Kent State will definitely get some love from the public this week after its close battle with Georgia.
The Golden Flashes are just 1-3 on the season but they scheduled a difficult first few games against Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia, three top-25 sides including the No. 1 overall team in the nation. Their lone battle against an FCS side was a 63-10 win over the LIU Sharks. That game was tied at 7 after the first period but Kent State won the second quarter by 25 points and the second half by 28, in what turned into a blowout.
Ohio has been led by a dynamic offense that has scored over 40 points in each of its games against non-Power 5 sides. It beat Florida Atlantic 41-38 and Fordham 59-52. Ohio did lose to Iowa State 43-10 and Penn State 46-10, so it has had its own fair share of struggles so far this season. The Bobcats put up just 10 points and lost both of those games by more than 30.
Ohio will travel to the opposite corner of the state to take on Kent State at Dix Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 1st.
Ohio vs. Kent State Predictions and Week 5 Picks
Ohio Offense vs. Kent State Defense
Ohio is led by QB Kurtis Rourke who has been the key strength for this team. Rourke has 1,195 yards and 9 touchdowns through 4 games, to go along with a career-high 69.4 completion rate. Rourke leads the MAC in completion percentage and passing yards.
The year-over-year improvement for the junior quarterback has been stunning. He’s been able to utilize several receiving options. There are seven Bobcats that have over 100 receiving yards which will make life difficult for the Golden Flashes.
That being said, Ohio averages just 101.3 yards per game on the ground which for college football, is not overly impressive.
A small win for the Bobcats is that the weakness in the Kent State defense is in their secondary that allows 289 passing yards per game and a 69.4 completion rate. Their cornerbacks haven’t done much either as CB Montre Miller is the only player on the team with an interception through 4 games. Junior LB Khalib Johns has been the only player on the Golden Flashes to consistently get pressure on the quarterback, having 4 sacks with no other player have more than one.
Kent State has not held up defensively, allowing 31.8 per game. They have the 3rd-best strength of schedule but have lost by 25, 30 and 17, beating a non-major side by 53.
Kent State Offense vs. Ohio Defense
Kent State has either played top-notch programs or lesser-quality sides, so it’s extremely tough to see where this team is at. They have scored 3, 20, 22 and 63. They’re led by junior QB Collin Schlee who has just 1 touchdown this season.
The focal point of this attack is its run game, which is centered around RB Marquez Cooper. Cooper has 270 yards in 4 games. Kent State has 4 different rushers with a touchdown and 4 different rushers with over 100 rushing yards. 2 of those 4 have over a 5 yards-per-carry average.
All 5 of the team’s lineman are returning from a season ago. Despite transfer backups, the Golden Flashes didn’t lose much continuity on the offensive line which has helped immensely.
Stopping that will be a priority for the Bobcats. The Ohio defense has been atrocious, ranking 127th of 131 FBS teams in opponents’ points per game, allowing 44.8 per game. Their rushing defense has been the key weakness that doesn’t bode well. They allow 162 rushing yards per game. The Bobcats do have 19 tackles for a loss, so hopefully, some of those can aid haunting Golden Flashes drives.
Ohio vs. Kent State Prediction
Kent State held up against Georgia, and with a 56-yard strike from Schlee, stayed with the nation’s top-overall team. It didn’t pose much threat against Oklahoma, losing 30-3. Ohio is just 1-3 against the spread (ATS) while Kent State is 3-1, but the former won’t be playing defense even close to the level of Iowa State or Penn State.
Expect them to be able to find some traction and hang with Kent State. The Golden Flashes should be a public favorite, and fading the public is usually a winning strategy in sports betting.
Best NCAAF Bet: Bobcats +11.5 (-107) at PointsBet | Playable to +10.5 (+100)
