First down
Players to watch for Kent State
1) Dru DeShields
The junior quarterback impressed last season, tossing 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Along with his ability to throw the football, DeShields also is a threat to run the football, as evidenced by his three rushing touchdowns in 2025.
This season got off to a rough start for DeShields, throwing for just 63 yards against South Carolina. DeShields rebounded by not only throwing for 263 yards and a touchdown last week but adding 74 yards rushing and two scores in the win over Wofford.
If DeShields
can put together a strong game against Ohio state he could spark some transfer portal interest from Power 4 schools after the season.
2) Da’Realyst Clark
Kent State’s most dynamic player is wide receiver Da’Realyst Clark. As a junior, Clark made noise as a kick returner, averaging 28.3 yards per return and bringing back two kicks for touchdowns. Clark’s performance on special teams will only improve this year since the Golden Flashes brought in Josh Cribbs as a special teams coach.
Clark’s role as a wide receiver has expanded this season. Last year Clark caught just three passes. So far as a senior, Clark already has six catches. Last week was Clark’s best game as a receiver, finishing with 94 yards on four receptions in the win over Wofford.
3) Rocco Nicholl
The leader of the Kent State defense is linebacker Rocco Nicholl. The senior already has 13 tackles and two sacks in 2026. Nicholl is hoping to finish out his college career with a strong season after he was limited to just three games last year.
Nicholl had entered the 2025 season with high hopes after recording 61 tackles in 2024, including four games with at least 10 tackles. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Nicholl’s size makes him tough to keep away from the football as he can’t be overpowered by blockers.
Second down
Keys for Ohio State
1) Put the loss to Texas behind them
Luckily for Ohio State they are playing a team they should easily beat this week. The Buckeyes were in a similar situation 12 years ago when they were coming off a loss to Virginia Tech and beat up on the Golden Flashes 66-0.
Unlike 2014 when it felt like Ohio State’s shot at making the first College Football Playoff was already cooked, now that the playoff field is at 12 teams the Buckeyes have margin for error. The loss to the Longhorns was still tough to swallow considering how tough the schedule is for Ohio State.
The goal for this week should be try and address what failed them against Texas but also not dwell on it. Get off to a fast start and put the game away early, which could give them a chance to work on some of their shortcomings in live game situations.
2) Push another receiver to start stepping up
Ohio State is in an unusual position since they have done such a great job at developing receivers over the last decade. Jeremiah Smith has been incredible so far this season but he isn’t getting much help.
Against Texas, wide receivers not named Jeremiah Smith caught just two passes for 24 yards. With the lack of another trusted option emerging at the position teams can commit more resources to try and shut down Smith.
This week would be a perfect time to get guys like Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd more time on the field and see if they can step up. During the offseason there was a lot of talk about how great both looked but so far they have struggled to see many snaps in 2026.
3) Look for more consistency on the defensive line
If there was a group on the defense to put the blame on for the loss to Texas it would be the defensive line. The unit struggled to put pressure on Arch Manning in the second half, giving the Longhorn quarterback time to work through his reads.
Some of the poor play can be attributed to wearing down in the Texas heat, while there were also issues with the rotation of players. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson needs to tighten up how he utilizes his players since it felt like the best players weren’t on the field in crucial situations last week.
Third down
Notable Ohio State/Kent State connections
1) Lou Holtz
One of the most famous head coaches in college football history was born in East Liverpool and attended Kent State, playing linebacker for the Golden Flashes in 1956 and 1957. After he was an assistant at Iowa and a number of other schools, Holtz was part of Woody Hayes’ coaching staff at Ohio State in 1968.
After one season in Columbus, Holtz accepted his first head coaching job at Williams & Mary. Holtz would eventually make his way to the NFL, coaching the New York Jets for one season. In 1986 Holtz became the head coach hood Botre Dame where he led the Fighting Irish to a national championship in 1988.
Holtz passed away in March at the age of 89.
2) Nick Saban
Much like Holtz, Nick Saban played college football at Kent State, suiting up as a defensive back for the Golden Flashes from 1970 to 1972. Saban stuck around as an assistant at the school for a few years before eventually coaching Ohio State’s defensive backs in 1980 and 1981.
Saban would move on to coach at a number of colleges before a short stint in the NFL. Once Saban returned to college he became one of the best coaches ever, winning six national titles at Alabama. The title the Crimson Tide won in 2020 saw them beat Ohio State in the title game.
3) Darrell Hazell
One of Jim Tressel’s top assistants was Darrell Hazell, who was not only wide receivers coach in Columbus, he also was assistant head coach from 2005 to 2010. Hazell was named Kent State’s head coach following the 2010 season.
After a 5-7 first season with the school, Hazell led Kent State to an 11-3 record in 2012 and MAC East title before losing in overtime to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game. Hazell would leave Kent State for Purdue after just two seasons.
