FCS power Kennesaw State travels to Kent to take on a Golden Flashes team that could be much improved.

Game Details

• When: Saturday, September 7th, Noon
• Where: Dix Stadium, Kent, Ohio
• Stream: ESPN 3
• Line: Kent - 3.5 according to oddshark.com

Kennesaw State is a division FCS school that has made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. They run the triple option on offense. Even though they lost a lot of starters from the year before, especially on offense the Owls won their opener 59-0. I don’t know how much you can take from a blow out win over the Point Skyhawks, however.

The Kent State Golden Flashes suffered through a 2-10 season in 2018, however there were a few moments where it looked like new coach Sean Lewis had the team headed in a better direction. The start of the 2019 season saw the Golden Flashes take on a solid Arizona State team that was playing to win the game, and they did, 30-7. Kent was mistake prone on offense, but looked solid on defense. The triple option can always be tricky, though.

In this game, I look for Kent to try and force a team with only one returning starter to beat them through the air. On offense, I think they will start out a little slower paced than they tried to go in the Arizona State game, at least initially, trying to give Woody Barrett some positive momentum.

Prediction: I actually expect Kent State to make a big leap from week one. I expect them to move the ball much more effectively, and do a solid job against the option. Even though the line has the Golden Flashes winning by slightly more than a field goal, I have them winning by a couple of scores.