The RedHawks win their fifth-straight game, keeping the Golden Flashes winless in 2024.
Wednesday night’s MACtion matchup in Oxford, OH didn’t feature teams on a similar trajectory.
Miami (OH) was the hottest team in the MAC, riding a four-game win streak to rise to the top of the conference standings. Kent State was the opposite, marinating in the basement of not just the MAC standings but the FBS rankings as the only winless team in the country.
When the two Ohio teams collided in Yager Stadium, the result only continued both trajectories. Miami seamlessly skated by Kent State, 34-7, rattling off its fifth-straight win to secure bowl eligibility for the fourth season in a row.
It wasn’t a wire-to-wire victory for the RedHawks. The first 80 seconds of the game featured an occurrence which hadn’t transpired once this year — a Kent State lead. On the third snap of the game, Miami running back Kevin Davis fumbled after corralling a screen, and Kent State free safety Tevin Tucker recovered to position the heavy underdogs at the Miami 25-yard line. Three plays later, Tommy Ulatowski — who returned to the lineup after missing last week with an injury — delivered a dime to Chrishon McCray in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.
In their 10th game of 2024, the Golden Flashes finally experience a lead.
It wasn’t long lived, however, as Miami countered with a vertical passing game. Before half the time exhausted from the first quarter clock, Brett Gabbert slung it deep to Reggie Virgil who snagged a somewhat 50-50 ball and raced cleanly to the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown.
That touchdown sparked a 34-0 run by the RedHawks. Dom Dzioban drained a 45-yard field goal to claim the lead toward the end of the first quarter, and in the second quarter, Gabbert continued to stretch the field with his receivers. He found Javon Tracy down the seam for a 34-yard touchdown to hand the RedHawks a 10-point advantage before halftime. Gabbert finished the night with 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 10 completions on 22 attempts — exceeding 20 yards per connection in an explosive passing attack.
In the second half, Miami put on the finishing touches via the run game. Running back Keyon Mozee exceeded 100 yards for the fifth-straight game, and the RedHawks improved to 6-0 when he crosses the century mark after his career-high 196-yard outing. Right after Mozee hit the 100 mark, he iced the game with a 74-yard scamper, cutting through the A gap to find an open road to the end zone. Davis also recorded a rushing touchdown in the second half, redeeming himself from the early turnover to contribute to the RedHawks’ third 20+ point win since October.
Defensively, Miami shined by continuing its streak as it limited its 23rd consecutive opponent to 30 points or fewer. The RedHawks held their second MAC opponent to seven points in a three-game span by a unit headlined by reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek. The star outside linebacker recorded a team-high six tackles and a second quarter interception to guide the victory. Fellow linebacker Ty Wise also excelled with five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble Wednesday night.
Other than capitalizing on the short field early on, it wasn’t the brightest night for the Golden Flashes’ offense, which scored single-digits for the fifth time all season. Kent State collectively managed 2.5 yards per rushing attempt while completing just 10-of-24 passes. The explosiveness wasn’t present either as Kent State never collected more than 17 yards on a single snap all game. Despite the offensive struggles, the Flashes’ shorthanded defense had its moments, logging a season-high two takeaways while defensive end Stephen Daley notched two sacks.
Kent State (0-10, 0-6 MAC) remains the only winless team in the FBS after its 19th consecutive loss. The Golden Flashes are two games away from tying the longest MAC losing streak of the past 10 years which currently belongs to Akron which dropped 21 in a row from 2018 to 2020. There are two more opportunities to pull off an upset and land in the win column. One is against arch-rival Akron on Nov. 19, and the other is the season finale at Buffalo.
Miami (6-4, 5-1 MAC) is tied atop the MAC standings with Bowling Green and Ohio (having the tiebreaker over Ohio thanks to a head-to-head win). The RedHawks control their own destiny for a second-straight MAC Championship Game appearance. They are in the midst of their fifth win streak of five or more games under head coach Chuck Martin, and they can extend it on Nov. 19 when Northern Illinois comes to town.