KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State football dropped a 34-6 decision to first-place Liberty on Thursday night at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium.
The Owls (1-6) were unable to keep pace with the Flames (6-1) as they were outgained 402-297 on the offensive side, with Liberty's offense holding a 37:05-22:55 advantage in time of possession.
A bright spot defensively was the play of linebackers
Baron Hopson,
Josh Anglin and
Tywon Christopher, who amassed a combined 25 tackles. Hopson totaled his 11th double-digit tackling performance in the last two years -- good for second-most in the country -- with a season-high 12 stops, including eight solo.
Anglin finished with a season-high seven tackles on the night, while Christopher tallied for six.
Rickie Collins completed 15-of-26 passes for 124 yards with two interceptions, finishing under 60 percent passing for the first time all season.
Landon Varnes then provided a spark late in the game and threw for 111 yards on 9-of-15 completions.
Brayden Munroe recorded a team-high 53 yards from scrimmage, all through the air, on three receptions.
Dylan Gary and
Javon Rogers each tallied a team-high five receptions with 43 and 42 receiving yards, respectively, while
Boogie Woods III led the ground game with 38 yards..
Liberty found the end zone first, opening with a death march of 11 plays, 85 yards and 6:34 toward a 7-0 lead, before a 56-yard pass completion upped the lead to 14-0.
KSU's offense then put together an 11-play drive late in the first half to set up a
Daniel Kinney successful 37-yard field goal try before the half. Collins connected with Gary for a gain of 16 to jumpstart the drive. Woods III snagged a pass out of the backfield and moved the Owls another 16 yards into scoring position.
The Flames extended their lead with a pair of field goals, while two touchdown drives in the second half created more separation.
The Owls assembled a 12-play scoring drive late in the fourth quarter with Varnes finding Munroe,
Keon Davis and
Davis Bryson each for pickups of 10-plus yards into Liberty territory.
A 15-yard completion from Varnes to
Latrelle Murrell set up KSU for a second field goal attempt by Kinney, this one good from 28 yards out, to finish 2-for-2 on the game.
The Owls are on the road next week to wrap up the month of October with a matchup at Middle Tennessee set for Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and KSU Owl Network.
Team Notes
- Kennesaw State fell to 1-6 overall.
- Kennesaw State moved to 1-3 in Conference USA play.
- Kennesaw State moved to 9-4 against CUSA foes under head coach Jerry Mack.
- Kennesaw State dropped six-straight games for the first time in 737 days (Aug. 31, 2024-Oct. 15, 2024).
- Kennesaw State dropped its 10th game in 21 under Mack.
Individual Notes
- So. DB Tay'vion Lawson forced his first fumble of his career in the second quarter.
- Gr. LB Baron Hopson reached double-digit tackles for the second time this season, finishing with 12 on the night. His 11 games of 10+ tackles since 2025 rank second in the nation.
- r-Jr. DB Ethan Tookes recorded his first career tackle for loss in the third fourth quarter on a pass to the flat for –2 yards.
Multimedia
Postgame Press Conference (Coach Mack, Baron Hopson, Davis Bryson)
