At First Glance: Week 2 Kennesaw State Owls

Subscriber Content Add content here that will only be visible to your subscribers. Middle Tennessee’s mascot Lightning and Kennesaw State’s mascot Scrappy the Owl wrestle on the sidelines during a break in the football game between Middle Tennessee and Kennesaw State at MTSU, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Written by: Sammy Jacobs Week Two: Kennesaw State Owls Date & Time: Saturday, September 6 at 12:00PM Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN TV: FS1 Owls at a Glance Head Coach: Jerry Mack Entering his First Season as a Head Coach Record at Kennesaw St.: 0-0 (0-0 in C-USA) Overall Record: 0-0 Last Season: 2-10 (2-6 in C-USA) Last Postseason Appearance: None at the FBS Level Owls Returning Leaders Passing: Davis Bryson – 143-of-261 (54.8%), 1,495 Yards 6 Touchdowns 10 Interception Rushing: Davis Bryson –297 Yards on 113 Carries 4 Touchdowns Receiving: Christian Moss – 14 Catches for 203 Yards 2 Touchdowns Tackles:– Donelius Johnson (LB) 89 Tackles (37 solo), 5.5 Tackles for Loss, 3.5 Sacks Owls Names to Know: Dexter Williams, QB- IU fans should be familiar with Williams as he started his college career in Bloomington. He looks to have won the starting job in the spring. He is a running threat who, at times, showed a good arm. Christian Moss, WR- Moss is a preseason All-C-USA selection and the Owls leading returning receiver. AT 6’3” and 190 pounds, Moss is a taller receiver. He is looking for a breakout senior season. Tyler Hallum, CB- Hallum was an Honorable Mention All-C-USA selection last season as a junior. This year he is a preseason First-Team All-C-USA selection. Hallum is KSU’s best NFL prospect as well. JeRico Washington, CB- Washington plays opposite Hallum and may be just as good. He was a Second-Team All-C-USA selection in 2024 and led the Owls with two interceptions. Owls Preseason Predictions Athlon:12th in C-USA Lindy’s: 9th in C-USA Phil Steele: T-10th in C-USA SP+: 131st Nationally Impact Newcomers for the Owls Dexter Williams, QB (Transfer from Georgia State) Coleman Bennett, RB (Transfer from Rice) Jadarius Lee, OL (Transfer from FIU) Brandon Best, OL (Transfer from Georgia Tech) Biggest Questions Facing the Owls What Was the Goal of Moving to FBS?- Kennesaw State’s move to the FBS did not start out well as they went 2-10. They are not projected to do much in year two either. So, what is the goal here? Will they pour money into the program like other FCS to FBS movers or just collect a paycheck? Can the Owl Establish an Identity?- Kennesaw State needs to establish an identity. New head coach Jerry Mack will run the option, but is that to fit personnel or will they be an option program? Program Preview Jerry Mack takes over at Kennesaw State after coaching running backs with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. He brings in new coordinators on each side of the ball and plenty of transfers. The Owls are playing just their second season at the FBS level and just started their football program in 2015, their first was a 2-10 campaign. This season is not expected to be much better. Kennesaw State’s athletic department is in flux as they look for a new athletic director and decide whether or not they want to invest in football the way it needs in order to be a successful Group of Five Program. Kennesaw State opens the season at Wake Forest and when they play IU it will be their first ever game against a Big Ten opponent. Offensive Preview Kennesaw State will run what the Owl Cast Podcast calls the “Veer and Hoot”. An option offense is a good way for an undermanned team to find an advantage against opponents (see Navy, Army etc.). The good news for the Owls is that they have the athletes to run it pretty well against G5 opponents. Also, it cannot be much worse than last year’s offense which averaged 16.5 points per game. Former Hoosier Dexter Williams II will enter fall camp as the starting quarterback. He is fully healthy after a devastating injury in 2022 against Purdue that held him out all of 2023 as well. After 2023, Williams transferred to Georgia State where he played in five games. His strength is running the ball, which plays well into this offensive style. Williams only threw the ball 30 times last season and completed 19 of those passes. The Owls will not ask him to sling it around 30 times a game, but Williams can throw the ball well when he has to. Redshirt sophomore Amari Odom will be in the mix at quarterback as well. Odom played in eight games at Wofford last season and threw for 1,565 yards and seven touchdowns. He could make a late push at the starting job. At running back the Owls bring in Coleman Bennett from Rice (Bucknell prior to that). Bennett only appeared in four games at Rice, but with Bucknell he was an All-Patriot League performer as both a return man and running back. He brings a dynamic running style to the backfield and his 5’11” and 208 pound frame can take the pounding of running against FBS opponents. Bennett is an all-purpose threat who can catch passes out of the backfield as well. Behind him is junior Alexander Diggs, a smaller back at 5’9” and 180 pounds. Diggs played in six games last season and ran for just 29 yards. Diggs’ biggest year came in 2023 when he played in eight games and ran for 172 yards. He should see his role increase this season. Wide receiver is where things get interesting as there is talent, but in an option offense, they may not put up the stats that they could. The group is headlined by Christian Moss who made 14 catches for 203 yards last season. He’s a bigger receiver who should be physical on the outside. Redshirt senior Tykeem Wallace can be used all over the field on offense and special teams. He’s only 5’8”, but he can make people miss in space and gives the Owls another playmaker in space. Gabriel Benyard is another senior who is penciled into the starting lineup. At 5’10”, he is not a huge receiver, but he has been productive. He has 10 total touchdowns and 1,254 yards of total offense in his career. He also has over 1,000 career yards on kick return. One of the wildcards at receiver will be Davis Bryson who was the Owls’ starting quarterback in 2024. He can make plays with his feet and fits the offense as both a rusher and pass catcher. He can also be used in double pass situations. The offensive line has some talent and size. Kennesaw State rebuilt the offensive line via the portal. Brandon Best (6’4” 305) is a transfer from Georgia Tech who will start at center. FIU transfer Jadarius Lee (6’4” 287) will start at right tackle. Elijah Zolicoffer (6’5” 345) comes in from Arkansas State and has P4 size and is in a battle for the left guard position with JT Pennington (6’4” 305). Pennington can also play right guard if Josiah Chenault (6’3” 300) can’t claim the spot after transferring from Howard. Nikola Milovac (6’6” 315) is from Serbia, but comes to Kennesaw State from South Florida. He should start at the right tackle position. Senior Gerard Bullock comes in from Tennessee State where he caught 27 passes and should slide right into the starting tight end position. Defensive Preview The Owls will run a 4-2-5 defense that plays to the strength in the secondary. Even though Kennesaw State allowed 237 yards per game through the air, cornerback is their most talented position group overall. They have All-Conference talent at both corners in Tyler Hallum and JeRico Washington. Free safety Antonio Stevens comes in from Purdue where he made 46 tackles in 2024. Milon Jones is a senior and a preseason All-C-USA second teamer. He made 62 tackles in nine starts last season. Nickelback Kody Jones arrives from Michigan where he played in 12 games, including nine games in 2024. There is talent in the front end as well, headlined by Garland Benyard at linebacker. Benyard is another preseason All-C-USA selection after starting all 12 games in 2024 when he made 48 tackles with five coming for a loss including 3.5 sacks. Next to Benyard will be junior Donelius Johnson who led the Owls in tackles in 2024 with 89. Up front the Owls will deploy four defensive linemen. Unlike the offensive line, the KSU defensive line may be undersized. The only starter over 265 pounds is defensive tackle Adam Watkins who played 12 games last season and made 21 tackles. At nose tackle is Tylon Dunlap (6’1” 260) who had three sacks in 12 games in 2024. On the ends are senior Roderick Daniels (6’2” 260), who played 10 games at Liberty last season, and junior Marcus Patterson (6’3” 265). Patterson comes over from Western Kentucky where he made 21 tackles in 14 games in 2024. Special Teams Preview Kennesaw State’s strength on special teams could come in the return game as they have several players who can be game breakers there. Wide receiver Gabriel Benyard should handle both punt and kick returns, but the Owls can turn to Tykeem Wallace as well. There are position battles at both the punter and kicker positions. Freshman Matthew Choules comes over from Australia, but has no experience. Senior Joshua Huiet punted 24 times last year, but averaged just 39.8 yards per punt. Senior Britton Williams is penciled in as the primary place kicker, but has only kicked and made four field goals and just 3-of-4 extra points. 2025 FIRST GLANCE PREVIEWS Week One: Old Dominion Subscribe to get access Read more of this content when you subscribe today. Log in

At First Glance: Week 2 Kennesaw State Owls

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