddly enough, turned out to be the “game-winning score.” Aside from that, Ohio’s defense was stout, limiting Kent State to 191 yards of total offense. Quentin Poling had 10 tackles, three of which were for loss, and an interception, leading the defense to a shutout.
Oct. 22, 2016 | Ohio 14, Kent 10
The 2016 edition looked like it would be dominated by Ohio as well. The Bobcats struck first with a 49-yard touchdown run by Dorian Brown, who had over 100 yards on the ground. In the second quarter, Maleek Irons added a touchdown. The Bobcats led 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
But clinging to an 11-point lead in the third quarter, the Bobcats conceded a touchdown to the Golden Flashes after a run by Nick Holley capped off a 17-play drive. Kent State forced an Ohio fumble late in the fourth quarter and had the ball, down four with five minutes to play. But the Golden Flashes fumbled, and Ohio sealed a road victory.
Oct. 21, 2017 | Ohio 48, Kent 3
Last season, Nathan Rourke led the Ohio defense to a rout, but it certainly didn’t look like it would be at the beginning. Kent State was winning 3-0 after the first quarter, but following that score, the Golden Flashes punted nine times, threw an interception and had a fumble.
Aside from the defense, Ohio ran the ball at will. Dorian Brown had another 100-yard performance on the ground and with a touchdown. A.J. Ouellette had 97 yards and a score. The Bobcats were only up 13-0 at half, but scored 28 points in the third quarter to blow the game open and finish the Golden Flashes.
