Kennesaw State (1-5, 0-2 Conference USA) is back home Thursday night, Oct. 22, hosting Liberty (5-1, 2-0 CUSA) at 7 p.m. ET at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium in Kennesaw. The game is on CBS Sports Network, and it's a big chance for the Owls to turn a run of near-misses into a win.
KSU has dropped three straight by three points or less: 17-14 at Arkansas State, 27-26 to Jacksonville State and 24-21 at Missouri State. According to the KSU game notes, no FBS team has more narrow defeats this season. Liberty arrives on a roll after a 35-3 win over Sam Houston.
How to watch
- TV: CBS Sports Network (Jordan Kent and Robert Turbin on the call)
- Radio: KSU Owl Network, the KSU Owls app and SiriusXM 262
- Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET, Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium
The series
This has turned into one of the Owls' best rivalries. Liberty won the first two meetings, but KSU has won the last three and leads the series 3-2. Last year's regular-season finale was a classic: a 48-42 double-overtime win in Lynchburg that sent Kennesaw State to the 2025 CUSA Championship Game.
Key matchups
Liberty's offense leads CUSA in scoring (31.2 points per game) and rushing (223.0 yards per game), led by Kam Davis at 7.1 yards a carry. Its defense is allowing just 15.3 points per game. The Owls counter with a defense that leads the league in turnovers gained.
QB Rickie Collins has thrown for 1,302 yards and is the only CUSA quarterback to complete at least 60 percent of his passes, with 20 or more attempts, in every game. WR Dylan Gary tied the program record with 10 catches for 135 yards and a score at Missouri State, and LB Tywon Christopher has piled up 27 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss over the last two games.
See the full 2026 Kennesaw State schedule for the rest of the season, and grab some new game-day tees and gear before Thursday.
Source: Kennesaw State Athletics game notes. More at KSUOwls.com.