A mid-major opponent takes to the road to head into SEC country this weekend. If things couldn’t get any tougher, the Kent State Golden Flashes battle the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon. The game kicks off at 12 pm ET from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game is nationally televised on the SEC Network. According to the latest odds, Alabama is a hefty 44 point favorite in the contest with the over/under set at 50 points.
Kent State got into the win column last week with a 27-7 win over FCS school Monmouth in their home opener. Alabama faced a stern test, rallying from 24-3 down to beat #19 Ole Miss 48-43 on the road last week. This is the second all-time meeting between the schools. Alabama took the win in the last meeting, winning in a 48-7 rout back in 2011.
Kent State took advantage of favorable field position to put away Monmouth last week. That gave the Golden Flashes their first win of the season. Kent State had three of their five scoring drives start from outside their 40 yard line. The Golden Flashes held a 343-199 edge in total yards in the game while holding a 17-15 edge in first downs. Kent State kept Monmouth off the scoreboard until less than six minutes remained in the contest. The Golden Flashes put the game away with a final score with less than three minutes to play.
The Golden Flashes aren’t intimidating offensively. They are averaging 299 yards and 25.3 points per game. The scoring average is inflated by a 36 point outing in a loss to North Carolina A&T and last week’s performance. Kent State is just 117th in passing offense with 139.7 yards per game. Mylik Mitchell is 37 of 62 passing for 353 yards with five touchdown passes and an interception. He is second on the team with 113 rushing yards. Justin Rankin has a team leading 38 carries for 178 yards and a score. Nick Holley is the top receiver with 12 receptions for 110 yards and two scores. Raekwon James (seven grabs, 84 yards) and Rankin (six catches) are next in line. Shane Hynes hit all seven extra points and seven of nine field goal attempts with a long of 43.
Alabama dug itself out of a massive hole thanks to special teams and defense. The offense then did its part to help knock off Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide trailed 24-3 in the second quarter before scoring twice in the last 2:10 of the half to make it a seven point game. Alabama outscored Ole Miss 17-3 in the third quarter to take a 34-27 lead. After Ole Miss cut the lead to four, Alabama scored twice in just over two minutes again to open a 48-30 edge. The Rebels got two touchdowns in seven seconds to make it a one score game but drew no closer. Alabama scored on a punt return and two fumble returns in the win. Those three scores helped make up for allowing 522 yards of offense to Ole Miss in the contest.
The Crimson Tide is scoring 46 points per game in the early going while amassing 477.3 yards of offense per contest. Freshman Jalen Hurts is 48 of 78 passing for 563 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He’s added 197 rushing yards and two scores. Blake Barnett is 7 of 12 for 164 yards and a score while Cooper Bateman completed his lone pass for five yards. Damien Harris leads Alabama with 36 carries for 327 yards and a score. B.J. Emmons (12 carries, 59 yards, TD) and Bo Scarbrough (23 carries, 68 yards, 3 TD) are next on the depth chart. Calvin Ridley leads the Crimson Tide with 19 receptions for 219 yards and a score. ArDarius Stewart contributes 13 receptions for 205 yards plus three scores. O.J. Howard has seven grabs for 92 yards.
There’s no real reason to like Kent State in this game. The Golden Flashes are overmatched: they are weak offensively and suspect defensively. Kent State gave up 33 points in their lone matchup against a FBS program, losing by 20 at Penn State. It’s safe to say Alabama is a few notches above the Nittany Lions, no disrespect intended. The Crimson Tide uses this as a tune-up for the rest of SEC action. Alabama rolls in a one-sided contest. For more week 4 college football picks, check us out here!
Alabama is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. Kent State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. SEC and 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games after allowing less than 20 points in their last game.