The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Midview grad named to O’Brien watch list
Midview graduate and Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum, who had a breakout campaign last season, has been named to the Davey O’Brien trophy watch list for the NCAA’s top quarterback.
Expectations are high for quarterback Dustin Crum and the Kent State football team.
That’s what happens when a program finishes the previous season on a four-game winning streak and wins the first bowl game in school history.
So July 14, when the Davey O’Brien Trophy watch list was released, it was no surprise Crum’s name was on it.
The O’Brien Trophy is given annually to the player, “judged to be the best quarterback in the NCAA.”
The Midview graduate took over the starter’s duties in Week 2 last season and never looked back. His touchdown-to-interception ratio (20 to 2) was one of the best in the FBS in 2019, and his QB rating of 159.7 was 11th in the country.
He also averaged 300 yards per game (240 passing and 60 rushing) last season. His season passing totals were 2,622 yards.
ESPN ranks Crum — a senior who completed 69.2% of his throws in 2020 — as the No. 8 best returning QB for this season.
The big question isn’t Crum’s talent. It’s if there will be a season in the fall because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. If there is college football in the fall, one thing is certain: The Golden Flashes’ season opener at Penn State on Sept. 5 won’t be played. The Big Ten announced last week teams will only play conference games in 2020.
Other nonconference games of note for Kent State are at Kentucky (Sept. 19) and at Alabama (Sept. 26).
Crum — who rushed for 707 yards and six TDs last fall — spent much of his time during the stay-at-home order at his parent’s home in Grafton, where he threw with former Midview teammate Logan Bolin, a senior wide receiver for Ashland who in 2019 had 53 catches for 791 yards and six TDs.
“Just trying to stay as ready as possible,” Crum told The Morning Journal in April. “I have what I need to be ready. I wish I could be throwing to my teammates. That’s not ideal, but everyone’s doing the best they can.”
The way Crum and the Golden Flashes finished off last season surely has the fan base excited for the 2020 season. In a 51-41 win over Utah State in the Frisco Bowl last December, Crum (289 yards passing, two TDs; 147 yards rushing, one TD) was named the game’s MVP.
Currently, Kent State’s season begins Sept. 12 at home against Kennesaw State.