KENT: Two days removed from a last-minute loss to rival Akron, Kent State coach Paul Haynes was able appreciate the exciting, hard-fought contest.
“What a great football game to watch for the fans, I’m sure,” Haynes said at his weekly Monday press conference of Saturday’s 31-27 loss to the Zips. “It kind of lived up to its billing as a rivalry game. We came up a little bit short. They made a couple plays and we didn’t at the end.”
With each quarter came back-and-forth lead exchanges, but the final minutes were particularly tumultuous.
With 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter and facing a 24-20 deficit, Haynes essentially tasked junior Nate Holley — a running back who had never played quarterback in college — to lead a touchdown drive from 97 yards out.