KENT — Kent State has found itself at the bottom of CBS Sports’ national college football rankings after a winless start through five games this season.
The next chance for a victory, the team’s first since September 2023, will be at noon Saturday at home against Ball State, a team not far above the Golden Flashes on that list.
Ball State is listed as the third-worst team in the nation, with only Kennesaw State separating the two teams at the bottom.
The Cardinals are a game better than the Golden Flashes at 1-4, but they are 0-3 on the road and will be tested again at Dix Stadium.
“We have to go out there, and we have to play well,” Flashes coach Kenni Burns said. “We have to be disciplined, learn from last game, correct some of our mistakes and give it our best shot. This is a really good football team coming into town.”
The teams are tied for last place in the Mid-American Conference, but KSU is the only team in the conference with a winless record.
Kent State is coming off its "best" loss of the season, scoring a season-high 33 points against Eastern Michigan two weeks ago.
“We felt like we had some match-up advantages,” Burns said. “Our guys could go out there and play loose, fast and be aggressive. We found ways to get them the ball.”
Points have been hard to come by for the Golden Flashes, who have totaled 74 points in their five games, which included back-to-back shutouts. The Flashes scored nearly half of their season point total in their most recent game, with junior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski starting for the first time this season in a 52-33 loss to the Eagles .
Ulatowski turned in a career day in the loss, throwing for 345 yards on 15-of-28 passing with three touchdown and adding another score on the ground.
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The quarterback’s passing yardage was a career best, and his four total touchdowns matched a career high.
Ulatowski gives the team hope it can turn around an underachieving offense, which ranks last nationally in total yards per game and third-down conversion rate and is fifth-to-last in scoring offense.
“If we clean up the things we are struggling with, we can get a win, for sure.” Burns said. “They took what we gave them after the game, and they ran with it. Every game here on out, we should have a shot to go in and compete.”
The Ball State defense should certainly give the Flashes a chance to compete. The Cardinals rank second-to-last nationally in points per game allowed — only Kent State is worse — fourth-to-last in passing yards allowed per game and second-to-last in third-down defense.
Ulatowski will look to attack the BSU defense with two efficient receivers — redshirt sophomore Chrishon McCray and graduate student Luke Floriea.
McCray turned in a season-best game against Eastern Michigan with 188 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. His yardage and touchdowns were season highs and his receptions tied a season high.
Floriea is enjoying a solid sixth season with the Flashes with a team-best 19 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns, both second on team. Floriea and McCray have all the Golden Flashes’ receiving touchdowns this season.
“It was encouraging on offense for sure,” Burns said of the Sept. 28 loss. “Our playmakers came out playing pretty well. You look at Chrishon McCray and you look at Luke, those guys went out there, and they really were dominant in that football game.”
Despite ranking last in the nation in rushing yards per game (57.6) and not eclipsing 100 rushing yards in any game this season, Kent State might have a chance to get its running game going. Ball State is ranked 119th out of 133 teams in rushing defense, allowing 211.4 yards per game.
But the Flashes haven't had much luck defensively either, giving up 52 points or more in four of their five games.
Still, Kent State has its third crack at winning a game at home this season — and a victory might move them out of the bottom of the nation’s ranking for the first time in four weeks.
“This is still a really, really hungry football team that is getting better week by week,” Burns said. “We’re still a young football team — we embrace that, we don’t run away from that. I think we are getting better.”
John Hilber is an Akron Beacon Journal correspondent. You can contact him at jhilber@kent.edu .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State football | Breaking down Saturday's MAC game against Ball State
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