By: Austin Williams
The Kennesaw State Owls will host their third Conference USA matchup against the Liberty Flames, set for Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Scroll below for what to watch for during tonight's contest.
Dynamic Linebacker Duo for the Owls
Owl linebackers Garland Benyard and Donelius Johnson are both coming off great defensive performances against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and will need to keep the momentum going into the Liberty game.
Benyard is coming off his first career multi-sack game with three against the Blue Raiders, which ties the school record. He also ended the night with four tackles for loss and six total tackles. Johnson was also effective defensively against MTSU, with seven total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, eventually earning the first-ever safety in program history for the football Owls.
The Kennesaw State defense will need to be locked in against the Flame's running back, Quinton Cooley, who leads Conference USA in rushing yards (545), average yards per game (109) and second in rushing touchdowns (6). The Owls have the sixth-ranked rushing defense in the conference, and hopefully, Benyard and Johnson will be able to stifle the Liberty rushing offense.
Owl Secondary Staying Steady
Kennesaw State's secondary kept the Conference USA passing leader, Nicholas Vattiato, under 200 yards passing and without a touchdown in their matchup against the Blue Raiders, and the Owls will need to continue that success against the Flames.
Liberty has the No. 1 overall offense in Conference USA, averaging 448.2 yards per game, but they rank sixth in the conference in passing and have seven passing touchdowns this season. Owl defensive backs Jayven Williams and JeRico Washington Jr. combined for three of the six total pass breakups against the Blue Raiders, which included a dropped interception by Williams that would have been returned for a touchdown.
Kaidon Salter, the reigning CUSA 2023 MVP, is the Flames' dual-threat quarterback and will need to be kept in check by this KSU secondary. The Owls have only given up more than 200 yards passing twice this season, against UTSA and San José State, and will try their best to suppress this Liberty offense. The Owl defense must carry their strong defensive performance into this game against the Flames.
Keep the Flames Off the Field
The Owl identity on offense is the running game, so the rushing attack must keep drives alive and the explosive Liberty offense on the sideline. The Owl offense ranks fifth in time of possession in CUSA, averaging 30 minutes of possession per game. The past two games for KSU have shown improvements in the running game, and it must continue against this Liberty defense.
Qua Ashley continues to make explosive plays for the Owls, running and receiving the ball. Ashley was able to gash the Blue Raider defense for a 60-yard run on the first offensive drive for KSU and averaged 7.2 yards per carry that game. Ashley also leads the Owls in receiving with 139 yards on 11 catches, which averages 12.6 yards a reception. Michael Benefield is also improving as the season continues, being the leading rusher for the Owls with 254 yards and averaging 4.1 yards a carry.
If these two can continue their success on the ground, the Owls can keep the Liberty offense waiting on the sideline.
