Golden Flashes don't let last week affect this week
KENT: The Kent State University football team was on the receiving end of a second-half slaughter last week. On Saturday, the Golden Flashes were the ones who punished their opponents after halftime.
Kent State rebounded from a lopsided loss to Kentucky by thrashing Delaware State 38-7 before a crowd of 8,455 in the Golden Flashes' home opener at Dix Stadium.
‘‘We talked all week about not losing two games in a row,’’ KSU coach Doug Martin said. ‘‘And that is a big thing for Kent State. That's a character issue.’’
Delaware State, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team, appeared capable of hanging with KSU (2-1) in the first half.
The Flashes squandered several scoring opportunities and drives with two lost fumbles, an interception and a missed 22-yard field goal attempt. They didn't score until junior quarterback Julian Edelman hit junior wide receiver Shawn Bayes with a pass in the end zone with 1:37 left in the second quarter. Delaware State junior defensive back James Romain was in perfect position for an interception, but Bayes jumped over him and grabbed the 42-yard touchdown pass to give the Flashes a 7-0 lead at halftime.
‘‘I just got a great opportunity,’’ said Bayes, who finished with four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. ‘‘Coach always told me to use my speed to my advantage, and I got a chance to make a play by getting behind the coverage.’’
KSU lost to Kentucky 56-20 after the score was tied 14-14 at halftime last week. However, the second half Saturday was a different story for the Flashes.
KSU's defense set the tone during the first series of the third quarter, when junior defensive back Rico Murray intercepted Hornets junior quarterback Vashon Winton's pass at the KSU 40-yard line. The Flashes capitalized with a five-play, 60-yard scoring drive that was capped by sophomore running back Eugene Jarvis' 4-yard touchdown run with 11:43 left in the third quarter.
Photo: A mob of Kent State defenders smothers Delaware State running back Chris Strother for no gain during first-half action in the Golden Flashes game against the Hornets at Dix Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007, in Kent, Ohio.KSU's defense then forced Delaware State to go three-and-out during its ensuing possession, and the Flashes' offense took advantage again with a five-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Freshman wide receiver Rashad Tukes had his first career reception and touchdown during the same play, a 56-yard scoring strike from Edelman. Tukes almost fell after making the catch, but he pushed himself with his hand and kept his balance.
‘‘It was a big time play by him,’’ Edelman said of Tukes' touchdown catch. ‘‘I thought he was going down, but he kept his feet. You get excited when you see that stuff as a quarterback.’’
Edelman added a 42-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis with 14:50 left in the fourth quarter to give KSU a 28-0 lead. Edelman completed 18-of-33 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jarvis finished with 22 carries, 136 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
KSU's defense held Delaware State to 191 total yards. The Hornets were 0-for-14 on third-down conversions. Sophomore defensive tackle Kevin Hogan and senior defensive back Fritz Jacques led KSU's defense with eight tackles each.
After Delaware State scored its lone touchdown with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Bayes returned the ensuing kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown. It was the first time KSU had a kickoff returned for a score since 1999.
‘‘To come back out and finish with 31 points in the second half is really big for our football program and these players,’’ Martin said. ‘‘They're buying into what we're talking about, and I was really pleased with that.’’
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