4. College Football News Preview 2020: Kent State Golden Flashes Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense wasn’t all that great, but it didn’t get a whole lot of help at times from an offense that struggled to go on long drives. It was the fourth-worst in the nation against the run and was a bit too inconsistent overall. Eight of the top ten tacklers are expected to be back, and it starts with a decent-looking linebacking corps.
– Mandela Lawrence-Burke led the team with 104 tackles, and Cepeda Phillips made 93 stops. They’re small – Lawrence-Burke is just 185 pounds and Phillips goes 217 – but they can fly around and get into the backfield. The line doesn’t have any bulk, either.
6-3, 320-pound Buddha Jones is a big option on the nose, but he’s about it. The ends – like 246-pound junior Zayin West – are built like linebackers, but they need to get into the backfield more. Because of the lack of size on the front seven …
– The secondary has to make a whole lot of plays. Losing S Qwuantrezz Knight to UCLA stings, but senior Keith Sherald is a solid, versatile defensive back who’ll play corner after finishing third o the team with 86 tackles at safety. On the way to help the cause is S CJ Holmes from Penn State and CB Tony Butler from Nebraska.