Kent State will play Utah State in the Frisco Bowl

The drought is finally over. Kent State is going bowling once again.

It’s been a 7-year wait since the Golden Flashes last qualified for the postseason in 2012, but the streak officially ends when they play Utah State in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl on December 20. Kent State is 0-3 all-time in bowl games and has a golden opportunity to earn its biggest win in program history later this month.

In head coach Sean Lewis’ second season at the helm, Kent State pulled off upsets in each of its final three games in order to reach the 6-win mark and earn its postseason bid. The Golden Flashes shocked Buffalo after trailing by 21 in the fourth quarter, defeated Ball State in a shootout on a game-winning field goal, and surprised Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti to finish the regular season 6-6. Prior to this season, the Golden Flashes suffered 2 and 3-win seasons for 5-straight years, so Lewis’ turnaround has been well ahead of schedule.

Kent State will play the Mountain West’s Utah State, a 7-5 team coming off a disappointing season compared to 2018’s result. The Aggies checked in ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll last season after destroying North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl and attaining the 11-win mark.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN and kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Frisco, TX, a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The bowl’s venue, Toyota Stadium, is a soccer stadium and the same place where Ohio defeated San Diego State in order to capture the MAC’s lone bowl win of 2018.