Following 1st win, Kent State HC Sean Lewis previews Penn State

For Kent State, it was the first time in 10 years that it surpassed 50 points in a single game. With a 54-14 win over Howard on Saturday, the Golden Flashes improved immensely on their margin of victory against the Bison. A year ago, they hung on to win by only a touchdown; this season it was by 40.

Perhaps more notably, though, this was the first win for new head coach Sean Lewis, a former Wisconsin quarterback and tight end who last served as offensive coordinator for Syracuse in 2017. In the locker room following the game, Lewis presented three game balls, one each to the school’s president, athletic director and associate AD. He meant it as a a sign of gratitude for putting him in the position in the first place.

Said Lewis, “I turned around and gave the game balls to them to thank them for believing in our vision and being able to take a chance and roll the dice on a young ball guy like myself."

Entering the season at the age of 31 years old, Lewis was the youngest head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He now has Kent State starting out with a 1-1 record heading into Saturday’s matchup against Penn State in Beaver Stadium, but they were one touchdown away from a 2-0 start. At Illinois for the season opener, Kent State held a 17-3 halftime lead before the Illini prevailed, 31-24. Lewis went into week two’s practice hopeful they’d be able to build off the good start and learn from the final two quarters, in which Illinois outscored them 28-7.

Now with a win under their belt, the Flashes are aiming to maintain that momentum throughout the upcoming week.

“Ultimately at the end of the day, if we’re preparing the right way and we’re treating practice like a game, we’re big believers that our practice repetitions become our game reality,” Lewis said on the MAC Coaches conference call Monday morning. “It doesn’t matter if [Kent State is practicing on] our grass practice field on a Tuesday in between the white lines and there’s no one watching them, or if there happens to be 110,000 people watching in Happy Valley. Obviously it's going to be a little bit louder, but from our vantage point we need to do what we need to do and build a game plan that highlights our players' strengths. We’re looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge that lays ahead of us in Happy Valley.”

Through two games, Lewis has largely been pleased with his defense’s effort. Especially in the first half it’s been effective, allowing only one field goal against Illinois and holding Howard scoreless during the game’s first two quarters. Against Howard, specifically, Lewis called it a “phenomenal day” for the defense, holding the opposing team to a total of just 65 rushing yards and stopping 15 of 17 third-down conversion attempts.

He also praised the effort of his special teams unit, which had a 22-yard punt return and blocked a punt which set up a score.

Kent State’s offense “was very opportunistic but needs to be cleaner,” Lewis said in balancing his evaluation. “Disappointed in how many times we turned the football over. We need to put a premium on our ball security.”

In addition to one interception thrown by starting QB Woody Barrett, the Golden Flash offense also put the ball on the ground four times, losing three of them. Against Penn State Saturday, based on Lewis’s scouting of Nittany Lion personnel, those miscues will be more difficult to overcome.

After spending the last two seasons working under Dino Barbers at Syracuse, Lewis gained firsthand knowledge about some of the best high school football prospects from the mid-Atlantic and East Coast. Often their recruiting territory overlapped with Penn State’s and in those two seasons Lewis saw more of the region’s top prospects choosing to sign under head coach James Franklin.

“He’s got a galaxy over there with the number of stars he’s been able to accumulate in recruiting,” Lewis said. “They’re long, they're athletic, they’re nasty, they hunt the ball, they're opportunistic and they play the game the right away, which is a credit to Coach Franklin and his staff.”

Here’s more of what Lewis had to say about the Nittany Lions’ personnel:

Defensive line…

“The game starts up front in particular with their D-line. They’re a long athletic group. No. 30, Kevin Givens, inside is a twitchy young man who shows explosiveness. They do a really good job moving him. He is a dynamic three-technique who really gives you some fits from the inside out.”

Linebackers…

“Micah Parsons, he has flashed early on here. Cam Brown, No. 6 their outside linebacker, is a long athletic kid who covers a ton of ground. He shows some ability now where he’s able to flip his hips, wheel around and two stride every five. He can just chew up grass. He’s a dynamic athlete.”

Defensive backs…

“Their corner, Tariq-Castro Fields, has tremendous ball skills and does a great job in the passing game. The opposite corner, No. 21 – I’m not going to try to pronounce his name because I don't want to discredit him or his family by mispronouncing that – he does a fabulous job. He had a pick in the Pitt game where he’s literally looking out of the ear hole and still able to track the ball and make a play.”

Offense…

“They’ve got a bunch of dudes. Offensively it starts with their quarterback. He’s a dynamic athlete. He can hurt you in a lot of different ways. He’s a proven winner and continues to do that this year, finding ways to get it done. The drive he leads in the App State game to come back and to tie that thing and get into overtime and for them to find a way to win is a testament to him. They have dynamic skill in Miles Sanders at the running back and Mr. Johnson, No. 84, [at WR].”

Special teams…

“Last but not least their returner, DeAndre Thompkins. It seems like every single time he touches the ball I’m going to be holding my breath because he has the ability to take it to the house in a heartbeat.”