Kennesaw State takes a two-game winning streak to Texas on Saturday, looking for something the program has never done: beat Sam Houston. The Owls (3-6, 2-3 Conference USA) visit the Bearkats (1-8, 0-5 CUSA) on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. ET at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville. The game streams on ESPN+, with Jason Metko and Jorge Vargas on the call, and on the radio on the KSU Owl Network.
The Owls are coming off a 44-28 win at Middle Tennessee and a 42-40 Homecoming win over Delaware. Sam Houston has lost six straight, with its only win a 59-0 victory over FCS Nicholls in September. The Bearkats fell 47-14 at Jax State last Saturday in their first game under co-interim head coaches Eric Raisbeck and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay.
How to watch
- Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT)
- Venue: Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
- TV/stream: ESPN+ (Jason Metko, Jorge Vargas)
- Radio: KSU Owl Network, the KSU Owls app and TuneIn
- Records: Kennesaw State 3-6 (2-3 CUSA), Sam Houston 1-8 (0-5 CUSA)
What to know
- The series is tight, but Sam Houston owns it. The Bearkats lead 3-0, and all three meetings were decided by seven points or fewer: 34-27 in the 2017 FCS quarterfinals in Huntsville, 24-21 in 2023 and 23-17 in overtime in Kennesaw in 2024. KSU's average margin of defeat is 5.3 points.
- Boogie Woods III is rolling. The Owls' leading rusher has 448 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, most in Conference USA. Over the last two games he has 157 rushing yards and four scores: 67 yards and two touchdowns at Middle Tennessee, then 90 yards and two touchdowns against Delaware.
- The quarterback situation is unsettled. Rickie Collins (1,687 passing yards, 69.9 percent completions, seven touchdown passes) left the Delaware game injured after going 5-of-7 for 55 yards with an interception and an 8-yard rushing touchdown. Kennesaw State has not announced his status for Saturday. In relief, Landon Varnes threw for 254 yards, including a 63-yard go-ahead touchdown to Reed Jesiolowski.
- This is a run-game mismatch. Sam Houston averages 74.7 rushing yards a game at 2.7 yards a carry, with just four rushing touchdowns all season. The Bearkats allow 192.3 rushing yards a game at 5.0 yards a carry. Their pass defense is a different story, allowing 161.4 passing yards a game and holding opponents to a 55.4 percent completion rate.
- It's a new-look Bearkat sideline at home. Saturday is Sam Houston's first home game under Raisbeck and Aughtry-Lindsay, who took over on Oct. 28, and it's Salute to Service and Family Weekend in Huntsville. Quarterback Landyn Locke has thrown for 1,779 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games. Wide receiver Chris Reed leads the team with 437 receiving yards.
Up next
After Saturday, the Owls return home to host FIU on Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. ET. Catch our fan's guide and pick, the Delaware recap and the full 2026 Kennesaw State schedule, and grab some black-and-gold gear before kickoff.
Sources: Kennesaw State Athletics (Owls Look to Keep Rolling, Head West to Sam Houston; 2026 cumulative stats; Delaware recap) and Sam Houston Athletics (Game 10 Preview: vs Kennesaw State; 2026 cumulative stats).