Golden Flashes were within a score in the second half, but Pitt proved too explosive in the final two frames.
The Kent State Golden Flashes are out to prove 2024 will be different.
Kent State finished with the worst record in the FBS last season at 1-11. With a second-year head coach in Kenni Burns and an inexperienced 2023 roster transforming into a more experienced 2024 unit, the Golden Flashes took the field Saturday to put their offseason advancements on full display.
There were moments of promise, and Kent State competed well into the third quarter. But Pitt’s offense proved too explosive for the Golden Flashes, and the Panthers manufactured a comfortable 55-24 win in the Steel City.
Pitt debuted a new offensive coordinator in Kade Bell who captained the FCS’s most prolific offense at Western Carolina last season. The Panthers utilized a new up-tempo style, and it paid dividends for a team which averaged 20.2 points per game last year (116th in the FBS). Pitt immediately drove 95 yards down the field in three minutes, finishing with a touchdown pass from first-time staring quarterback Eli Holstein to former Akron receiver Konata Mumpfield, establishing a rhythm to launch the season.
The Panthers then capitalized on the special teams portion of the game as running back Desmond Reid fielded a punt and took a 78-yard house call to put the home team up two touchdowns. Kent State wouldn’t fold though.
Devin Kargman won the quarterback battle over Tommy Ulatowski in fall camp. Saturday marked Kargman’s third career start and he looked considerably improved from the last time he took the field. On his second drive of the afternoon, he threaded the needle on a 4th and 7, hitting All-MAC receiver Luke Floriea for a 36-yard touchdown. Floriea was the brightest spot on Kent State’s entire roster in the opener, totaling a career-high 104 yards on six receptions in a standout performance.
Pitt gained more separation with a pair of touchdowns, but Kent State made up for its special teams error by producing a special teams highlight. In the late second quarter, Mumpfield bobbled Josh Smith’s punt, and Kent State cornerback Naim Muhammad captured the loose ball in mid-air and returned it for an unlikely touchdown, slicing the deficit to 28-14.
After that play, everything started to turn in Kent State’s favor. Free safety Alex Branch jumped one of Holstein’s passes in the red zone, returning it 60 yards. While Kent State couldn’t muster up points on that late-second quarter drive due to an interception, the Golden Flashes responded in the third quarter. Kargman guided a 75-yard drive coming out of halftime, fueled by his connection with star receiver Chrishon McCray. In his first game back from an injury suffered in early November 2023, McCray snagged an impressive 29-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone on a beautiful delivery from Kargman, narrowing Pitt’s lead to 28-21.
The Panthers didn’t fret at the one-score margin in the third quarter. Instead they retaliated with explosive plays. Pitt established a multi-score advantage on a 3-play drive, finishing with a 46-yard sprint to the end zone by Reid who shined with 145 rushing yards in addition to the punt return touchdown in his Pitt debut. Reid’s race to the house launched a scoring barrage for Pat Narduzzi’s team, as the Panthers scored three touchdowns and a field goal in a four-drive span to clinch a dominant victory over the Golden Flashes.
After failing to break the 20-point threshold in nine of its 12 outings in 2023, Kent State scored 24 points in the opener in an NFL environment. The Golden Flashes showed promise with the passing attack and a pair of talented receivers in McCray and Floriea, but the run game — deprived of 2023 leading rusher Gavin Garcia due to a season-ending injury — struggled mightily. The Golden Flashes picked up just 39 rushing yards on 38 attempts and took a barrage of sacks in the backfield. Although Kent State sacked Pitt on four occasions led by defensive end Stephen Daley, the Panthers equally countered with four against an offensive line which remains a work-in-progress.
Pitt starts 1-0 after an uncharacteristic struggles in a 2023 which featured its worst record since 1998. Meanwhile, Kent State falls to 0-1 for the fourth consecutive year — typically starting out on the road against a non-conference opponent. The Golden Flashes have now dropped 25 straight regular season non-conference matchups to FBS competition, and they aim to buck that trend in the future with Tennessee and Penn State looming on the schedule. In the meantime, they return home to host St. Francis (PA), eyeing its second win of the Burns era after housing its FCS opponent in 2023.