1997 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

1997 Kent State Golden Flashes football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East Division
Record	3–8 (3–5 MAC)
Head coach	Jim Corrigall (5th season)
Home stadium	Dix Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Marshall x$		7	–	1					10	–	3
Miami (OH)		6	–	2					8	–	3
Ohio		6	–	2					8	–	3
Bowling Green		3	–	5					3	–	8
Kent State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Akron		2	–	7					2	–	9
West Division
Toledo x		7	–	1					9	–	3
Western Michigan		6	–	2					8	–	3
Ball State		4	–	4					5	–	6
Eastern Michigan		4	–	5					4	–	7
Central Michigan		1	–	7					2	–	9
Northern Illinois		0	–	8					0	–	11
Championship: Marshall 34, Toledo 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 1997 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth and final season under head coach Jim Corrigall, the Golden Flashes compiled a 3–8 record (3–5 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for fourth place in the MAC East, and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 490 to 337. ^{[1] [2]}

The team's statistical leaders included running back Astron Whatley with 876 rushing yards, quarterback Jose Davis with 2,707 passing yards, and wide receiver Eugene Baker with 1,549 receiving yards. ^{[3] [4]} Four Kent State players were selected as first-team All-MAC players: Whatley, Baker, offensive guard Bob Hallen, and offensive tackle Steve Zahursky. ^[5]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
August 28		at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	L 7–31
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Youngstown State *	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 23–44	17,974
September 13	3:30 p.m.	Marshall	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	L 17–42	11,021
September 20		at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 41–38
October 4	2:00 p.m.	UCF *	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	L 43–59	10,584
October 11		Miami (OH)	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	L 26–62
October 18		at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	L 27–50
October 25		Central Michigan	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	W 60–37
November 1		Bowling Green	Dix Stadium Kent, OH (rivalry)	W 29–20
November 8		at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH (rivalry)	L 35–45
November 22		at Navy *	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	L 29–62
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

1997 Kent State Golden Flashes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 6 Jose Davis So TE 46 Jason Gavadza  So QB 13 Todd Goebbel Jr TE 82 Dan Goodspeed Jr C 66 Bob Hallen Sr QB 18 Brian Magrell  Jr QB 10 Jon Rapella  Fr QB 19 Zach Williams  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Jim Corrigall Coordinators/assistant coaches Lee Gissendaner (graduate assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 1998-01-30

References

1. "2016 Kent State Football Record Book" (PDF). Kent State University. p. D8. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
2. "1997 Kent State Golden Flashes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
3. 2016 Kent State Football Record Book, pp. D17-D19.
4. "1997 Kent State Golden Flashes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
5. 2016 Kent State Football Record Book, p. D42.