Watch: Kent State had disastrous onside kick attempt

Kent State Golden Flashes head coach Kenni Burns. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Kent State had most disastrous onside kick attempt of CFB season

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 10/14/23

In their efforts to surprise the opposition during Saturday’s game, Kent State themselves ended up getting rudely surprised.

Kent State tried to go all Sean Payton on Eastern Michigan, starting off the game with an unexpected onside kick attempt. However, the Golden Flashes ended up going 2023 Sean Payton instead of 2010 Sean Payton.

The surprise gimmick ended up going badly awry as the entire Kent State team outran the football … leaving nobody trailing the play when Eastern Michigan’s Kendric Nowling scooped up the ball and sped away for the touchdown.

Take a look at the tragicomic sequence for Kent State.

WHAT A START

EASTERN MICHIGAN TAKES THE ONSIDE KICK BACK FOR THE TD @EMUFB pic.twitter.com/1TjJDPS69z

— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 14, 2023

Kent State head coach Kenni Burns probably thought that he was being slick there. Instead, he ended up getting a pie in the face like Soupy Sales.

The disaster play set the tone for the rest of the game as Kent State never got any closer and lost 28-14 to fall to 1-6 on the season. But look at it this way — at least this wasn’t the biggest blunder in the history of the program.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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