The McAlary Effect

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State shuts down Eastern Michigan in the second half to secure win
Flashes outscored Eagles 14-3 after halftime
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | September 28, 2024, 7:21pm EDT

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20 - 27
Saturday September 28th 3:30
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
EMU|00|17|00|03|20
KSU|10|03|07|07|27


CHRISHON MCCRAY DIVES FOR A TD IN THE FIRST QUARTER
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Kent, OH - Kent State jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Eastern Michigan got on the board. A strong second quarter gave the Eagles a 17-13 lead at the break but it was all Flashes in the second half as they came away with a 27-20 win in their MAC opener.

Kent State put up their first points of the game on an eight yard Tommy Ulatowski to Chrishon McCray pass with McCray diving to secure the ball in the endzone. Following an Eastern Michigan punt Kent State's Andrew Glass connected on a 50 yard field goal to make it 10-0 on the last play of the first quarter.

Eastern Michigan's Dontae McMillan put them on the board early on in the second quarter, scoring on an eight yard run. Glass would add a second field goal for the Flashes to make it 13-7.

Eastern Michigan took the lead late in the first half with a Kenyon Bower field goal and a 38 yard pick six by senior CB Joshua Scott.

The Flashed came out of the locker room on a mission with the defense holding EMU to just three points and the offense adding a pair of scores to secure a 27-20 win.

Ulatowski added to his rushing touchdown numbers with a seven yard score in the third and connected with Isaiah Batton for a 15 yard score in the fourth quarter.

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Additional Media





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Scoring
1Q KSU Chrishon McCray 8 Yd pass from Tommy Ulatowski (Andrew Glass kick)
1Q KSU Andrew Glass 50 Yd FG
2Q EMU Dontae McMillan 8 Yd run (Kenyon Bowyer kick)
2Q KSU Andrew Glass 27 Yd FG
2Q EMU Kenyon Bowyer 44 Yd FG
2Q EMU Joshua Scott 38 Yd pick six (Kenyon Bowyer kick)
3Q KSU Tommy Ulatowski 7 Yd run (Andrew Glass kick)
4Q EMU Kenyon Bowyer 45 Yd FG
4Q KSU Isaiah Batton 15 Yd pass from Tommy Ulatowski (Andrew Glass kick)
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Key Statistics
Kent State
Passing - T. Ulatowski 17/33 204Yds 2TD 2Int
Rushing - G. Garcia 24Car 118Yds, K. Thomas 7Car 33Yds, T. Ulatowski 4Car 32Yds 1TD
Receiving - C. McCray 5Rec 86Yds 1TD, L. Floriea 3Rec 42Yds, G. Garcia 3Rec 25Yds, S. Brown 3Rec 22Yds, I. Batton 1 Rec 15Yds 1TD
Tackles - D. Branch 8, J. Dotson 7, M. Folk 7
Sacks - A. Campbell Jr 1.0
Takeaways - M. Folk 1
Kicking - A. Glass 2/2FG 3/3XP

Eastern Michigan
Passing - C. Snyder 16/33 174Yds 1Int
Rushing - D. McMillan 17Car 122Yds 1TD, C. Snyder 10Car 17Yds
Receiving - J. Mitchell 8Rec 112Yds, P. Rooks 3Rec 33Yds, T. Walton 3Rec 17Yds
Tackles - Q. Scandrett 13, J. Scott 10
Sacks - C. Evans 1.0
Takeaways - J. Scott 1Int 1TD, D. Carter Jr 1Int
Kicking - K. Bowyer 2/2FG 2/2XP
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[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL
MAC Football Results
Scores, Players of the Week and other news and notes from around the conference
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | September 29, 2024, 10:16am EDT

MAC Scores
Buffalo 28, Connecticut 20
Massachusetts 35, Miami-OH 28
Old Dominion 38, Bowling Green 23
NC State 41, Northern Illinois 20
San Diego State 38, Central Michigan 31
Jame Madison 35, Ball State 27
Kent State 27, Eastern Michigan 20
Marshall 31, Western Michigan 28
Akron 31, Ohio 10

MAC Players of the Week
Eastern Michigan CB Joshua Scott 10Tkl, 1Int, 1TD
Akron QB Ben Finley 225Pass Yds 3TD, 24Rush Yds 1TD

MAC Leaders
Kent State QB Tommy Ulatowski 1,385 Yds 5TD
Kent State RB Gavin Garcia 447Yds 4TD
Toledo WR Junior Vandeross III 458Yds 5TD
Eastern Michigan LB Luke Murphy 43Tkl
Western Michigan DE Tyson Lee 5.0Sck
Eastern Michigan CB Bryce Llewellyn and FS David Carter Jr 2Int

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Coaches Corner
Offensive Coordinator Jordan McAlary
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | September 30, 2024, 11:27am EDT

Each week in the days following Kent State's game I will spend a few moments chatting with members of the coaching staff. I'll share some key points in this column.

This morning I spoke with offensive coordinator Jordan McAlary following Kent State's win over Eastern Michigan.

A big win over Eastern Michigan to start off conference play. How important is that?
It's big. You know most of these teams in the MAC are pretty evenly matched most years so they all end up being very important games. There's not likely to be a big spread in wins at the end of the season so you've got to win them, especially at home.

What was a big key to the game?
Just total team football. We had a big error on the pick six right before halftime and guys were down a bit but we got it together at halftime and the defense balled out in that second half so we did our part putting in the endzone and that secured the win for us. Complementary football.

Player of the week?
Gavin Garcia this week. Ran hard, didn't get an opportunity to get in the endzone for us but he ran hard when we asked him to and his pass protection was sound as well.

Bye week and then hosting Ball State. What do you do differently to prepare when you have the extra week?
We'll give guys a bit more time off, probably hit film a little harder early in the first week then get into opponent specifics late in the first week or early the second week. Hopefully get some guys that are banged up back to 100%.

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Flashes sign teammates from Philly
Pair of one stars added to trenches
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | October 1, 2024, 11:12am EDT

Philadelphia's Cameron Hippenhammer and Josh McMahan, both offensive tackles, have signed with the flashes. The duo anchor the line at Imhotep Charter school and both are listed at 6'7".

Recruiting Class
POS|NAME| |NATL|STATE|POS|Style|Hometown|HT|WT
QB|Terrance Ahmad| |3489|72|306|Improviser|Clairton, PA|6'00"|197
OT|Cameron Hippenhammer| |3567|75|224|Agile|Philadelphia, PA|6'07"|315
OT|Josh McMahan| |3474|71|212|Pass Protector|Philadelphia, PA|6'07"|287
DE|Shawn Rhodes| 3502|137|192|Speed Rusher|Cleveland, OH|6'02"|263
DE|Jimmy Chunn| |3450|134|190|Speed Rusher|Pickerington, OH|6'01|262
MLB|Isaiah Rawls| |3101|77|134|Run Stopper|Highstown, NJ|5'11"|212
CB|Alex Manuel| |3066|87|273|Zone|Dearborn, MI|5'11"|190
CB|Cris Navarre| |3385|85|309|Man to Man|Woodbridge, VA|6'01"|161

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL
MAC Football Results
Scores, Players of the Week and other news and notes from around the conference
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | October 6, 2024, 10:16am EDT

MAC Scores
Western Michigan 35, Ball State 7
Massachusetts 31, Northern Illinois 20
Toledo 44, Miami-OH 7
Akron 20, Bowling Green 7

MAC Players of the Week
Akron LB Bryan McCoy 4Tkl, 1FF, 2FR
Toledo QB Tucker Gleason 330Pass Yds 3TD, 43Rush Yds 1TD

MAC Standings
Akron 2-0/3-3
Buffalo 1-0/3-2
Kent State 1-0/2-3
Toledo 1-0/3-2
Western Michigan 1-0/2-3
Ball State 2-3/1-1
Bowling Green 0-1/1-4
Central Michigan 0-1/2-3
Eastern Michigan 0-1/4-1
Miami-OH 0-1/1-4
Northern Illinois 0-1/1-4
Ohio 0-1/3-2

MAC Leaders
Toledo QB Tucker Gleason 1,665Yds 15TD
Western Michigan RB Jalen Buckley 518Yds 2TD
Akron WR Phaizon Wilson 558Yds 3TD
Northern Illinois LB Jaden Dolphin 45Tkl
Western Michigan DE Tyson Lee 6.0Sck
Eastern Michigan CB Bryce Llewellyn and FS David Carter Jr 2Int

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State Game Preview
Ball State
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | October 8, 2024, 3:13pm EDT

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2-3/1-1 | 2-3/1-0
Saturday October 12th 1:00
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 4-8
2023 Result: L 3-34
Series: 8-23
Head Coach: Mike Neu
Team Leaders:
QB Kiael Kelly 1,066Yds 6TD 2Int
RB Charlie Spegal 318Yds 3TD
WR Ty Robinson 385Yds 4TD
LB Jackson Wiegold 24Tkl
DE Brandon Berger 3.0Sck
LB Joey Stemler 1Int

[The JZA]

What's your thoughts on the new signings? Filling out for next year's team or bridging for more quality star players?

[Baze]

I see McMillan cooked you too.

Good win though, keep it up!

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State survives fourth quarter surge to hold off Ball State
Flashes improve to 2-0 in MAC play
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | October 12, 2024, 5:07pm EDT

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27 - 34
Saturday October 12th 1:00
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
BALL (2-4/1-2)|07|03|03|14|27
KENT (3-3/2-0)|03|17|07|07|34


ISAIAH BATTON SECURES A TIPPED PASS FOR A 41 YARD TD LATE IN THE FIRST HALF
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Kent, OH - Kent State led 20-10 at halftime but had to withstand a late surge by Ball State to hold on for a 34-27 win.

Ball State's Charlie Spegal scored on their first possession, rumbling in from a yard out. Kent State kicker Andrew Glass connected on a pair of field goals to make it 7-6 before a one yard run by Gavin Garcia gave the Flashes a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Jackson Courville's 34 yard field goal a few minutes later made it 13-10.

Following a missed field goal by Glass and a weak punt by Ball State a good return from Luke Floriea Kent State got the ball back at the Cardinals' 42 yard line. Tommy Ulatowski took the snap with 23 seconds left to play in the half and rolled to his right, heaving a pass to the endzone for Garcia. Ball State's Myles Norwood outjumped Garcia and batted the ball away but Isaiah Batton was in the right time at the right place and secured the catch for a touchdown, giving the Flashes a 20-10 lead at the break.

Garcia, who ran for 121 yards on 23 carries, scored a second TD to cap Kent State's first drive out of the break, increasing the lead to 27-10.

Courville cut into the lead for Ball State with a 30 yard field goal and the game went to the fourth quarter with Kent State up 27-13.

Ulatowski and Chrishon McCray connected on a 17 yard pass and catch on the Flashes next possession, McCray was initially stopped around the two yard line but he fought his way in for the score.

Kent State was forced to punt on their next two possessions, with a pair of touchdowns and a turnover on downs for Ball State. Kent State recovered the late onside kick and ran out to clock to escape with a narrower victory than they had hoped for.

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Additional Media





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Scoring
1Q BALL Charlie Spegal 1 Yd run (Jackson Courville kick)
1Q KENT Andrew Glass 45 Yd FG
2Q KENT Andrew Glass 46 Yd FG
2Q KENT Gavin Garcia 1 Yd run (Andrew Glass kick)
2Q BALL Jackson Courville 34 Yd FG
2Q KENT Isaiah Batton 42 Yd pass from Tommy Ulatowski (Andrew Glass kick)
3Q KENT Gavin Garcia 4 Yd run (Andrew Glass kick)
3Q BALL Jackson Courville 30 Yd FG
4Q KENT Chrishon McCray 17 Yd pass from Tommy Ulatowski (Andrew Glass kick)
4Q BALL Charlie Spegal 13 Yd run (Jackson Courville kick)
4Q BALL Nick Pressley 14 Yd pass from Kiael Kelly (Jackson Courville kick)
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Key Statistics
Kent State
Passing - T. Ulatowski 21/33 255Yds 2TD
Rushing - G. Garcia 23Car 121Yds 2TD, T. Ulatowski 4Car 30Yds, K. Thomas 3Car 16Yds
Receiving - C. McCray 7Rec 97Yds 1TD, I. Batton 4Rec 79Yds 1TD, K. Thomas 5Rec 55Yds
Tackles - N. Muhammad 6, K. Johns 6, J. Dotson 6, D. Branch 6, M. Folk 6
Sacks - N. Giacolone 1.0
Takeaways - N. Giacolone 1
Kicking - A. Glass 2/3FG 4/4XP

Ball State
Passing - K. Kelly 17/24 260Yds 1TD 1Int
Rushing - K. Kelly 8Car 89Yds, C. Spegal 20Car 50Yds 2TD, Q. Magwood 4Car 13Yds
Receiving - Q. Magwood 4Rec 70Yds, N. Presley 4Rec 63Yds 1TD, C. Spegal 3Rec 54Yds, T. Robinson 2Rec 41Yds
Tackles - J. Wiegold 14, D. Snyder 13
Sacks - D. Snyder 1.0
Takeaways - N/A
Kicking - J. Courville 2/2FG 3/3XP
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[djp73]

What's your thoughts on the new signings? Filling out for next year's team or bridging for more quality star players?

Honestly I haven't looked at them too closely but we're young on the OL so I'm guessing those dudes will redshirt unless they are gems. QB looks to have some speed so we'll see what that looks like. I legitimately have no idea what our defensive players ratings look like so I can't comment on them with any authority. They are all one star players in the 3,000s so I doubt any immediate impact players.