KENT
Kent State
Mid-American · 3-7CFP unranked
Kent State is 3-7 and No. 132 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 20.5 points below an average FBS team. Last game: lost 33-28 at Bowling Green in Week 11.
Machine rankNo. 132of all FBS teams
Rating now−20.520.5 points below an average FBS team
Since July−2.6from −17.9 in the preseason rating
Why Kent State is No. 132
- Kent State's rating is −20.5: the machine's estimate that Kent State is 20.5 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 132 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −17.9, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 2.6.
- The biggest weekly moves: −4.4 after Week 1 (L 0-57 at South Carolina) and +1.2 after Week 5 (L 10-13 vs Ohio).
- Its record is 3-7. The 7 losses were to No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 South Carolina, No. 78 Western Michigan, No. 83 South Florida, No. 97 Ohio, No. 127 Bowling Green, No. 138 Sacramento State, by 28.6 points on average. The 3 wins came by 16.3 points on average; the best was over No. 131 Ball State. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 90 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 131 Ball State (−19.6); just below is No. 133 Northern Illinois (−20.7).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Mark Carney is in his 2nd season at Kent State (since 2025). This season: 3-7. At Kent State overall: 8-14, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 10 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 165-309 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2024 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 11-11 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.5No. 113 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.3%No. 72 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 6.1%No. 86 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 327-970 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.0No. 136 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 9.4%No. 131 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 21.5%No. 125 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 15.7No. 137 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 4.78No. 132 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 35.3%No. 107 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 46.7%No. 122 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 19No. 137 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 30.8No. 114 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.86No. 95 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 8.1No. 124 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.0No. 66 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.4%No. 25 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 9No. 99 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 38.1%No. 64 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Dru Deshields159-289, 1956 yds, 11 TD, 9 INT
- Nolan Good3-14, 24 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Dru Deshields88 carries, 295 yds, 6 TD
- Brandon White88 carries, 286 yds, 0 TD
- Mason Blakemore59 carries, 226 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
- Wayne Harris49 catches, 804 yds, 7 TD
- Da'Realyst Clark29 catches, 381 yds, 1 TD
- Ardell Banks13 catches, 259 yds, 0 TD
Tackles
- Hayden Dawahare56
- Rocco Nicholl45
- Joel Cordoba43
Sacks
- Jaihien Roy5
- Hayden Dawahare4
- Rocco Nicholl3
Interceptions
- Norey Johnson2
- Jaihien Roy1
- Rafael Terrero Jr.1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Dru DeshieldsMost passes in the last game10 games289 attempts94%
- Nolan Good5 games14 attempts5%
Carrying
- Brandon White10 games88 carries39%
- Mason Blakemore7 games59 carries26%
- Jakorion Caffey9 games39 carries17%
- Donovan Delaney3 games11 carries5%
Catching
- Wayne Harris10 games49 catches30%
- Da'Realyst Clark9 games29 catches18%
- Brandon White7 games15 catches9%
- Hunter Hopperton6 games15 catches9%
Tackling
- Hayden Dawahare8 games56 tackles9%
- Rocco Nicholl10 games45 tackles7%
- Joel Cordoba10 games43 tackles7%
- Josue Cordoba9 games36 tackles6%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 0–57 at South Carolina. The passing game struggled: 3.4 yards an attempt, 4.1 less than South Carolina usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 2 W 36–15 vs Wofford. Wofford is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against. The defense had 5 sacks.
- Week 3 L 3–59 at Ohio State. The pass defense gave ground: Ohio State got 13.6 yards an attempt, 4.4 over what it usually gains. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 4 W 26–13 vs Ball State. The run defense was the strength: Ball State got 1.7 yards a carry, 2.6 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 5 L 10–13 vs Ohio. The run game struggled: 1.6 yards a carry, 3.1 less than Ohio usually allows. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 6 L 7–38 at Western Michigan. The pass defense gave ground: Western Michigan got 9.7 yards an attempt, 3.2 over what it usually gains.
- Week 7 L 2–29 at South Florida. The run game struggled: 1.8 yards a carry, 2.1 less than South Florida usually allows.
- Week 8 W 35–20 vs Akron. The run game struggled: 3.2 yards a carry, 3.3 less than Akron usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 9 L 10–31 at Sacramento State. The passing game struggled: 5.6 yards an attempt, 2.7 less than Sacramento State usually allows. The machine had Kent State by 6.2 (65%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; Kent State lost the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 11 L 28–33 at Bowling Green. The run game struggled: 2.4 yards a carry, 2.9 less than Bowling Green usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.