Kennesaw State football closes its non-conference schedule Saturday, Sept. 26, at Arkansas State, where head coach Jerry Mack played wide receiver from 2001 to 2003.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark., with the game streaming on ESPN+. Both teams enter at 1-2.
The Owls lost 42-9 at then-No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 19, but held the Volunteers to their lowest rushing output (268 yards) and total yardage (446) of the season. Tennessee converted just 4 of 10 third downs, its worst rate of the year.
Redshirt-senior outside linebacker Kai Russell led the charge. Russell earned the top edge-defender grade in the nation (92.5) from Pro Football Focus (PFF) for his performance against Tennessee: seven tackles, a strip sack that forced his first career fumble and two pass breakups. Through three games, Russell has 13 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and two passes defended. According to KSU Athletics, only five FBS players matched that stat line through three games this season.
College football analyst account FBH in the FBS named Russell to the PFF National Team of the Week for Conference USA defenders.
The Owls rank third nationally with four fumble recoveries and co-lead Conference USA with six forced fumbles. Arkansas State's defense has allowed 412.3 yards per game, 112th in FBS, according to Bleacher Nation. The Red Wolves beat West Georgia 52-7 but lost to Memphis 42-24 and TCU 31-7.
On offense, redshirt-junior quarterback Rickie Collins completed 62 of 92 passes (67.4 percent) through three games, leading Conference USA. Collins ranks seventh among Group of Six quarterbacks in PFF offensive grade (75.6). Against Tennessee, he finished 22 of 34 for 189 yards with a 111.4 passer rating and added 36 rushing yards.
Senior wide receiver Zion Booker set the KSU program record with 10 receptions for 78 yards in the Tennessee game, breaking the previous mark of eight set by Justin Sumpter at Duquesne in 2016. Booker has 20 catches for a team-high 161 yards and ranks eighth among Group of Six receivers in PFF receiving grade (78.2).
Mack was named KSU head coach on Dec. 1, 2024. In his first season, he led the Owls to a 10-4 record, the 2025 Conference USA Championship and a Myrtle Beach Bowl berth. He earned Conference USA Coach of the Year and the Bear Bryant National Newcomer Coach of the Year award, according to the UT Daily Beacon. Saturday marks his first trip back to Jonesboro as a head coach.
KSU stood at 1-2 at this same point last season with Arkansas State as the next opponent. The Owls won that first-ever meeting, jumping to a 21-0 lead, and went on to win eight of their next nine.
Conference USA play opens Oct. 7 when KSU hosts Jacksonville State in a rematch of the 2025 CUSA Championship Game.
