Kent State showed a lot of sizzle against Murray State Thursday night.
Kent State's Dana Brown Jr. (52), Josh Pleasant (2) and Brian Lainhart (31) pile on Murray State's Drew Hall in the first quarter Thursday night at Dix Stadium in Kent. KENT, Ohio -- Kent State showed a lot of sizzle against Murray State Thursday night.
Yet inside KSU's 41-10 victory over the Racers were plenty of warning signs to let the 16,535 in attendance know a coveted and rare winning season for the Golden Flashes is far from a sure thing.
But there is hope.
"There haven't been many times we've scored 41 points in the opening game," Kent head coach Doug Martin said. "We've got more explosive players than we've had in a while."
Big plays including a 49-yard catch and run for a score, and a 92-yard TD kickoff return on back-to-back possessions turned a slim Kent lead into a comfortable cushion in the opening moments of the second half.
Later, a gadget play on fourth down led to a 19-yard gain and set up a 37-yard field goal for a 34-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
But the anticipated running game the Golden Flashes were expected to unveil never materialized against a Murray State defense that ranked eighth overall in the Ohio Valley Conference last season, and was missing its starting noseguard.
Once it was clear all KSU could do was throw, protection for quarterback Spencer Keith (24-of-35 for 275 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception) became spotty. Keith was sacked three times.
It became clear that Kent's offensive line is a work in progress. The Flashes tried to cover that weakness by passing on every first down throughout the first half and well into the second. A 20-yard rush by tailback Eugene Jarvis (45 yards rushing, 1 TD) and a 17-yard keeper by Keith accounted for the bulk of Kent's 46 yards on the ground at intermission on 16 rushing attempts.
"They had everybody in the box," Martin said of his run game. "It got a little better in the second, but it wasn't as good as it needs to be."
'The Racers trailed just 17-10 as the first half was winding down, and building momentum. On three straight Kent possessions, Murray State picked off a Keith pass and forced a pair of punts.
But with 1:13 to play, Keith stepped up to avoid pressure and found tailback Jacquise Terry down the sidelines. The junior speedster exploded through a tackle and turned a short gain into a 49-yard jaunt for a score to give Kent breathing room at the half, 24-10.
Anthony Bowman's 92-yard kickoff return to start the second half made it 31-10.
Kent's defense did the rest, holding Murray State to minus-65 yards rushing, setting a Kent record, and just 193 yards of total offense.
But KSU still has a long way to go and a short time to get there with Boston College and Penn State up next.