Recordpub.com - Eagles Soar Past Flashes

BOSTON — The Kent State football team fell victim to big plays by Boston College yesterday in a 34-7 rout at Alumni Stadium.
Four of the Eagles’ five scores resulted from either the Flashes’ three turnovers or long passes by Boston’s rotating quarterbacks.
“Obviously we played a really good football team,” Kent State coach Doug Martin said. “There’s a reason Boston College has been in the (Atlantic Coast Conference) football championships the last couple years. I think their program really speaks for itself.”
Kent State (1-1) and Boston (2-0) combined to use six quarterbacks, four of whom were freshmen, throughout the game. The Eagles’ freshmen duo of Justin Tuggle and Dave Shinskie led Boston’s offense with a combined 223 yards and three touchdowns.
The Flashes, however, struggled to move the ball against the Eagles, who had not given up an offensive touchdown in their previous nine quarters. Alternating among three quarterbacks, Kent State totaled 179 yards of offense on the day.
In the first quarter, the Flashes bit on a play action by Tuggle, who found sophomore wide receiver Colin Larmond Jr. alone down the field for a 56-yard touchdown pass.
Boston continued to make big plays through the half. Eagles’ freshman linebacker Nick Clancy intercepted a pass by freshman quarterback Morgan at Kent State’s 16-yard line late in the second quarter. Two plays later, Shinskie found senior wide receiver Rich Gunnel open to put Boston ahead, 14-0.
Gunnel fueled the Eagles’ offense again the second quarter with a 44-yard catch-and-run from Tuggle, which set up sophomore running back Montel Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run. On the day, Gunnel finished with 114 yards on six catches and two touchdowns.
“The way we played, we should have played much better,” said junior safety Brian Lainhart, who snared his second interception in as many games. “We had a couple of blown coverages which led to explosion plays. When we blow a coverage against a team like that, they’re going to find it.”
Neither Morgan nor senior quarterback Anthony Magazu were able to move the offense in the second quarter. With both quarterbacks limited by injuries, Kent State entered halftime with 60 yards of total offense. Last week against Carolina Coastal, Morgan injured his ankle after being sacked, and in preseason Magazu hurt his arm.
“I couldn’t call any play-action passes with Giorgio because of his lack of mobility,” Martin said. “Most everything we did with (Morgan) had to be out of the shotgun. That really limits your offense, not only the passing game but the running game.”
After rushing for 141 yards and a touchdown against Coastal Carolina, senior running back Eugene Jarvis took 10 carries for 17 yards before leaving the game at halftime. Kent State rushed 60 total yards in the game.
Boston scored twice on consecutive drives set up by turnovers in the third quarter. An interception off Kent State’s first play of the half led to Gunnel’s second touchdown of the day. The Flashes’ held Boston to a 33-yard field goal in the next series.
Freshman quarterback Spencer Keith, the Flashes’ third man under center for the game, made his college debut after halftime. Keith’s first pass attempt was intercepted by Boston sophomore linebacker Dominick LeGrande. Keith later lost a fumble on Kent State’s 16-yard line.
“It wasn’t the start I wanted,” Keith said, “but I settled down there at the end and finally got something going. I’m going to learn a lot from this.”
The true freshman found his poise late in the final quarter, capping a 12-play, 61-yard drive with a four-yard strike to junior tight end Jon Simpson in the back corner of the endzone.
The damage had already been done, however, as Boston ran out the clock for the 34-7 win. With the loss, Kent State failed in its bid to start 2-0 for the first time since 1988.
“(Boston is) a first-class outfit,” Martin said. “My hat’s off to them. They are a tough bunch to play against, but this game will make us better. We’ll become a much better football team for playing competition like this.”
Last season, Boston shutout the Flashes 21-0 in Kent State’s home opener at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.