Kennesaw State Owls

Kennesaw State entered 2026 as defending Conference USA champions and a program that had won 10 games in just its second FBS season, but the roster that produced that run was gutted. Quarterback Amari Odom left for Syracuse, top receiver Gabe Benyard graduated, and the offense was handed to a pair of newcomers in Rickie Collins (Syracuse transfer) and Landon Varnes (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC). The Owls opened with a 47-0 shutout of West Georgia, their first blanking since 2021, but that turned out to be the high point. Since then they have dropped five straight and sit at 1-5 overall and 0-2 in league play, a stark reversal from last year's title run.

After hanging 40 first-half points on West Georgia, the Owls have struggled to sustain drives against scholarship opponents. They managed only 17 points against Georgia State, nine at Tennessee, 14 at Arkansas State, 26 against Jacksonville State, and 21 at Missouri State. The run game that produced two Latrelle Murrell touchdowns and a 60-yard Triston Morgan score in the opener has not broken a long gain since, putting more pressure on Collins. He has shown flashes (260 yards passing against Georgia State and Missouri State, 281 against Jacksonville State) but the offense has yet to score a first-half touchdown against an FBS defense, forcing the Owls to play from behind or rely on late scores.

Kennesaw State tied for first in Conference USA with 31 sacks last season and returned its top rushers in Marcus Patterson and Donovan Westmoreland, who had four sacks and 37 tackles a year ago. That group was expected to anchor the defense, and it has been the most competitive unit even in lopsided losses. The Owls opened with a shutout of West Georgia and held Georgia State to 31 points despite allowing 483 total yards. Against Tennessee, the defensive front was the most competitive part of the team. Safety Isaac Paul and nickel Kody Jones provide experience in the secondary, but the pass rush remains the engine. If Patterson and Westmoreland can generate consistent pressure, the Owls have a puncher's chance to stay in games.

Kicker Daniel Kinney, finally healthy after an undisclosed injury, has had mixed results. He missed a 32-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter at Arkansas State that would have extended a 14-14 tie, and the Red Wolves went on to win 17-14. Against Jacksonville State, Kinney made a 28-yard field goal with 2:15 left to give the Owls a 26-23 lead, but the defense could not hold. Punter Matt McKenzie, an Australian who transferred from Arizona State, has been serviceable but not a game-changer. In a season defined by close losses (three of the five defeats have come by seven points or fewer), those hidden yards and missed opportunities loom large.

The Owls have already faced a brutal stretch: back-to-back road trips to Tennessee and Arkansas State, then a home game against Jacksonville State, then a long trip to Missouri State. They return home to host Liberty, a 5-1 team with a power rating of 2.3, as a 10-point underdog. After that, the remaining conference slate provides opportunities, but Kennesaw State must clean up its first-half offensive woes and finish drives. The defense has kept them in games, but the offense has yet to prove it can consistently score against FBS competition. With five losses already, the Owls are playing for bowl eligibility and to build momentum for 2027. The pieces are there (Collins's mobility, a veteran defensive front), but the consistency is not.