Penn State is fresh off its early bye week and are charged up for a second straight MAC opponent as Kent State comes to State College on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Flashes have struggled mightily in 2024, being one of 12 winless teams in all of college football.
Happy Valley Insider takes a closer look at Kent State by the numbers, heading into Saturday's clash.
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Offense:
The offensive endeavors of the Golden Flashes have flashed anything but optimism for head coach Kenni Burns and company. Kent State ranks 127th out of 133 teams in scoring offense, with less than 14 points per game through three outings. Pitt did surrender 24 to the Golden Flashes offense, but their most recent showing was a shutout, something that hadn't happened since a 48-0 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin back in 2019.
Kent State quarterback Devin Kargman has been at the root of many of those woes, completing 55% of his passes for 432 yards, with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions across three starts. Their 147 passing yards per game are good for 123rd in the nation through three weeks of the year. There is a potential Tommy Ulatowski sees the field after having been dealing with an ailment this season, but is listed as a co-starter with Kargman.
Just two Kent State pass catchers have more than eight receptions on the year, as Luke Floriea leads the way with 15 catches for 209 yards and two scores, while Chrishon McCray has 12 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns as well.
Perhaps the more pressing issue for the Golden Flashes is the run game, however. Just two teams have less rushing yards per game, Florida State and Miami (OH), than Kent State, who have averaged 54.3, which includes a 1.7 yard per carry average. The backfield is headlined by Ky Thomas and Curtis Douglas, but neither have eclipsed 100 total yards for the year.
Kent State has also allowed six sacks, which could be a recipe for the Nittany Lions to get after the quarterback, coming into Saturday with just two in two games this season.
Defense:
While the offense has stalled out, the defense has been arguably the worst in all of college football for Kent State. The Golden Flashes are last in FBS, allowing 49.7 points and 570 yards per game, which saw new season worst marks of 71 points and a whopping 740 yards given up to Tennessee just last week.
The run game has been a catalyst for the struggles, as Kent State has allowed an FBS-wrst 288 yards per game and nine total touchdowns on the ground through three games. That should allow for Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, fresh off a pair of 100-yard outings, to feast on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the struggles, edge rushers Matt Harmon and Stephen Daley have each graded out well by Pro Football Focus, having overall defensive grades of 77.4 and 75.6 respectively. The tandem has combined for three sacks, 17 total pressures and nine quarterbacks hits.
Defending the pass has been slightly more manageable, giving up 282 yards per game through the air, which is still better than 11 teams across college football. The secondary is led by cornerbacks Jaylen Dotson and Dallas Branch, who have coverage grades of 71.4 and 69.1.
This is a different team and defense Penn State will play on Saturday, one that on paper, gives Drew Allar and company the best opportunity to come out and light up the scoreboard.
Special teams:
Special teams has also seen some rocky moments to start the year, as kicker Andrew Glass has already missed a pair of field goals in four tries, but has connected on all five of his extra point attempts. Punter Josh Smith is averaging 42.7 yards on 20 punts (tied for fourth-most in the nation), which puts him 40th in the country in yardage.
Leading receiver Luke Floriea handles return game duties, where he has four returns for 84 yards on kickoffs and one return for 29 yards on punts.
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