Celebrate at Ray’s, or The Loft, or Venice Cafe! Celebrate in Eastway, Tri-Towers or at Eagles Landing, or on College Street. At Rosie’s, Water Street Tavern or Guy’s Pizza. The Flashes are a winner tonight.
Kent State football snapped a 21 game losing streak Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium against Merrimack College of the FCS. In a game that appeared to match two even opponents, and in a game that looked like the “here we go again” Flashes would appear, they didn’t. They found a way to win under interim Head Coach Marc Carney.
Let’s not kid ourselves, this game was not a work of art. And I’m not saying Kent State goes on to win the MAC this year. But in a way, that’s the point. For one day, one night, I can say my alma mater is a winner…in football.
Internet connection issues in the Dix Stadium press box took the game off ESPN+ as well as AM 1350 The Gambler. At one point, it sounded like KSU PBP guy Dane Richardson was doing the game on his cell phone. And we listened. Such is life in the MAC, and at Kent State.
I heard there was another big game in Ohio today featuring some good teams. I didn’t consume a second of it. I needed to see if the streak would be ended. They had Big Noon Kickoff. We had Big Dix Energy…at Noon.
Credit to the Kent State fans who brought the energy, and stayed. Credit to the students who brought the juice late in the game and made a difference on a defensive stand to clinch the game.
Good for those players, who have been through a lot the last couple of seasons. Losing, negativity, and more issues than we know about. They were hungry, and played like it.
Good for Carney and his staff. Carney seems like a genuinely good dude. A Northeast Ohio guy, with a chip on his shoulder and a hard working man from a hard working family. Everyone is rooting for him to succeed. I hope he gets a fair evaluation from the decision makers as his seven month interview ratcheted up Saturday.
Good for all those Kent State supporters, who want to see a winner. For one night, we celebrate.
Next week Kent State plays at Texas Tech. As Carney said in his postgame presser, he’s going to enjoy the heck out this game tonight and worry about Texas Tech tomorrow. Kent State fans should follow his advice and enjoy tonight.
So celebrate at The Brew House, on Main Street and all over Kent. The Flashes and Carney are a winner for one night anyway, and the streak is over.