Kennesaw State are entering only its third season at the FBS level, but coach Jerry Mack just led the Owls to 10 wins in his first year with the program. As for West Georgia, the Wolves are in year three of their time in the FCS with two winning records already under their belt.
The Owls are 22.5-point favorites at home on Thursday with -3600 Moneyline odds, all while the point total has been set at 51.5. Here is a preview of the Week 1 showdown featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
West Georgia vs. Kennesaw State Preview
West Georgia Preview
The Wolves got their season rolling in Week 0, taking on a fellow FCS foe in Chattanooga. Despite playing on their home turf, West Georgia lost 24-10. Steve Englehart was serving a self-imposed suspension for an NCAA compliance violation, however, so he didn’t get to coach the Wolves in their opener as planned. Englehart was previously the coach of the Presbyterian Blue Hose, whom he led to a 10-2 record in 2025. He is taking over from Joel Taylor, who left for Mercer fresh off an 8-3 campaign with the Wolves.
Presbyterian transfer Justin Montgomery accounted for 31 of West Georgia’s 38 rushing yards in Week 0, as well as 13 receiving yards. Collin Hurst, another Presbyterian transplant who followed Englehart to Carrollton, went 19-for-30 with 129 yards and took three sacks. Tight end Aidan Sefa led the Wolves with three catches that he took for 49 yards, while former UTEP tight end Josh Schuchts posted a team-best 57 yards on one catch. Jacksonville State transfer T.J. Lockley caught four passes for 29 yards and actually completed the 57-yard pass to Schuchts.
Northern Illinois transfer Chidu Bekee was West Georgia’s most active defensive player, totaling seven tackles and 1.5 sacks. He shared one of those sacks with former Wingate linebacker Elijah Barnes, who also notched a tackle for loss of his own. Andrew Ruffin led the team with nine tackles, fresh off a two-year stint at Albany State. The secondary didn’t record any interceptions, but they did break up three passes – two of which actually came from home-grown defensive backs. Chattanooga running back Kevin Lalin gashed West Georgia for 128 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, all while quarterback Battle Alberson posted a 180.7 passer rating with his 180 yards and two scores on 9-for-17 passing.
Kennesaw State Preview
Even though they lost the Myrtle Beach Bowl to Western Michigan, West Georgia beating Jacksonville State in the Conference USA Championship Game made 2025 an incredible success. The Owls ranked No. 75 in the country with 26.7 points per game, as well as ranking No. 73 with 25.5 points allowed per game. Losing quarterback Amari Odom to Syracuse wasn’t ideal, though. And after losing the starting job to Odom last season, Dexter Williams II left for Tulsa. Their top target, receiver Gabriel Benyard, turned pro, as did their leading rusher in Coleman Bennett. Running back Chase Belcher also exhausted his eligibility and Alexander Diggs isn’t on the 2026 roster, either. Wideouts Christian Moss, Clayton Coppock and Lyndon Ravare transferred to Washington, Coastal Carolina and New Mexico State, respectively. Javon Rogers, Davis Bryson and Navelle Dean are the only productive skill position players returning to the depth chart, and they only combined for 389 yards and two touchdowns on 23 catches last year.
With that massive exodus of production – plus three new starting interior offensive linemen – Kennesaw State is going to have to rely on fresh faces to run their spread offense once again. Syracuse transfer Rickie Collins is now Kennesaw State’s starting signal-caller. He completed 53.6% of his passes for 1,042 yards, six touchdowns, 10 picks and a 101.8 passer rating with the Orange in 2025, also rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown on 54 carries. Latrelle Murrell, Triston Morgan and Boogie Woods III will share the backfield after making the leap from West Georgia, Benedict College and Mississippi Gulf Coast, respectively. When it comes to pass-catchers, the Owls brought Brayden Munroe over from Northern Colorado, Dylan Gary from Georgia Southern and Zion Booker from Tulsa.
On the other side of the ball, linebackers Baron Hopson and Tywon Christopher are back after posting a combined 219 tackles. Veteran defensive backs Isaac Paul, Kody Jones and Alex Ford have returned too, as have defensive lineman Marcus Patterson and edge rusher Donovan Westmoreland with their 10.0 combined sacks. Replacing linemen Elijah Hill’s and Tylon Dunlap’s 22.5 TFL and 14.0 sacks could be tough, leaving elevated underclassmen Jaiden Grimes and to step up in their absence.
Mack proved he could generate wins despite a complete offseason turnover, but he will have to replicate that success if the Owls are going to thrive again in 2026.
West Georgia vs. Kennesaw State Pick, Best Bets
If the Wolves couldn’t stay within two scores of an FCS team at home – one that went 5-7 last year, no less – it’s easy to see things getting ugly when they face an FBS program on the road. Even with all the question marks throughout Kennesaw State’s depth chart, there is plenty of continuity on the sidelines and even a decent amount on defense. I like the trio of battle-tested running backs to run all over the West Georgia defense, with each one proving they either belong at the FBS level or can shoulder a heavy workload.
I can see Mack playing things a little safe, leaning on those ball-carriers and using Collins more as a runner than a passer. So while that could shift the matchup into lower-scoring territory, the skill and talent mismatches should still give the Owls enough room to cover a 22.5-point spread.
Best Bet: Kennesaw State -22.5 (-110)
Strong Lean: U 51.5 (-108)
