KENT, Ohio -- Dri Archer ran a kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown and rushed for two scores as Kent State overwhelmed Towson 41-21 Thursday night in the teams' season opener.
Six turnovers hurt Towson, including a first-quarter fumble that set up a 15-yard scoring run by Archer. The Golden Flashes led 17-0 after the first quarter.
Archer, whose long return made it 24-7 in the second quarter, scored on an 18-yard run in the third quarter, and backup quarterback David Fisher found Josh Boyle for a 63-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth to make it 41-7.
Towson's Grant Enders completed 26 of 36 for 246 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice and sacked four times. Terrance West, who rushed for 29 touchdowns and 1,294 yards last season, scored twice for the Tigers but was held to 31 yards on 14 carries.
Late in the first half, Kent State linebacker Andre Parker picked up a muffed punt and ran it 58 yards toward his own end zone before being forced out by Towson.
Muffed punts can't be advanced, so the ball was brought back to the Tigers' 7-yard line and the return did not count in the game's official statistics.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
