What to look for: Owls at WKU

By: Austin Williams

The Kennesaw State Owls are preparing for another midweek Conference USA matchup against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Scroll below to learn what to look out for in today's competition.

Can the KSU offense continue?

The Owl offense shined against the Liberty Flames due to a spectacular performance from the redshirt sophomore Davis Brysonwhich earned him Week 9 CUSA Offensive Player of the Week honors. After being on the bench against Middle Tennessee, Bryson started the game 8-8 against the Flames and finished the night going 16-20 with a passing touchdown. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Bryson had the third-highest passing grade in the country (92.5) and the sixth-highest offensive grade among quarterbacks (90.1) against the Flames.

Another factor in the KSU offense was explosive plays, as the Owl quarterback, running backs and receivers were all capable of destroying the Liberty defense. Bryson made Liberty respect the Owls' passing attack with a 41-yard touchdown pass to the redshirt junior receiver Christian Moss and made critical throws to the freshman receiver Jaden Robinson and redshirt junior Blake Bohannon. The Owls finished the night with 323 total yards and will look to continue their success against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who have CUSA's fifth-ranked defense.

The Hilltopper defense ranks seventh in CUSA in pass defense, allowing 12 passing touchdowns this season and giving up an average of 225.6 passing yards per game. While the running game is the bread and butter of the Owl offense, this newfound confidence in the Owl passing attack could expose a weakness in the WKU defensive unit.

Sustained success for the Owls special teams

The KSU special teams unit was a pleasant surprise for the 2024 season. Both kickers Austin Welcha redshirt junior and punter Jacob Ulricha redshirt freshman, performed his duties excellently.

Welch is one of six active FBS kickers with a perfect field goal percentage. He has a perfect 11-for-11 field goal percentage this season; Three of his kicks were made from over 40 yards and helped secure the Owls' first win of the season by scoring nine points against the Flames. His performance against Liberty also earned him CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week honors for week nine. Welch has been an unknown this season, but the transfer from Eastern Kentucky is proving to be a key asset for KSU this season. When the Owls need points, trust Welch to put the ball through the uprights.

Ulrich was a consistent field flipper for KSU and has the highest average yards per punt (46.6) in CUSA. Of his 35 punts this season, 11 went for 50 yards, which is important in keeping opposing offenses out of Owl territory. Look out for this very successful Owl special forces unit and expect them to have a decisive impact on the Hilltoppers.

Prevent the Hilltopper passing game

The Owl defense will face another dominant passing attack from WKU sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp. Veltkamp has completed 116 of his 164 passes this season, including 14 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns and 1,428 passing yards. He leads CUSA in passing touchdowns, has the highest quarterback efficiency rating (164.7) and has the highest completion percentage (69.5).

The Owl defense fared well against its recent opponents who had dangerous passing attacks. They held MTSU to just 199 passing yards and zero touchdowns. The Owls also allowed minimal explosive passing plays against the Flames, which is a reason for their win against Liberty.

One of the key defensive Owls in this game is the redshirt junior defensive back Tyler HallumRedshirt sophomore defensive back Jayven Williams and redshirt sophomore linebacker duo Donelius Johnson and redshirt junior Garland Benyard. Hallum leads the KSU defense with nine passes and recorded his first interception of the season last week against Liberty. Hallum also earned Week 9 CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors following his performance against Liberty. Williams also had a crucial pass breakup against the Flames, and this Owl secondary has played very disciplined in recent weeks. Look for this swooping Owl secondary to fly all over the ball against this WKU passing game.