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ATLANTA — Kennesaw State will look to continue its stellar season and compete for a spot in the FCS playoff semifinals game when the Owls go on the road to face No. 6 seed Sam Houston State.
Coming off a 17-7 win against Jacksonville State, Owls quarterback Chandler Burks and running back Darnell Holland scored touchdowns, and the Kennesaw State defense held third-seeded Jacksonville State to 187 yards of offense to secure the Owls' second playoff victory.
Kennesaw State (12-1) is the first FCS program to advance to the national quarterfinals in just its third year as a program. The Owls 12-game winning streak will be put to test when they face Sam Houston State (11-1) Saturday night.
TRENDING STORIES:
- ROSE BOWL: Georgia and Oklahoma clash in College Football Playoff
- Kennesaw State wins FCS playoff opener, beats Samford 28-17
- Kennesaw State knocks off No. 3 Jacksonville 17-7
Owls head coach Brian Bohannon will look to implement another dose of his team's triple option rushing attack against Sam Houston State, with quarterback Chandler Burks and running back Jake McKenzie leading the way.
Burks, the only quarterback in the Big South history to both run and pass for 1,000 yards in a season, has recorded a total of 25 touchdowns on the season, with 17 of them on the ground. McKenzie has rushed for 688 yards and three touchdowns.
As a unit, the Owls enter Saturday’s game ranked first in the FCS in rushing yards per game (329) and seventh in time of possession (33:16). With the Bearkats giving up nearly 166 rushing yards per game, the Owls will look to exploit this weakness and use its speed on the ground to its advantage on offense.
Sam Houston State, who has a rushing attack that averages 186 yards per game and has tallied 27 rushing touchdowns, gets most of its offensive production through the air. The Bearkats are first in the FCS in passing yards per game (373) and will look for quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe to lead them to victory.
Briscoe has thrown for 4,398 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Most of touchdowns have been to his big playmakers at wide receiver in Davion Davis and Nathan Stewart. Davis has tallied 1,121 yards and a total of 21 touchdowns, while Stewart as recorded 1,485 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Kennesaw State faced a similar style of quarterback to Briscoe when it played Samford as the Bulldogs recorded 396 yards through the air against the Owls in the first round. Bulldogs quarterback Devlin Hodges only found the end zone once.
Against the Bearkats, the Owls will need to minimize their passing attack. Defensively, Kennesaw State ranks 11th in the FCS in fewest yards allowed per game (288), second in passes intercepted, fourth in scoring defense (14 points per game), first in turnovers gained (34) and 12th in rush defense (97).
In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, it should be a very close game. The difference maker in the game will come down to whether the Owls can stop another elite pass offense or the Bearkats limit the Owls deadly rushing attack.
The winner of the game will play Wofford (10-2) or No. 2 seed North Dakota State (11-1) in the semifinals on Dec. 15 or Dec. 16.
Cox Media Group
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