This weekend the Skyhawks face their second FBS opponent of the year, the Kennesaw State Owls (KSU). A team that has only recently moved up to the FBS level, the Owls are currently 0-3 in their inaugural season in Conference-USA play and will try to get their first win of their FBS era against the Skyhawks.
The Owls head into the season led by sophomore quarterback Davis Bryson who has 423 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception so far in his first year as a starter for the Owls. Bryson, a smaller mobile QB for the Owls, is second on the team in rushing with 62 yards on 36 carries. Bryson is dangerous on the ground for the Owls, who make use of his legs, with option plays that let Bryson be an athlete.
Leading the team on the ground is RB Michael Benefield with 70 yards rushing on 24 carries for the Owls. Benefield and Bryson are both threats on the ground, but neither lead the team in rushing touchdowns. That accolade belongs to tight end/fullback Preston Daniels. The 5’11 250-pound Daniels has two touchdowns on the ground so far and is the goal-line back that packs a punch for the Owls.
The leading receiver for the Owls is sophomore RB Qua Ashley who, on just seven catches, has accumulated 119 yards for the Owls offense. Other receiving threats for the Owls include TE Carson Kent, 75 yards on five catches and a touchdown, and WR Gabriel Benyard, 49 yards on four catches. Benyard specifically has been a great deep threat for the Owls offense in previous seasons and can run with the best of them.
On defense, the Owls top two leading tacklers are both defensive backs in redshirt freshman Isaac Paul and redshirt junior Sidney Porter. Paul and Porter lead the team with 18 and 17 tackles respectively. As defensive backs, it is impressive for Paul and Porter to be leading the team in tackles, but it is bad news for the KSU defense overall. That means teams are consistently either completing passes to the second level or running into the second level. Either way, teams are finding success moving the ball against the Owls defense.
Offensively, the Skyhawks should try to get the ball out on the perimeter of the defense, whether through the air or on the ground and make the KSU defensive backs continue to tackle in space. On defense, the Skyhawks need to keep QB Davis Bryson from scrambling and make him play from the pocket. Also, in the option game, the Skyhawks need to play with sound fundamentals, or the Owl QB might hit on some big runs early in the game.
Historically, UTM and KSU have only met in 2022, where the Owls beat the Skyhawks 44-27 in Martin.
