KENT, Ohio -- Two touchdown runs by freshman Kesean Gamble in the fourth quarter helped the Kent State Golden Flashes secure a 38-31 win over Howard Saturday in the first game at Dix Stadium for 2017.
Gamble lifted the Golden Flashes into the lead for good with a 1-yard plunge with 12:35 on the clock, then added some security on a 4-yard run to the end zone with 5:56 remaining. After pulling back to within seven points on a short touchdown run by Caylin Newton, Howard's desperate bid to continue its Cinderella start to the season ended in an interception by KSU's Demetrius Monday with no time remaining on the clock.
It was a satisfyingly different script for Kent State when compared to 2016 – a season that saw so many close games slip through the Flashes' hands in the closing moments.
"That's the sign of our head coach (Paul Haynes) and how he has prepared us for these kinds of moments," said interim head coach Don Treadwell. "In our conference in particular … it often comes down to the last minute and sometimes even the last play."
Howard won its own tight battle last week, making national news with a 43-40 win at UNLV – the FCS school's first win against an FBS opponent. A 1-yard touchdown run by Newton, the brother of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, put the Bison ahead 24-23 with 2:09 on the third-quarter clock, bolstering Howard's hope for a second consecutive FBS win.
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