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 (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Charley Molnar (4th season)
Home stadium	Dix Stadium

1997 Mid-American Conference football standings

	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.

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. Four Kent State players were selected as first-team All-MAC players: Whatley, Baker, offensive guard Bob Hallen, and offensive tackle Steve Zahursky.

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 (I-AA) 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 (Anniversary Award)	W 29–20
November 8		at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH (Wagon Wheel)	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