September 17, 2026

In This Issue 

Kennesaw State Owls Campus Sports

Along with News from the

Conference USA (C-USA)

Kennesaw State Owls Head To Rocky Top Saturday

 Kennesaw State Owls (1-1, 0-0 CUSA)

@ Tennessee Volunteers (1-0, 0-0 SEC)

Date: Saturday, September 19

Site: @ Neyland Stadium,

Knoxville, TN



Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET

TV: SEC Network:Click Here

Play-by-Play: Dave Neal

Analyst: Cole Cubelic

Sideline: Ashley Stroehlein

Radio: KSU Owls Radio Network

Play-by-Play: Nolan Alexander

Analyst: Caleb O’Neal

Sideline Reporter: Brandon Sutton

Mobile Apps: KSU Owls App,

• Online: KSUOwls.com

• Satellite: SiriusXM Ch. 999, 998

KSU Game Notes: Click Here

Tennessee Game Notes - Click Here

C-USA Weekly Release: Click Here
Kennesaw State Preview - Click Here

Tennessee Preview - Click Here

Kennesaw State Sports: Click Here

Football Atlanta: Click Here

By Don Stone - KennesawStateSports.com

>>The Kennesaw State Owls are about to step into the loudest environment in program history. On Saturday, September 19, Kennesaw State (1-1) will travel to Neyland Stadium for a primetime kickoff against the No. 15/14 Tennessee Volunteers (2-0). 

>>This historic matchup marks the Owls’ first-ever game against a Southeastern Conference opponent. The contest also features a major storyline on the sidelines. Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack is returning to Knoxville, where he served as Tennessee’s running backs coach from 2021 to 2023 under Tennessee HC Josh Heupel.

>>Despite the Vols entering the game a heavy 34.5-point favorite, coach Heupel is making sure his squad stays sharp ahead of their looming SEC opener against Texas next week.

>>“Saturday, we got an opportunity to play a good Kennesaw State team,” Heupel said. “We have a lot of familiarity with a lot of their staff. Jerry Mack & his staff have done a really good job… this is an opportunity for us to continue to grow and get better as a team.”

>>Tennessee is riding high after a dominant 45-24 road win at Georgia Tech, powered by freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and a rushing attack that averaged over 300 yards per game in its first two contests.

>>Meanwhile, Kennesaw State is looking to rebound after a tough and, honestly, surprising 31-17 home loss to Georgia State last weekend. The much improved Panthers only won one game in 2025.



Click Here For The Full Story

Watch KSU Head Coach Jerry Mack's Press Conference Previewing Tennessee

>>Head Coach Jerry Mack talked about returning to his former team, the Volunteers, where he spent three seasons as the running backs coach at Tennessee.

>>"This upcoming opponent is very familiar to me. This team is really talented. When you look at it, across the board, Josh Heipel has done a good job at putting together a really good SEC roster. You can see what recruiting does for you over the course of time.

>>"We've got our hands full. They're 2-0. We're still trying to figure out some things to see what kind of team we actually do have.

>>"It's gonna be a great atmosphere at night in Knoxville. Our fanbase is gonna be there. We know what kind of environment that's gonna be...being there before."

Click Here To Watch Full Press Conference

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Press Conference Previewing KSU

>>“Saturday, we’ve got an opportunity to play a good Kennesaw State football team. A lot of familiarity with a lot of their staff. Jerry Mack and his staff have done a really good job. I think they’ve won 12 out of the last 14 ball games that they’ve played, and it’s an opportunity for us this week to continue to grow and get better as a football team.

On the Kennesaw State being

Tennessee’s last tune-up before SEC play:

>>“It’s not a tune-up. You better show up every Saturday. Like you can look at the scores. Media, your family, your girlfriend, whoever – they might want to pigeonhole you as this, but you decide who you are collectively as a team and as a program.”

What he saw from Jerry Mack to bring him in as an outside hire to his first offensive staff at Tennessee...watching his success as a head coach in leading Kennesaw State to the Conference USA title in 2025:

>>“He’s a great leader of men. He’s authentic. He’s a really good recruiter, and he’s able to hire a really good staff.

>>You put all those pieces of the puzzle together – he’s smart, organized – that’s how you have consistency in your program. That’s how you build a program, and you can look at what he’s done at Kennesaw State, what he did as a head coach before that (at North Carolina Central). He’s a really good coach.”

Click Here To Watch Full Press Conference

Owls Soccer Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate with Road Trip to North Florida

>>Soccer wraps its non-conference slate tonight, traveling to the Sunshine State to face former ASUN rival, North Florida.

 >>The Black and Gold enter on a 4 game unbeaten streak. In their last match against UWG, Sr. Anabel Orozco scored in the 89th minute. The Ospreys are 2-2-3, most recently losing to now ranked UCF, 1-0, in Orlando. 

Click Here For The Full Story

KSU's Morgan Named CUSA Special Teams

Player of the Week

- Click Here

CUSA Weekly Release - Click Here

CONFERENCE USA

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

(All times Eastern)

Saturday, September 19

Coastal Carolina @ Delaware,

11:30 a.m. Newark, DE (CBSSN)

Ball State @ Liberty,

4:00 p.m. Lynchburg, VA (ESPN+)

WKU @ Indiana,

4:00 p.m. Bloomington, IN (Peacock) 

FIU @ Florida Atlantic,

6:00 p.m. Boca Raton, FL (ESPN+)

Marshall @ Missouri State, 6:30 p.m. Springfield, MO (CBS Sports Network)

Nevada @ MTSU,

7:00 p.m. Murfreesboro, TN (ESPN+) 

Georgia Southern @ Jax State,

7:00 p.m. Jacksonville, AL (ESPN+)

Nicholls @ Sam Houston,

7:00 p.m. Huntsville, TX (ESPN+)


Kennesaw State @ Tennessee,

7:45 p.m. Knoxville, TN (SEC Network)

Latrelle Murrell Feature on 11Alive

>>11Alive Sports recently did a feature story on KSU's Latrelle Murrell.

>>"When Latrelle Murrell entered the transfer portal, he was looking for a bigger stage," the anchor began, gesturing to the highlight reel flashing on the screen behind him. "But nobody expected him to completely take over that stage in week one, especially against his former team."

>>The broadcast cut to footage from September 3rd at Fifth Third Stadium, where the Kennesaw State Owls were hosting the West Georgia Wolves. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, but for Murrell, the game carried an undeniable personal weight. Having spent his previous seasons carrying the rock for West Georgia, stepping onto the gridiron in a KSU uniform felt surreal.

>>"I knew all eyes were on me, but I just had to trust the blocks and run hard," Murrell said in his sit-down interview with the 11Alive crew. "Facing my old teammates was strange at first, but once that first whistle blew, it was just football."

>>It didn't take long for the redshirt junior to make his presence felt. On the fifth play of the Owls' opening drive, Murrell took the handoff, cut hard to his left, and found a seam in the defense.

>>"Look at the vision here," the sports anchor narrated over the replay. "Murrell finds the edge, gets a massive block downfield, and he is absolutely gone! Forty-five yards, untouched into the end zone, and the Owls strike first."

Click Here To Watch The Report

Owls Volleyball Closes Out Non-Con Play at Eagle Invitational

>>Kennesaw State volleyball closes out its non-conference slate this weekend at the Eagle Invitational, hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro.

>>KSU starts tournament play on Thursday night against the host Eagles in a game streamed live on ESPN+ at 6:00 pm. That will be followed by a Friday night contest against Fordham at 5:00 p.m. and a Saturday match against North Florida at 3:00 p.m. The last two matches are not being broadcast..

>>The Owls come into the weekend at 5-4 after dropping three matches at last weekend's South Alabama Invitational. The Owls pushed host South Alabama to five sets before falling 3-2, then dropped contests to Tulane and Georgia to close the weekend.

>>Kennesaw State will face Georgia Southern, Fordham and North Florida in Statesboro. KSU is 2-2 all-time against Georgia Southern and has won the last two meetings, while Friday's matchup with Fordham will be the first between the two programs. KSU owns a 19-10 all-time advantage over North Florida because of the many matches they had when they were both in the ASUN Conference.

>>Youth continues to be a major theme for the Owls this season, with freshmen Alexis Sowers and Ashley Theiss both playing key roles in the starting lineup. Sowers became KSU's first freshman to start at libero since Maddie Jones in 2015 and has already earned CUSA Freshman of the Week honors, while Theiss has continued to take on a larger role on the outside early in her first season.

Eagle Invitational, Hanner Fieldhouse | Statesboro, Ga.


Thursday, September 17

Kennesaw State (5-4, 0-0 CUSA)

at Georgia Southern (5-4, 0-0 SBC)

6 p.m. (ESPN+)


Friday, September 18

Kennesaw State (5-4, 0-0 CUSA)

vs Fordham (6-4, 0-0 A10) 5 p.m.


Saturday, September 19

Kennesaw State (5-4, 0-0 CUSA)

vs North Florida (5-4, 0-0 ASUN) 3 p.m.

Click Here For The Full Story