2021 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

The 2021 Kent State Golden Flashes football team represented Kent State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Sean Lewis and played their home games at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio, as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference.

2021 Kent State Golden Flashes football
MAC East Division champion
MAC Championship Game, L 23–41 vs. Northern Illinois
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, L 38–52 vs. Wyoming
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East Division
Record	7–7 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach	Sean Lewis (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Andrew Sowder (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Veer and shoot
Defensive coordinator	Tom Kaufman (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Dix Stadium

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Kent State xy		6	–	2					7	–	7
Miami (OH)		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ohio		3	–	5					3	–	9
Bowling Green		2	–	6					4	–	8
Buffalo		2	–	6					4	–	8
Akron		1	–	7					2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$		6	–	2					9	–	5
Central Michigan x		6	–	2					9	–	4
Toledo		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ball State		4	–	4					6	–	7
Eastern Michigan		4	–	4					7	–	6
Western Michigan		4	–	4					8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	8:00 p.m.	at No. 6 Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX	ESPNU	L 10–41	97,339
September 11	11:30 a.m.	No. 18 (FCS) VMI*	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN3	W 60–10	16,785
September 18	3:30 p.m.	at No. 5 Iowa*	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 7–30	61,932
September 25	3:30 p.m.	at Maryland*	Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	BTN	L 16–37	30,117
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Dix Stadium Kent, OH (Anniversary Award)	ESPN	W 27–20	20,537
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPNU	W 48–38	12,105
October 16	3:30 p.m.	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	L 31–64	18,716
October 23	1:00 p.m.	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	ESPN	W 34–27	15,854
November 3	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN2	W 52–47	6,076
November 10	8:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	L 30–54	9,213
November 20	12:00 p.m.	at Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field Akron, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN	W 38–0	8,879
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN	W 48–47 OT	8,387
December 4	12:00 p.m.	vs. Northern Illinois	Ford Field Detroit, MI (MAC Championship Game)	ESPN	L 23–41	10,317
December 21	3:30 p.m.	vs. Wyoming*	Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)	ESPN	L 38–52	10,217
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

At No. 6 Texas A&M

Kent State at Texas A&M

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 3 0 0 7 10 • No. 6 Texas A&M 10 0 17 14 41 Date: September 4, 2021 Location: Kyle Field College Station, TX Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 97,339 Game weather: Temperature: 95 °F (35 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 3 MPH Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (ESPNU): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Tom Ramsey (analyst) and Andraya Carter (sideline)

See also: 2021 Texas A&M Aggies football team

Pregame line	Over/under
TA&M –29.5	66.0

Statistics	Kent State	Texas A&M
First downs	19	29
Total yards	336	595
Rushing yards	226	303
Passing yards	110	292
Turnovers	2	5
Time of possession	24:50	35:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	12/26, 89 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Xavier Williams	8 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Keshunn Abram	3 receptions, 24 yards
Texas A&M	Passing	Haynes King	21/33, 292 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	De’Von Achane	12 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Ainias Smith	8 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TDs

VMI

VMI at Kent State

1 2 3 4 Total VMI 0 0 3 7 10 • Kent State 22 17 14 7 60 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Dix Stadium Kent, OH Game start: 11:30 a.m. EST Game attendance: 25,319 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2021 VMI Keydets football team

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –20.0	72.5

Statistics	VMI	Kent State
First downs	19	31
Total yards	288	698
Rushing yards	142	494
Passing yards	146	204
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	28:13	31:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing	Collin Ironside	7/12, 91 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rashad Raymond	12 carries, 57 yards
	Receiving	Julio DaSilva	2 receptions, 37 yards
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	12/17, 180 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	12 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Nykeim Johnson	5 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

At No. 5 Iowa

Kent State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 7 0 0 0 7 • No. 5 Iowa 9 7 7 7 30 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 61,932 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 4 mph (6.4 km/h) Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst) & Coley Harvey (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 8:03 Iowa Safety, Dustin Crum sacked by Lukas Van Ness in end zone Iowa 2–0 6:34 Iowa Tyler Goodson 46-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 9–0 5:00 Kent Keshunn Abram 23-yard pass from Dustin Crum (A. Glass kick) Iowa 9–7 2 0:19 Iowa Sam LaPorta 5-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 16–7 3 0:32 Iowa Tyler Goodson 35-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 23–7 4 4:07 Iowa Tyler Goodson 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 30–7

See also: 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Pregame line	Over/under
IOWA –22.5	55.5

Statistics	Kent State	Iowa
First downs	17	21
Total yards	264	418
Rushing yards	79	206
Passing yards	185	212
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	23:52	36:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	16/23, 185 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	10 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Keshunn Abram	6 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	25/36, 209 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	22 carries, 153 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	7 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

At Maryland

Kent State at Maryland

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 6 3 0 7 16 • Maryland 7 17 13 0 37 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Maryland Stadium College Park, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 30,117 Television network: BTN

See also: 2021 Maryland Terrapins football team

Pregame line	Over/under
MD –13.0	71.5

Statistics	Kent State	Maryland
First downs	27	23
Total yards	458	526
Rushing yards	150	142
Passing yards	308	384
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	30:04	29:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	19/33, 308 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	13 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	10 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD
Maryland	Passing	Taulia Tagovailoa	31/41, 384 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tayon Fleet-Davis	7 carries, 60 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Dontay Demus Jr.	4 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD

Bowling Green

Anniversary Award

1 2 3 4 Total Bowling Green 3 3 14 0 20 • Kent State 10 3 7 7 27 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Dix Stadium Kent, OH Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 20,537 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2021 Bowling Green Falcons football team and Anniversary Award

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –16.5	56.0

Statistics	Bowling Green	Kent State
First downs	18	25
Total yards	318	396
Rushing yards	55	262
Passing yards	263	134
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	32:15	27:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bowling Green	Passing	Matt McDonald	29/45, 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jaison Patterson	12 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Tyrone Broden	5 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	15/28, 134 yards
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	31 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	6 receptions, 64 yards

Buffalo

Buffalo at Kent State

1 2 3 4 Total Buffalo 0 10 28 0 38 • Kent State 14 17 3 14 48 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Dix Stadium Kent, OH Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 12,105 Television network: ESPNU

See also: 2021 Buffalo Bulls football team

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –7.0	66.0

Statistics	Buffalo	Kent State
First downs	36	33
Total yards	549	633
Rushing yards	312	226
Passing yards	237	407
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	36:22	23:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing	Kyle Vantrease	24/45, 237 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Dylan McDuffie	10 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Quian Williams	8 receptions, 86 yards
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	22/36, 407 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	21 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	13 receptions, 186 yards, 3 TDs

At Western Michigan

Kent State at Western Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 7 10 6 8 31 • Western Michigan 17 6 27 14 64 Date: October 16, 2021 Location: Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 18,716 Television network: ESPNU

See also: 2021 Western Michigan Broncos football team

Pregame line	Over/under
WMU –6.5	68.5

Statistics	Kent State	Western Michigan
First downs	20	32
Total yards	362	648
Rushing yards	124	341
Passing yards	238	307
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	22:19	37:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	15/26, 210 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Xavier Williams	4 carries, 39 yards
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	5 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD
Western Michigan	Passing	Kaleb Eleby	15/22, 307 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Sean Tyler	17 carries, 169 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaylen Hall	5 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD

At Ohio

Kent State at Ohio

1 2 3 4 Total • Kent State 10 7 14 3 34 Ohio 0 7 10 10 27 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Peden Stadium Athens, OH Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 15,854 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2021 Ohio Bobcats football team

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –5.0	68.5

Statistics	Kent State	Ohio
First downs	28	27
Total yards	457	457
Rushing yards	200	135
Passing yards	257	322
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	26:37	33:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	26/31, 257 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Dustin Crum	17 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	9 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
Ohio	Passing	Kurtis Rourke	31/38, 308 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	De'Montre Tuggle	13 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Isiah Cox	7 receptions, 73 yards

Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois at Kent State

1 2 3 4 Total Northern Illinois 7 14 6 20 47 • Kent State 0 31 14 7 52 Date: November 3, 2021 Location: Dix Stadium Kent, OH Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 6,076 Television network: ESPN2

See also: 2021 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –3.5	72.0

Statistics	Northern Illinois	Kent State
First downs	32	31
Total yards	663	682
Rushing yards	131	360
Passing yards	532	322
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	35:04	24:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Rocky Lombardi	33/57, 532 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Jay Ducker	19 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Trayvon Rudolph	14 receptions, 309 yards, 3 TDs
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	20/30, 322 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	23 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	5 receptions, 124 yards

At Central Michigan

Kent State at Central Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 14 3 13 0 30 • Central Michigan 0 26 14 14 54 Date: November 10, 2021 Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 9,213 Television network: ESPNU

See also: 2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –2.5	76.5

Statistics	Kent State	Central Michigan
First downs	23	33
Total yards	456	505
Rushing yards	134	221
Passing yards	322	284
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	23:03	36:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	28/38, 322 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	21 carries, 83 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	21/27, 268 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	43 carries, 215 yards, 4 TDs
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	5 receptions, 61 yards

At Akron

Wagon Wheel Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • Kent State 7 22 3 6 38 Akron 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 8,879 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2021 Akron Zips football team and Wagon Wheel (trophy)

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –13.5	72.5

Statistics	Kent State	Akron
First downs	23	11
Total yards	476	188
Rushing yards	410	77
Passing yards	66	111
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	31:59	28:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	8/13, 55 yards
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	25 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	2 receptions, 36 yards
Akron	Passing	Zach Gibson	14/21, 111 yards
	Rushing	Jonzell Norrils	16 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Konata Mumpfield	4 receptions, 39 yards

Miami (OH)

Miami (OH) at Kent State

1 2 3 4 OT Total Miami (OH) 6 10 7 18 6 47 • Kent State 7 10 14 10 7 48 Date: November 27, 2021 Location: Dix Stadium Kent, OH Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 8,387 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2021 Miami RedHawks football team

Pregame line	Over/under
EVEN	67.0

Statistics	Miami	Kent State
First downs	31	32
Total yards	549	642
Rushing yards	144	303
Passing yards	405	339
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	28:58	31:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami	Passing	Brett Gabbert	26/51, 405 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Kevin Davis	10 carries, 56 yards
	Receiving	Kenny Tracy	5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	24/33, 325 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Xavier Williams	13 carries, 168 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Keshunn Abram	7 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Northern Illinois (MAC Championship game)

MAC Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 0 0 10 13 23 • Northern Illinois 10 7 7 17 41 Date: December 4, 2021 Location: Ford Field Detroit, MI Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 10,317 Television network: ESPN

See also: 2021 Northern Illinois Huskies football team and 2021 MAC Championship Game

Pregame line	Over/under
KENT –3.5	75.5

Statistics	Kent State	Northern Illinois
First downs	24	28
Total yards	391	368
Rushing yards	195	266
Passing yards	196	102
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	19:59	40:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	11/21, 128 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Xavier Williams	8 carries, 93 yards
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	7 receptions, 102 yards
Northern Illinois	Passing	Rocky Lombardi	7/15, 102 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jay Ducker	29 carries, 146 yards
	Receiving	Trayvon Rudolph	3 receptions, 50 yards

Vs. Wyoming (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total Kent State 14 10 0 14 38 • Wyoming 7 14 14 17 52 Date: December 21, 2021 Location: Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Game attendance: 10,217 Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 39 °F (4 °C) • Wind: 2 mph (3.2 km/h) SE TV announcers (ESPN): Bill Roth (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and Lauren Sisler (sideline)

See also: 2021 Wyoming Cowboys football team and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Pregame line	Over/under
WYO –3.0	59.0

Statistics	Kent State	Wyoming
First downs	29	22
Total yards	656	531
Rushing yards	319	404
Passing yards	337	127
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	28:50	31:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	17/27, 316 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	24 carries, 125 yards
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	4 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD
Wyoming	Passing	Levi Williams	9/11, 127 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Levi Williams	16 carries, 200 yards, 4 TDs
	Receiving	Isaiah Neyor	5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD