# 2024 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

The 2024 Kent State Golden Flashes football team represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Flashes are led by Kenni Burns in his second year as the head coach. The Golden Flashes played home games at Dix Stadium, located in Kent, Ohio.
The Golden Flashes finished 0–12 and were the first winless team in a full season since the 2019 Akron Zips. The Golden Flashes' offense scored an average of 13.9 points per game, next-to-last in the FBS, and averaged 233.3 offensive yards per game, which was last in the FBS; the team's defense allowed 44.1 points per game and gave up an average of 516 yards per game, both last in the FBS.

## Preseason polls
### Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Kent State was picked to finish last in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
MAC Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Miami | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Toledo | 109 (3) |
| T3 | Bowling Green | 92 |
| T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 |
| 5 | Ohio | 81 |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 |
| 7 | Western Michigan | 60 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 59 |
| 9 | Ball State | 42 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 37 |
| 11 | Akron | 24 |
| 12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Miami | 10 |
| 2 | Toledo | 2 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 12:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh* | Acrisure StadiumPittsburgh, PA | ESPNU | L 24–55 | 44,616 |
| September 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Saint Francis (PA)* | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPN+ | L 17–23 | 11,585 |
| September 14 | 7:45 p.m. | at No. 7 Tennessee* | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN | L 0–71 | 101,915 |
| September 21 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 10 Penn State* | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | L 0–56 | 109,526 |
| September 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPN+ | L 33–52 | 10,899 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Ball State | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPN+ | L 35–37 | 7,322 |
| October 19 | 3:30 p.m. | at Bowling Green | Doyt Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award) | ESPN+ | L 6–27 | 20,858 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | at Western Michigan | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | L 21–52 | 23,537 |
| November 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Ohio | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPNU | L 0–41 | 5,662 |
| November 13 | 7:00 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPNU | L 7–34 | 5,328 |
| November 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Akron | Dix StadiumKent, OH (Wagon Wheel) | CBSSN | L 17–38 | 6,768 |
| November 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at Buffalo | UB StadiumBuffalo, NY | ESPN+ | L 7–43 | 11,916 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at Pittsburgh

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Panthers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 55 |
at Acrisure Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: August 31, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 pm
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: SW at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 44,616
* Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | PITT |
| First downs | 15 | 31 |
| Total yards | 212 | 560 |
| Rushing yards | 31 | 191 |
| Passing yards | 181 | 369 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–28–1 | 34–48–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:26 | 27:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Devin Kargman | 14/28, 181 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 18 carries, 40 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 6 receptions, 104 yards, TD |
| Pittsburgh | Passing | Eli Holstein | 30/40, 336 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing | Desmond Reid | 14 carries, 145 yards, TD |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving | Kenny Johnson | 7 receptions, 105 yards, TD |

### Saint Francis (PA) (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Red Flash (FCS) | 10 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH
* Date: September 7, 2024
* Game time: 2:30 pm
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NW at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
* Game attendance: 11,585
* Referee: Rich Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Randy Buffington (analyst)
| Statistics | SFPA | KENT |
| First downs | 16 | 16 |
| Total yards | 402 | 280 |
| Rushing yards | 207 | 78 |
| Passing yards | 195 | 202 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 11–22–0 | 23–39–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:24 | 25:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Saint Francis (PA) | Passing | Jeff Hoenstine | 11/22, 195 yards, TD |
| Saint Francis (PA) | Rushing | DeMarcus McElroy | 20 carries, 81 yards |
| Saint Francis (PA) | Receiving | Gavin Thomson | 5 receptions, 124 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Passing | Devin Kargman | 22/38, 193 yards, TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 11 carries, 39 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 6 receptions, 92 yards, TD |

### at No. 7 Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 7 Volunteers | 37 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 71 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN
* Date: September 14, 2024
* Game time: 7:45 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SE 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 101,915
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline)
| Statistics | KENT | TENN |
| First downs | 8 | 32 |
| Total yards | 112 | 740 |
| Rushing yards | 54 | 456 |
| Passing yards | 58 | 284 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–16–0 | 16–25–0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:10 | 31:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Devin Kargman | 9/15, 58 yards |
| Kent State | Rushing | JD Sherrod | 7 carries, 56 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Chrishon McCray | 3 receptions, 27 yards |
| Tennessee | Passing | Nico Iamaleava | 10/16, 173 yards, TD |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Dylan Sampson | 13 carries, 101 yards, 4 TD |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Dont'e Thornton Jr. | 2 receptions, 64 yards |

### at No. 10 Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 Nittany Lions | 7 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
at Beaver Stadium • State College, PA
* Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Light Rain then Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 109,526
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (BTN): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst) and Brooke Fletcher (sideline)
* ESPN box score
| Statistics | KENT | PSU |
| First downs | 6 | 40 |
| Total yards | 67 | 718 |
| Rushing yards | 49 | 309 |
| Passing yards | 18 | 409 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 2–13–0 | 24–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 24:19 | 35:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | JD Sherrod | 2/6, 18 yards |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ayden Harris | 10 carries, 20 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Ardell Banks | 1 reception, 13 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Drew Allar | 17/21, 309 yards, 3 TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Nicholas Singleton | 11 carries, 81 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Omari Evans | 4 receptions, 116 yards, TD |

### Eastern Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 52 |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 33 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: E at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 10,899
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | EMU | KENT |
| First downs | 30 | 19 |
| Total yards | 486 | 422 |
| Rushing yards | 273 | 77 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 345 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–33–0 | 15–28–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:55 | 26:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Michigan | Passing | Cole Snyder | 26/33, 213 yards, TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Rushing | Delbert Mimms III | 23 carries, 145 yards, 2 TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Receiving | Terry Lockett Jr. | 8 receptions, 75 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 15/28, 345 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ayden Harris | 14 carries, 63 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Receiving | Chrishon McCray | 5 receptions, 188 yards, 2 TD |
Golden Flashes quarterback Tommy Ulatowski threw for a career-high 345 yards and three touchdowns in a homecoming loss. Despite being tied with the Eagles 21–21 in the third quarter, Kent State has still not led a game through five games.

### Ball State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 7,322
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | BALL | KENT |
| First downs | 24 | 20 |
| Total yards | 406 | 461 |
| Rushing yards | 191 | 67 |
| Passing yards | 215 | 394 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–34–0 | 17–36–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:11 | 26:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 21/34, 215 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 22 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD |
| Ball State | Receiving | Malcolm Gillie | 2 receptions, 61 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 17/36, 394 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 17 carries, 67 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Receiving | Chrishon McCray | 8 receptions, 213 yards, 3 TD |
Golden Flashes wide receiver Chrishon McCray hauled in a career-high 213 receiving yards on eight receptions and three touchdowns. For his performance, he was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week. For the second consecutive week, quarterback Tommy Ulatowski threw for a career-high 394 yards and four touchdowns while completing 17 of 36 attempts.

### at Bowling Green (Anniversary Award)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Falcons | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: W at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 20,858
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jim Barbar (play-by-play) and Randy Buffington (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | BGSU |
| First downs | 11 | 25 |
| Total yards | 204 | 444 |
| Rushing yards | 126 | 131 |
| Passing yards | 78 | 313 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 7–29–3 | 23–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 22:31 | 37:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 7/27, 78 yards, 2 INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 14 carries, 121 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 2 receptions, 35 yards |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 23/27, 313 yards, 2 TD |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Terion Stewart | 25 carries, 134 yards |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Harold Fannin Jr. | 10 receptions, 171 yards |

### at Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Broncos | 14 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 23,537
* Referee: Andrew Speciale
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | WMU |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 250 | 579 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 358 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 221 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–25–2 | 17–24–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:15 | 29:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 12/24, 114 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 15 carries, 62 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 15/21, 208 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jaden Nixon | 8 carries, 135 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 2 receptions, 68 yards |

### Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 10 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, Ohio
* Date: Wednesday November 6, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: SW 3 mph
* Game attendance: 5,662
* Referee: Billy Williams (MAC)
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Craig Haubert (analyst)
| Statistics | OHIO | KENT |
| First downs | 22 | 7 |
| Total yards | 411 | 114 |
| Rushing yards | 262 | 52 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 62 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–25–0 | 8–18–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:18 | 26:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ohio | Passing | Parker Navarro | 14/24, 142 yards |
| Ohio | Rushing | Anthony Tyus III | 14 carries, 84 yards, TD |
| Ohio | Receiving | Coleman Owen | 4 receptions, 61 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Ruel Tomlinson | 8/18, 62 yards, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 15 carries, 50 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Chrishon McCray | 3 receptions, 28 yards |

### at Miami (OH)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| RedHawks | 10 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
at Yager Stadium • Oxford, Ohio
* Date: Wednesday November 13, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: NW 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 5,328
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | M-OH |
| First downs | 15 | 19 |
| Total yards | 61–183 | 61–479 |
| Rushing yards | 37–101 | 39–277 |
| Passing yards | 82 | 202 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–24–1 | 10–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:23 | 32:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 10/21, 82 yards, TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 15 carries, 58 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 4 receptions, 32 yards |
| Miami (OH) | Passing | Brett Gabbert | 10/22, 202 yards, 2 TD |
| Miami (OH) | Rushing | Keyon Mozee | 19 carries, 196 yards, TD |
| Miami (OH) | Receiving | Reggie Virgil | 2 receptions, 88 yards, TD |

### Akron (Wagon Wheel)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 10 | 13 | 15 | 0 | 38 |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, Ohio
* Date: Tuesday November 19, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: S 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 6,768
* Referee: Matt Packowski
* TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play) and Ross Tucker (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | KENT |
| First downs | 28 | 9 |
| Total yards | 527 | 281 |
| Rushing yards | 277 | 52 |
| Passing yards | 250 | 229 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–31–0 | 12–20–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:32 | 23:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 14/29, 250 yards, TD |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordan Simmons | 11 carries, 113 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 5 receptions, 107 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 12/20, 229 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 13 carries, 52 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 3 receptions, 103 yards, TD |

### at Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulls | 13 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 43 |
at UB Stadium • Amherst, NY
* Date: Tuesday November 26, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 41 °F (5 °C) • Wind: SW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
* Game attendance: 11,916
* Referee: Rich Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | UB |
| First downs | 10 | 26 |
| Total yards | 208 | 446 |
| Rushing yards | 106 | 253 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 193 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–18–1 | 14–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:41 | 31:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 7/12, 91 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Rushing | Jahzae Kimbrough | 14 carries, 65 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Jay Jay Etheridge | 6 receptions, 64 yards |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 14/22, 193 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 30 carries, 185 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 8 receptions, 99 yards, TD |