December 17, 2025

In This Issue 

Kennesaw State Owls Campus Sports

Along with News from the

Conference USA (C-USA)

CUSA Champ Kennesaw State Takes On MAC Champ Western Michigan In Myrtle Beach Bowl

Kennesaw State Owls (10-3, 7-1 CUSA)

vs Western Michigan Broncos

(9-4, 7-1 MAC)

Date: Friday, December 19

Site: @ Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC



Kickoff: 11:00 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN - Click Here

• Play-by-Play: Matt Schumacker

• Analyst: Dustin Fox

• Sideline Reporter: Marilyn Payne

Radio: KSU Owls 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. 117, 201

KSU Preview: Click Here

WMU Preview: Click Here

Kennesaw State Sports: Click Here

KSU Game Notes: Click Here

CUSA Weekly Release - Click Here

Football Atlanta: Click Here

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

>>Kennesaw State will make program history on Friday, Dec. 19, when the Owls line up for their first-ever bowl appearance against MAC champion Western Michigan in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on the campus of Coastal Carolina at Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC and will air nationally on ESPN, pairing Conference USA’s surprise champion with one of the hottest teams out of the Mid-American Conference.​

>>The stage caps a stunning one-year turnaround in Kennesaw. Under first-year head coach Jerry Mack, the Owls climbed from a 2–10 record in 2024 to 10–3 and a Conference USA title, sealed by a dramatic 19–15 win over reigning champ Jacksonville State in the league championship game. Quarterback Amari Odom was the star of that night, completing 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards and the game-winning 11-yard touchdown to Navelle Dean with 51 seconds left, earning Championship MVP honors and etching his name into KSU lore.

>>For a program still relatively new to FBS, a bowl berth just two years into its transition is validation of both Mack’s rapid culture reset and the university’s investment in football.​​

>>Awaiting the Owls is a Western Michigan team that cut through the MAC and arrives at the beach as a battle-tested champion. The Broncos are 9–4 after beating Miami (Ohio) 23–13 at Ford Field for their fourth conference title in school history, a game defined by explosive runs from tailback Jalen Buckley and a defense that clamped down after an early RedHawks score. It will be the first ever meeting between Western Michigan and Kennesaw State, creating a contrast in styles: the Broncos’ balance and big-play ground game versus an Owls offense built around Odom’s efficiency and late-game poise.​

>>For KSU, the trip to Myrtle Beach is about more than hardware. It’s a national showcase window on a quiet Friday morning, an opportunity to introduce a growing brand—backed by a conference championship—to a broader audience of recruits and fans.



Click Here For The Full Story

Join The Festivities

Myrtle Beach Bowl Pep Rally Thursday, December 18, 2025

2:00 p.m. ET - 5:00 p.m. ET

The Pep Rally is officially hosted by the Myrtle Beach Bowl and open to all fans. Join fellow Owls,

the KSU "Marching Owls" band, cheerleaders, and Scrappy as we get fired up for game day!

Thursday, December 18

MARCHING BAND PRACTICE

2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

PEP RALLY at The Hangout

3:00 PM

TEAMS, MARCHING BANDS, AND CHEERLEADERS at The Hangout

Friday, December 19

7:00 AM

Parking Lots Open Brooks Stadium

8:00 AM

Fan Fest Begins

Outside Gate 1 at Brooks Stadium

9:00 AM

Ticket Booths and Stadium Gates Open

Brooks Stadium

11:00 AM

Kick-Off at Brooks Stadium

Trophy Presentation on the 50 Yard Line Upon Conclusion of Game

Brooks Stadium

Student-athlete graduates, makes history for KSU football

>>Fall semester has been nothing short of amazing on the field and in the classroom for Kennesaw State University Owls running back Coleman Bennett.

>>On the field he posted more than 1,000 total yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns, to help drive the Owls to the Conference USA championship and the program’s first postseason bowl. In the classroom he was named to the Conference USA Football All-Academic Team. Now he will wrap up the semester graduating with his Master of Public Administration (MPA) on Dec. 16 with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

>>Bennett joined KSU in January of this year, transferring from Rice University, to finish his MPA studies at the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, describing KSU as “the best place to spend my last year, academically and athletically.” He found public administration was a perfect fit as he enjoyed working with people and wanted to use his leadership skills to make an impact.

>>“My mom has a master’s degree, and both of my older brothers do too, so earning mine was important to me,” Bennett said. “The MPA opened my eyes to the impact you can make when you understand policy, administration, and how to work with others. It also gave me a better understanding of the kind of leader I want to be.”

Click Here For The Full Story

Men's Basketball Conference USA Play Starts Tonight for Owls at Middle Tennessee

>>Kennesaw State (8-2, 0-0 CUSA) will be playing its conference opener before Christmas for the first time in 14 years, as the Owls are on the road at Middle Tennessee (5-4, 0-0 CUSA) tonight for a 7:30 pm (ET) contest in Murfreesboro. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

>

Click Here For The Full Story

CONFERENCE USA FOOTBALL

Bowl Game Schedule/Results

(All times Eastern)

All Times Eastern

Tuesday, December 16

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl

Jax State Gamecocks beat the
Troy Trojans 17-13
Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, AL
9:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, December 17

68 Ventures Bowl

Delaware Blue Hens

vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Cajuns 68 Ventures Bowl

Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, December 18

XBOX Bowl

Missouri State Bears

vs Arkansas State Red Wolves
Ford Center, Frisco, Texas
9:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

Friday, December 19

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Kennesaw State Owls 
vs Western Michigan Broncos 
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
11:00 a.m. (ABC and ESPN)

Tuesday, December 23

New Orleans Bowl

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Caesar's Superdome, New Orleans, LA
5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, December 26

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

FIU Panthers

vs UTSA Road Runners

Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
8:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, December 30

Independence Bowl

LA Tech Bulldogs

vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
3:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Football Readies for Myrtle Beach Bowl Game vs. WMU

>>• Kennesaw State football participates in its first NCAA bowl game when it battles Western Michigan in the 2025 Myrtle Beach Bowl, presented by Engine, at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

>>• Of the 33 teams that have made the transition from FCS to FBS, Kennesaw State is one of only nine to make a bowl appearance in its second year of reclassification and first year of full-fledged FBS eligibility, joining Nevada (1992), Marshall (1997), Appalachian State and Georgia Southern (2015), Liberty (2019), James Madison and Jax State (2023-24*), and Sam Houston (2024).

>>• With a victory over Western Michigan, Kennesaw State would become only the fifth to win a bowl game in its initial season of full-fledged FBS membership. Nevada lost the 1992 Las Vegas Bowl (35-34 to Bowling Green), Marshall lost the 1997 Motor City Bowl (34-31 to Ole Miss) and James Madison lost the 2023 Armed Forces Bowl (31-21 to Air Force).

>>• A victory would also make Kennesaw State only the second program to ever win 11 games in its second year of reclassification from FCS to FBS, joining Appalachian State, who won 11 games in 2015 following their transition. Marshall (1997) and Sam Houston (2024) both won 10 games.

>>• KSU’s eight-game improvement from 2024 represents the seventh-best year-over-year improvement in NCAA history, the fifth-best since 2000 and the third-best in the last 10 years.

>>• While playing in its first NCAA bowl game, Kennesaw State is no stranger to postseason football. In its young, 11-year history, the Owls own a 6-4 record in 10 all-time postseason games.

>>• The 2025 Myrtle Beach Bowl will see a matchup of two conference champions as CUSA Champion Kennesaw State will face the MAC Champion in Western Michigan.

>>• Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the two schools (located 735 miles apart) and just the second battle between the Owls and a school hailing from the Mid-American Conference (Kent State, 2019).



Click Here For The Full Story

Taylor, Nichols Power

KSU Women's Basketball Past Georgia State

>>Trynce Taylor and Shania Nichols poured in 16 and 19 points, respectively, as Kennesaw State women's basketball held off a late rally to defeat Georgia State 69-63 on Sunday afternoon at the GSU Convocation Center.

>>With the win, the Owls improve to 6-3, the program's best start under fifth-year head coach Octavia Blue and best nine-game start since the 2014-15 season.

>>KSU's victory over Georgia State also marks the program's first-ever string of consecutive wins in the 15-game rivalry series.

>>Taylor scored in double figures for the fourth time this season and tied a career-high with eight field goals made. Nichols has scored 18 or more points in three of her four starts. TaTianna Stovall added eight points, seven rebounds and a career-high six blocks. Stovall's six blocks is the most in a game by any CUSA player this season.

>>The Owls make their final road trip of non-conference play next week with a matchup set at Miami on Sunday, Dec. 21. Watch KSU face the Hurricanes at 12 p.m. on the ACC Network.