Kent State football releases 2019 schedule

Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Woody Barrett carries the ball out of the tackle of Toledo Rockets defensive lineman Tuzar Skipper in the first quarter of Thursday’s game at Dix Stadium. Barrett scored on the play.

Sun Devils, Tigers and Badgers, oh my.

For the second straight season Kent State will play three games against “Power 5” opponents. The Mid-American Conference revealed the conference schedule for every MAC team Wednesday. Start times have yet to be determined. 

Home games are in bold

Arizona State — August 29

The Sun Devils finished last season 7-6 last season with a 5-4 record in PAC12 play. Every regular season loss was by one possession. Their worst loss was in their last game of the year, a 31-20 loss against Fresno State in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl.

Kennesaw State — Sept. 7 

Kennesaw State finished last season 11-2 and 5-0 in Big South play, scoring 49 or more points in eight games last season. Their wins came by an average of 34.4 points.

Auburn Tigers — Sept. 14 

Auburn finished last season 8-5 and 3-5 in Southeastern Conference play. They held their opponents to below 20 points in seven games, including a 63-14 bowl win over Purdue.

Bowling Green — Sept. 21

Bowling Green finished 3-9 and 2-6 in MAC play. Kent State beat the Falcons last season by a score of 35-28 on Oct. 30, giving the Flashes their only conference win of the season.

Wisconsin — Oct. 5 

Wisconsin finished 8-5 and 5-4 in the Big Ten. The Badgers beat Illinois 49-20 last season, a team Kent State lost to 31-24 in their season-opener last season. 

Akron — Oct. 12 

Akron finished 4-8 and 2-6 in the MAC. The Zips beat Kent State 24-23 in overtime last season after a botched extra point attempt by the Flashes that would have sent the game to a second overtime.

Ohio — Oct. 19 

Ohio finished 9-4 and 6-2 in MAC play. The Bobcats beat Kent State 27-26 in a game in which the Flashes led until the final two minutes.

Miami (OH) — Oct. 26 

Miami finished 6-6 and 6-2 in MAC play. The RedHawks beat Kent State 31-6 last season in a game where the Flashes played a variety of reserves down the stretch who saw time later in the season.

Toledo — Nov. 5 (game on ESPNU or CBS Sports Network)

Toledo finished 7-6 and 5-3 in the MAC. The Rockets beat Kent State 56-34 last season. It was the most points the Flashes allowed in a conference game last year.

Buffalo — Nov. 14 (game on CBS Sports Network)

Buffalo finished 10-4 and 7-1 in MAC play. The Bulls beat Kent State 48-14, and they’ll be looking to replace quarterback Tyree Jackson who entered the NFL draft.

Ball State — Nov. 23

Ball State finished 4-8 and 3-5 in MAC play. The Cardinals beat Kent State 52-24 in a game where they finished with almost 500 passing yards.

Eastern Michigan — Nov. 29

Eastern Michigan finished 7-6 and 5-3 in MAC play. The Eagles beat Kent State 28-20 in the Flashes’ final game of the season. The Eagles finished with 237 rushing yards in the win in the third straight game the Flashes allowed 230 or more yards on the ground.

Midweek MACtion for the Flashes will begin on in their game against Toledo that will be on either ESPN, ESPNU or CBS Sports Network. In total, 14 midweek MAC games will be televised throughout the month of November. 

Kent State spring game is set for April 13.

 Ian Kreider is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected].