September 18, 2012

Jeremy Birmingham
KentStateReport.com Staff Writer

After last week's disappointing loss to the blue and white of Kentucky, the Kent State football team looks to bounce back against the blue and white of Buffalo Wednesday night in the conference opener for both teams.

For Darrell Hazell and his Golden Flashes, it's a welcomed return to the football field after a ten day break. You never want to wait that long between games, but that sort of break - with the bad taste of the 47-14 thumping the SEC's Wildcats handed them still in their mouth - early in the season feels especially lengthy.

The road contest at Buffalo is where Hazell's team will look to start its quest for the MAC championship, a feat which hasn't been accomplished by Kent State in 40 seasons. The contest will pit them against their eastern division foe for the first time since 2009, and the first time at UB Stadium since 2008. Up to this point, both teams a win against an overwhelmed FCS opponent, and a loss to a SEC team (Buffalo lost their season-opener at Georgia, 45-23.)

Kent State will be looking to extend four game win streak against in-conference opponents, and to do so by building off the positives that can be found from their loss in Lexington. The Flashes collected 24 first downs, 182 yards rushing (at 4.9 yards per carry) and 227 yards through the air against the Wildcats. The combination of 409 yards of total offense and 35-plus minutes in the time of possession was only matched once in 2011. The offense was paced by Spencer Keith, who completed 28-43 passes in the game - completing passes to ten different receivers - and although he did not throw a touchdown, he also did not throw an interception against Kentucky.

Dri Archer, in his second game returning from a season-long academic issue in 2011, found the endzone for the fourth time this year, scampering from 47-yards for a score, his career long. Archer and sophomore Trayion Durham(who ran for 87 yards on 16 carries) look to be forming a deadly 1-2 punch out of the backfield to complement Keith.

Defensively, Kent State might be looking to make some adjustments, and it won't be easy against the Bulls. Buffalo racked up 571 yards against FCS opponent Morgan State last weekend, and were successful moving the ball against Georgia as well, piling up 347 - including 199 on the ground - against the Bulldogs. The Golden Flashes gave up a whopping 539 yards of total offense to Kentucky after surrendering 368 to Towson State in their season-opener.

The Bulls will come at Kent State with a multi-faceted offensive attack, led by 6-foot-3, 222-pound junior quarterback Alex Zordich, who was 16-21 in the win against Morgan State for 237 yards and four touchdowns. His go-to receiver, Alex Neutz, has 13 grabs for 206 yards and five touchdowns on the season, including a career-high 8 catches for 154 yards and all four of Zordich's touchdowns against the Bears. It was not an all-out aerial assault for the Bulls, either. Branden Oliver ran for 238 yards and two scores on only 25 attempts as Buffalo piled up the yards from anywhere on the field.

The road has not been a friendly place for the Golden Flashes, they've dropped seven of their last eight road contests dating back to 2010, although in the 2008 season's finale, Kent State did get the best of Buffalo at UB Stadium, 24-21.

The Skinny
TV: ESPNU, 7:00PM Wednesday, September 19th
Radio: Kent State's new partnership with 640 WHLO and iHeartRadio means that 640 is the official home of Kent State football and basketball. Ty Linder works the booth and the game be heard on iHeartRadio on a PC, smart phone or tablet.
All-Time Series: The Bulls and Golden Flashes are tied 9-9 all-time.