– Last Updated on June 8, 2018 7:50 am
2017 Football Preview – MAC – Golden Flashes
Looking for 2017 Kent State Golden Flashes predictions? The Golden Flashes have endured a couple of very brutal years as of late. In each of the last two seasons they have gone 3-9 and this seems like a make or break year for Paul Haynes and his staff. To have more success this year, they really need to get the offense to have more success. Statistically they were one of the worst offenses last year, and that can’t happen again.
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- 2017-18 College Football Preview – Kent State Golden Flashes
- Head Coach: Paul Haynes
- 2016 Record: 3-9
- Kent State Golden Flashes Odds to win the 2017 FBS Championship: +50000
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So can Paul Haynes get the Golden Flashes to do enough to keep his job? Or will this be his final run as the head coach?
2017 Kent State Golden Flashes Predictions: Team Strengths
Bright Spot at Quarterback?: For a team that really struggled on the offensive side of the football last year it is kind of weird to put a quarterback as one of the strengths as the team, but that is the case with the Golden Flashes this year.
Last year the Golden Flashes made a switch at quarterback to start conference play, and it seemed to make all the difference.
Nick Holley is a duel threat quarterback who did big things the second half of the year last year. He threw for 868 yards and rushed for 873 yards in his seven starts.
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He did go down with a knee injury towards the end of the season, but he is expected to be ready to go to start the season, and should be the guy under center in week one.
Strong Defense: As bad as the offense was last year, the defense was able to keep the Golden Flashes in a lot of games.
They finished 27th in the nation allowing just 350 yards per game to opposing teams. The secondary is the strength of the defense, with three senior starters back for their last run.
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Although their front seven is still going to need a bit of work, I expect them to be almost as good as last year.
2017 Kent State Golden Flashes Predictions: Team Weaknesses
Who’s Out Wide?: Notre Dame was one of the best offenses in the 2nd halves and proved they were never out of a game.
However, heading into this season they will be without 4 of their top 5 receivers from last season. Reason for concern right?
Notre Dame will have 4 main targets heading into this season, who all need to perform at a high level. Torii Hunter Jr. is the main guy to watch heading into this season.
Losing Mentality: One of the biggest weaknesses of this team is that they are used to losing. In the four years under Paul Haynes they have never finished with more then five wins.
At a point losing just becomes part of a culture and I think that is part of the problem with the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Now one good year can chance the perception of a team, and a program but it might be a little bit too late for them to do anything about it. The losing seems to already be pretty engraved in this team.
Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction: 3-9
Kent State didn’t get any favors in their non conference scheduling. They have to play both Clemson and Louisville, and both of those games are going to be brutal.
I think those blowouts won’t help the confidence of the team and it will allow them to continue to be ok with losing a lot.
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I think this team will finish with a 3-9 record for the third year in a row and at the end of the season the Golden Flashes will be looking for a new head coach.
2017 Kent State Golden Flashes Football Schedule
- 9/2/17 12:00 PM ET @CLEM
- 9/9/17 3:30 PM ET HOW
- 9/16/17 6:30 PM ET @MRSH
- 9/23/17 TBD @LOU
- 9/30/17 TBD BUFF
- 10/7/17 3:30 PM ET @NIU
- 10/14/17 3:30 PM ET M-OH
- 10/21/17 TBD @OHIO
- 10/31/17 TBD BGSU
- 11/8/17 TBD @WMU
- 11/14/17 TBD CMU
- 11/21/17 TBD @AKR
What do you think about our 2017 Kent State Golden Flashes predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
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