A new era begins Friday night at Fifth Third Stadium as the Owls host their first ever Conference USA game against a familiar foe in Jacksonville State.

  The Gamecocks come into the game at 1-3, fresh off a dominant 44-7 victory against Southern Miss where quarterback Tyler Huff threw for 236 yards and rushed for another 77 yards.

 The Gamecocks put up six plays of 20 yards or more in their win against Southern Miss.

  Kennesaw State has struggled with this year’s move up to the FBS level still looking for their first win in four tries. They have yet to score more than 16 points in any game. Their last outing ended in a 24-13 Homecoming loss to FCS level Tennessee Martin (2-3).

  There is quite a bit of history between KSU and JSU, having met four times since 2017. The Owls have won all but one, which was their last meeting on October 1, 2022, (35-28).

  One of those games was perhaps the greatest in KSU football history. It was one of the top two games I can ever remember being at then Suntrust Park. The game went back and forth for five overtimes. In a heroic effort, Chandler Burks (recently named as the first Owl football player to the KSU Hall of Fame and now the team’s offensive coordinator) simply refused to lose and willed his team to an astounding 5OT 60-52 victory.

Key Players to Watch

Jacksonville State: Tyler Huff (QB)

  But, back to this one. Huff will be the player to watch for Jax State. He’s a handful to defend combining his passing and rushing abilities to keep defenses on their toes. His success will be important if the Gamecocks are going to cover the hefty 16.5-point spread set by oddsmakers..

Kennesaw State: Davis Bryson (QB)

  As Kennesaw’s starting QB, Bryson will need to step up big time if the Owls hope to turn their season around Friday night. With only one touchdown and three interceptions so far, he faces a ton of pressure to improve against a tough Jacksonville defense.

   Kennesaw State’s struggles on both sides of the ball might keep it close. But, they have the talent to pull off an upset. They have to play mistake free to do so.

  Kickoff is Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and will be nationally televised on the CBS Sports Network.