Top Storylines:
• Kennesaw State football looks to carry momentum from its win last week as it continues its homestand against Sun Belt foe Arkansas State on Saturday at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field.
• The game will mark a reunion of sorts for KSU first-year head coach Jerry Mack, who graduated from Arkansas State as a football letterwinner.
• A veteran coach, Mack arrives at Kennesaw State after having coached at a myriad of places, including Tennessee (2021-23), Rice (2017-20), NC Central (2014-17) and most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024.
• The Owls are coming off their first win of the season, a 27-13 triumph over Merrimack in front of a sold-out crowd at Fifth Third Stadium.
• r-So. QB Amari Odom made his first start under center for KSU and finished 12-of-14 for 108 yards and two touchdowns responsible for.
• Odom’s .857 completion percentage set the program record (min. 10 attempts).
• Odom connected on a 7-yard strike to r-Sr. WR Gabriel Benyard in the end zone for his first TD since 2023.
• Benyard finished with 54 receiving yards on the day to become the second Owl in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his career (Justin Sumpter, 2015-18).
• In the trenches up front, three Owl offensive linemen graded out in the top 10 grades on Pro Football Focus -- r-Jr. Brandon Best, r-Sr. JT Pennington and r-So. Josiah Chenault -- playing in 103 combined pass blocking snaps and allowing zero pressures.
• On the defensive side, r-Sr. LB Baron Hopson graded as the fifth-best defender in CUSA for Week 3 (76.9), finishing with five tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
• r-Jr. DL Marcus Patterson created havoc behind the line of scrimmage with four tackles and a 4-yard sack, grading out as the third-best pass rusher in CUSA for Week 3 (65.6).
• r-So. DB JeRico Washington, Jr. led the team with seven tackles, including his first sack and 2.0 tackles for loss for his career.
• In total, the KSU defense tied the program record with a gaudy 14.0 tackles for loss as a team last Saturday.
