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The Kent State Golden Flashes (2-4) will travel two hours west on I-80 to take on the Toledo Rockets (4-2) on Saturday. The Golden Flashes were also on the road last week, falling short of a late fourth-quarter comeback against Miami (OH) 27-24. Meanwhile, the Rockets forced four Northern Illinois interceptions in a 52-32 home win. Toledo has won five straight against their interstate rivals, including a 35-33 win in 2019.
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Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Toledo Rockets Betting Odds
Tale of the Tape
Kent State is going through a change of guard as former three-year starting quarterback Dustin Crum graduated in the spring. Last year's backup, Collin Schlee, has taken over the offense, throwing eight touchdowns on three picks and 1,400 passing yards. Kent has two receivers pacing for a 1,000-yard season, junior Donte Cephas and sophomore Devontez Walker. The Golden Flashes have leaned heavily on their ground game, led by junior RB Marquez Cooper. Cooper, a 1,200-yard rusher in 2021, has hit the ground running this season, averaging 90 yards a contest through six games. Although Kent State has found success on offense, the same doesn't apply to the other side of the ball.
Defensively, the Golden Flashes have been picked apart through the air, allowing 277 passing yards per game, the 16th-worst mark among FBS teams. Kent State has already allowed a 300-yard passer in conference play, surrendering 322 yards to Ohio University's Kurtis Rourke in week 5. The opponents' run game doomed the Golden Flashes in their most recent game, a loss to Miami. Two separate Red Hawk RBs ran wild against Kent, running for a combined 143 yards and a score on only 18 rushes.
Jack-of-all-trades Sophomore quarterback DeQuan Finn leads Toledo. The second-year signal-caller has dominated conference play, passing for five total touchdowns and zero interceptions in two games. Finn is also the team leader in rushing yards, totaling 368 yards on the ground with a whopping five scores. The Rockets' run game is powered by a quartet of Finn, Jacquez Stuart, Michal Kelly, and Peny Boone. All four have 40+ attempts on the season, averaging 188 rushing yards per game. The Toledo offense averages 36.2 points per game, good for 28th in the country.
Unlike Kent State, the Toledo defense has been a sound unit in 2022. Outside of a 77-point outlier by powerhouse Ohio State, the Rockets have held their opponents to under 17 points per game, including two of their last three. Toledo has forced six turnovers in their two conference games. More notably, they held last season's rushing leader Lew Nichols to under 35 yards in their win over Central Michigan.
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Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Toledo Rockets Prediction
Toledo head coach Jason Candle, who took over for current Iowa State bench boss Matt Campbell in 2016, is yet to lose to Kent State during his tenure. He oversees an efficient and effective team on both sides of the ball. The Rockets' offense should have little trouble moving the ball against a Golden Flashes defense that has had its fair share of issues defending both the pass and the run. Meanwhile, Kent State should struggle to win the turnover battle, leading to more Toledo possessions with the possibility of a short field. All four Golden Flashes losses have come on the road this season, while the Rockets remain perfect at home. Expect the trend to continue this weekend as Toledo controls the game via ball control.
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Prediction: Toledo Rockets -7.5 (-105 on Ceasers)
