The Falcons football team defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes 44-16 on Tuesday night, as the team is still fighting to stay alive in the Mid-American Conference playoff chase.
“We got turnovers, but we didn’t turn the ball over and that usually leads to winning football,” Falcons head coach Mike Jinks said. “We called an aggressive game, and the kids seemed to play with a lot of confidence.”
The game began with a bang for the Falcons, as freshman running back Andrew Clair got an early rushing touchdown on the team’s first possession, along with an extra point from senior kicker Jake Suder making it 7-0. Suder came right back after the team forced a Kent State turnover, kicking a short field goal making it 10-0. The team finished out the first quarter with a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Datrin Guyton from freshman quarterback Jarret Doege, giving the Falcons a 17-0 lead going into the second quarter.
In the second, Kent State was able to fight back as they were able to convert on a run for a touchdown; however, the extra point attempt was missed. The Falcons rebounded as Suder kicked another field goal, but Kent State was able to counter less than two minutes before the end of the half with a field goal of their own, making it a 20-9 advantage for the Falcons as the teams headed into the locker room.
The team came back out strong in the third quarter, as Doege ran for a short touchdown, followed up by senior running back Josh Cleveland running for a touchdown as well to give the Falcons a 34-9 advantage at the end of the third. Kent State would cut into the lead a little bit in the fourth, getting a touchdown run early in the quarter. However, that would be all the offense they would get, as the Falcons were able to put the game out of reach with a touchdown pass from Doege to senior wide receiver Teo Redding, then tacking on another Suder field goal for the 44-16 victory.
“We watched film on them all week, but the entire game they ran a completely different offense than they’ve shown,” Falcons senior linebacker Nate Locke said. “I’m really proud of our guys for making something that we’ve never seen before one dimensional, and then adjusting because we haven’t in the past, that shows good change.”
The team will next play on Tuesday night on the road against the Buffalo Bulls.
