Kent State Players To Watch vs. Texas A&M

Kent State comes to college station as one of the more dangerous non-Power 5 teams in the country

Matt Galatzan | Aug 31, 2021

In week one, the Texas A&M Aggies will open up their 2021 schedule at Kyle Field against the Kent State Golden Flashes, with high expectations at their backs.

The Golden Flashes, however, have their own expectations to live up to..

With one of the most dangerous offenses in the Group of 5 at their disposal, Kent State will be a handful for Mike Elko's defense.

That unit, which ranked first in the nation in scoring offense (49.7 ppg) and total offense (606.5 ypg), returns nine starters, including quarterback Dustin Crum, who looks to be poised for a breakout season.

The Golden Flashes also ranked third in the country in rushing offense (283 ypg) and 10th in passing offense (323.5 ypg)

On the defensive side of the ball, Kent State returns a good deal of starters and will also be supplemented by an influx of Power 5 transfers at all levels of the defense.

While the Golden Flashes mostly struggled in 2020 on the defensive side of the ball, the one bright spot from last season was the pass defense, which ranked third in the nation, giving up just 162 yards per game.

Make sure to stick with AllAggies.com's through our season preview series, where we will analyze every opponent on the Aggies schedule in 2021.

QB Dustin Crum

A dynamic QB poised for a breakout season, Dustin Crum can do it both through the air or on the ground for Kent State. In just four games last season, Crum finished the year completing 83-of-113 passes 1,181 yards, and 12 touchdowns with just two picks, while rushing for 240 yards and four more scores on 44 rushing attempts.

RB Marquez Cooper

The Golden Flashes leading returning rusher from last season, Marquez Cooper is a dynamic rusher, who has a nose for the end zone. In 2020, Cooper finished the year with 56 carries for 282 yards and five touchdowns in just four games.

WR Ja'Shaun Poke

The top returning wideout for the Golden Flashes, Ja'Shaun Poke was on track for a breakout season in 2020 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. In just four games, McKoy had 21 catches for 326 yards and five touchdowns, averaging over 80 yards per game in just four outings.

RB Xavier Williams

Just one part of the four-headed monster that is the Kent State rushing attack, Xavier Williams brings a change of pace and explosiveness to the offense. Last season, Williams finished with 27 carries for 216 yards and three scores, averaging eight yards per carry along the way.

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Published Aug 31, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.