1965 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

The 1965 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Leo Strang, the Golden Flashes compiled a 5–4–1 record (3–2–1 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for third place in the MAC, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 144 to 114.^[1][2] The season marked Kent's first winning season in a half-decade, its first as a major college program, and its longest unbeaten streak since 1956 that was not surpassed until 1973.^[3][4]

1965 Kent State Golden Flashes football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	5–4–1 (3–2–1 MAC)
Head coach	Leo Strang (2nd season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1964 1966 →

1965 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Bowling Green +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Miami (OH) +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Western Michigan	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
Kent State	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Marshall	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Toledo	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Ohio	0	–	6	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

The team's statistical leaders included Willie Asbury with 998 rushing yards, Ron Mollric with 407 passing yards, and Billy Blunt with 337 receiving yards.^[5] Four Kent State players were selected as first-team All-MAC players: halfback Willie Asbury, offensive tackle Jon Brooks, defensive back Pat Gucciardo, and offensive guard Ed Musbach.^[6] Asbury ,who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	at Xavier*	Xavier Stadium Cincinnati, OH	L 14–21	12,235	[8]
September 25	Dayton*	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 14–6
October 2	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	W 27–10	16,100
October 9	Miami (OH)	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 24–13	15,000
October 16	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	T 10–10	17,500
October 23	Bowling Green	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH (rivalry)	L 6–7	19,000
October 30	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 3–7	13,500
November 6	at Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 6–21	30,300–30,323
November 13	Marshall	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 33–13
November 20	Louisville*	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 7–6
*Non-conference game

^[9]