FACTS & STATS: Site: Cleveland Browns Stadium (73,200) -- Cleveland, Ohio Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Boston College 0-0, Kent State 0-0. Away Record: Boston College 0-0, Kent State 0-0. Neutral Record: Boston College 0-0, Kent State 0-0. Conference Record: Boston College 0-0, Kent State 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The Boston College Eagles will tangle with the Kent State Golden Flashes in the season-opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium. KSU coach Doug Martin called his preseason camp the best he's seen at Kent State, in terms of competition and health. In this bout, Martin will be matching up with his mentor at East Carolina, Steve Logan, now the offensive coordinator at BC. Martin also worked alongside BC head coach Jeff Jagodzinski at ECU. The Golden Flashes are looking to rebound from a dismal 3-9 season, which they closed out by losing their final seven games. If there is a silver lining, it's that Kent State lost five conference games by single digits despite having to start four different quarterbacks due to a slew of injuries. Playing under first-year coach Jagodzinski last year, Boston College finished 11-3 and became the first Eagles team to win 11 games since 1940. With their win over Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl, the Eagles extended their streak to eight consecutive bowl game victories, the longest active streak in the nation. With plenty of experienced playmakers back in the fold, there is certainly reason to be optimistic about the 2008 season for a BC team that last year started 8-0 and climbed to as high as No. 2 in both major polls. These teams have never met on the gridiron.

With quarterback Matt Ryan having moved on to the NFL, Jagodzinski is likely to return to his bread and butter: the running game. While coaching the offensive line and tight ends for the Atlanta Falcons from 2005-06, Jagodzinski's unit led the NFL in both rushing yards per carry and rushing yards per game. Still, the players and coaches are confident Chris Crane, who is 24-for-36 for 220 yards and a touchdown in his career, can make a smooth transition into Matt Ryan's role. After all, Crane has six lettermen sprinkled throughout the receiving corps, including senior Brandon Robinson (56 catches, 793 yards, five TDs in 07), who is healthy after sitting out spring drills. Another option is junior Rich Gunnell, who caught 64 passes for 931 yards and seven TDs. Don't forget about First-Team All-ACC tight end Ryan Purvis (54 catches, 553 yards, four TDs), who should provide a nice safety valve for Crane. Four starters return to the offensive line, including sophomore tackle Anthony Castonzo, who garnered Freshman All-American honors last year. That unit will pave the way for a committee of running backs who look to replace the production of tailback tandem Andre Callender and LV Whitworth. Freshman tailback Josh Haden has climbed up the depth chart with an impressive camp.

The Eagles ranked third in the ACC in total defense (329.4 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) in 2007. The strength of the Eagles defense is its front seven, which could turn out to be one of the best units in the ACC. The defensive line returns three starters, including DT B.J. Raji, who sat out 2007 for academic reasons but posted 8.5 TFL and three sacks as a junior in 2006. Raji will team with fellow senior defensive tackle Ron Brace, an All-ACC honorable mention pick who ranked third on the team with 7.5 TFL. Junior left end Alex Albright is back after leading the team with 8.5 sacks, despite breaking his arm late in the year against Clemson. Senior linebacker Brian Toal, who sat out 2007 with a shoulder injury, is another welcome addition. Toal has 180 career tackles under his belt, and has even scored 12 touchdowns working with the offense as a short-yardage back. Junior middle linebacker Mike Herzlich is a Butkus Award candidate following his 97-tackle campaign. The only holdover from the secondary however, is senior strong safety Paul Anderson (58 tackles, two INTs).

As mentioned, Kent State had a rotating door at quarterback last year. Julian Edelman was banged up most of the year, but won back his starting gig in the spring for a third straight year. Even with Edelman back in the fold, the offense figures to revolve around first-team All-MAC running back Eugene Jarvis, who set a school record with 1,669 yards and 10 touchdowns despite constantly facing eight-man fronts. Jarvis ranked fifth nationally with 139.1 ypg, and even led the Flashes with 306 receiving yards. He enters the 2008 season on the Maxwell Award Watch List. For the offense to take a step forward though, they will have to be more balanced. The fact that Jarvis led the team in receptions, and that no receiver hauled in more than 30 passes, speaks to the ineptitude of Kent State's passing game last year. Most of the wideouts return, and should be better served with some experience in coach Martin's scheme. Senior linebacker Jameson Konz switched to tight end in the offseason and climbed to the top of the depth chart with an impressive spring. Second-team All-MAC left tackle Augustus Parrish has more letters than the entire first and second unit combined. Still, coach Martin feels his line is bigger, stronger and more athletic than any line he's had in a long time.

The KSU defense, despite the departure of first-team All-MAC selection Colin Ferrell to the NFL, should be solid, especially in the front seven. Overall, the Flashes have eight starters returning to the defense. Three are back on the defensive line, although defensive end Kevin Hogan (12.5 sacks in two seasons) was beaten out by menacing pass rusher Monte Simmons in the spring. The team has tremendous depth at linebacker, highlighted by Derek Burrell. Now a fifth-year senior, Burrell earned Third-Team All-MAC honors after recording a career-high 112 tackles, which ranked sixth in the conference. Cedrick Maxwell moves to the strong side after tallying 74 tackles and nine TFLs at middle linebacker, while Stevon Moss (23 career starts) is trying to recover from a lingering hamstring injury. Michigan transfer Cobrani Mixon earned the starting middle linebacker job with a strong spring. Improvement is needed in the secondary, especially with the departure of Jack Williams to the NFL. Senior Rico Murray (career-high 75 tackles, nine pass breakups) is solid at corner, while Brian Lainhart (63 tackles and two INTs) is back healthy at free safety.

The Eagles are coming off a spectacular season and are looking for even bigger things in '08, despite the loss of Ryan. Obviously, Crane's play at quarterback will determine the team's success this season, as will the ability of Haden to step into the backfield and perform as a freshman. The Golden Flashes can keep this one close with a few big runs from Jarvis, but they'll be hard-pressed to hang around for four quarters.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Boston College 41, Kent State 24

Saturday, August 30th, 7:30 p.m. (et)