Freshman wide receiver leads Flashes to third straight victory

Watch video from the game.

Visions of Tyshon Goode could haunt Western Michigan for weeks to come after his performance on Halloween.

The freshman wide receiver had a career-high 198 receiving yards on 11 receptions as the Kent State football team (5-4, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) defeated Western Michigan 26-14 on Saturday.

“It’s just having fun, it’s just what I love to do, just go up there and make plays,” Goode said. “I’m in it to do anything it takes to win a football game – at the end of the day I’m just trying to do whatever I can to get a victory.”

Goode is the first Kent State receiver to have more than 175 receiving yards in a game since Najah Pruden against Ohio in 2005. Goode has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games. Kent State has won all three of those games.

Throwing for a career-high 373 yards, freshman quarterback Spencer Keith completed 24-of-34 passes, including two touchdown passes to Goode. Keith’s total passing yards against the Broncos were the most ever by a Kent State freshman quarterback.

Even though Keith threw two interceptions in the game, Kent State coach Doug Martin said he is happy with his play.

“I feel really comfortable right now that I could call any play in the offense with Spencer and know that he’s not going to hurt us,” Martin said. “The last interception he threw was just a freshman throw, but I really feel confident that I can call anything I want with him, and he’ll execute it.”

After trailing 7-6 in the second quarter, Keith completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Goode to take a 13-7 lead. Keith and Goode connected again in the third quarter on a 19-yard touchdown to give the Flashes a 20-7 lead.

“I have all the trust in the world in the receivers because they’ve proved over the last three weeks they’ll go up and get the ball,” Keith said. “My job is just to allow them to make a play, and they’ve come through the last few weeks.”

The Flashes were efficient on offense, converting on 10-of-14 third downs and only punting once in the game.

Western Michigan cut into the Flashes’ lead when Broncos senior quarterback Tim Hiller completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Robert Arnheim in the fourth quarter. Kent State responded on the next drive with a 15-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jacquise “Speedy” Terry.

Terry rushed for 90 yards on 23 carries and caught three passes for 52 yards.

“We couldn’t get (Terry) to the second level.it was just hard getting him going,” Martin said. “I thought when we started throwing him the ball that kind of got him more involved – we hit him on a couple of screen passes that were really big and he made some nice plays.”

After going nine quarters without surrendering a touchdown, Kent State’s defense gave up a touchdown pass to Western Michigan in the second quarter. Despite allowing two touchdowns, the defense sacked Hiller four times and held the Broncos to 38 rushing yards.

Junior defensive end Monte Simmons had a career-high three sacks along with three tackles for a loss.

Martin said the collective play of the team is contributing to the team’s success.

“Our players are really together right now,” Kent State coach Doug Martin said. “They got a great belief in each other.they got something special going right now if we can manage to continue it.”

Contact sports reporter Nick Walton at [email protected].