KSU run game to be challenged by stingy A&T defense

Oct. 15—KENNESAW — It will be a game pitting strength against strength Saturday when Kennesaw State hosts North Carolina A&T at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

It will be the first meeting between the No. 15 Owls (4-1, 1-0 Big South Conference) and Aggies (3-2, 2-0), and both teams will look to establish the run against strong run defenses.

North Carolina A&T comes into the game ranking 11th in the Football Championship Subdivision allowing only 90 rushing yards per game this season, and it has allowed an average of only 96 rushing yards per game over the last decade.

In contrast, Kennesaw State has the No. 2 rushing attack in the FCS at 288.4 yards per game.

Owls coach Brian Bohannon said he likes what he has seen of the Aggies.

"You turn the tape on and I was impressed," he said. "There is a reason they've won nine-plus games (each year) since 2014. Defensively, they are extremely athletic, they run really well and they play really hard. To me, that's an identity.

"They attack everything. They are relentless — that front four, their linebackers — and their mission is to stop the run."

Defensive end Jermaine McDaniel, linebackers Joseph Stuckey and Jacob Roberts and defensive backs Richie Kittles and Najee Reams pace the unit. The five players have combined for 118 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and four sacks this season.

North Carolina A&T coach Sam Washington said during his weekly news conference that the Kennesaw State running game will be a true challenge for his defense.

"I don't think we have faced any team (that runs a) true triple (option)," Washington said. "This will be a first, and it's going to be a big challenge for us. It's going to require us to be very disciplined. Our eyes must be disciplined. It's about reading your keys and reacting to what your keys say and not following the football in the backfield with your eyes, so discipline is going to be huge.

"Honesty, it's fun for me. We're the No. 1 rush defense and they're the No. 1 rushing offense (in the Big South), so that's going to set the tempo of the ballgame. We will face the challenge with our heads up, and we have to be very disciplined and tackle well. I think those are the two things that will determine our fate."

Kennesaw State will be without dynamic, play-making running back Isaac Foster for the remainder of the season, as he has been ruled out with a lower body injury, but there are plenty of other options who have stepped up over the last few weeks.

Kyle Glover (302 yards) remains the inside force, while Iaan Cousin (153), Nykeem Farrow (139) and Adeolu Adeleke (108) have all proved to have big-play ability.

However, the Owls' leading rusher is quarterback Xavier Shepherd, who has settled into the starting job after season-opening starter Jonathan Murphy was injured. Shepherd has run for 438 yards and nine touchdowns, and he has been the Big South Offensive Player of the Week the last two weeks.

North Carolina A&T will also try to run the ball behind backs Jah-Maine Martin and Kashon Baker. The 230-pound Martin is the Aggies' power back with a team-high 267 yards and two touchdowns. Right behind him is the 170-pound Baker, a shiftier runner who has 260 and two touchdowns.

"They have a stable of running backs that can hit you at any different angle," Bohannon said.

In North Carolina A&T's 38-34 win over North Alabama last week, its 6-4, 235-pound quarterback, Jalen Fowler, threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 220 yards per game.

The Aggies come in tied for the Big South lead with Campbell and Monmouth, a half-game ahead of the Owls. Both teams are on a three-game winning streak, but Saturday will be North Carolina A&T's first road game in conference play.

It is something Bohannon said Kennesaw State will be conscious of, as he remembers when the Owls were the new team in the conference, visiting campuses for the first time.

"It's their first year in the Big South," Bohannon said. "Every game, you have a chip on your shoulder. I know what that's like. We've been a part of it, too."

Injury update

Starting defensive lineman Joel Parker and starting offensive lineman William Nana Fabu will miss Saturday's game with lower body injuries. Kelcy Allen and Matt Olson are listed as their backups, respectively.

In addition, nine players are listed as questionable — Cousin, offensive lineman Jake Lassiter, defensive linemen Travis Bell and Tyler Moore, linebacker Welton Spottsville and defensive back Markeith Montgomery.

On the air

Kickoff for Kennesaw State's homecoming game is scheduled for 5 p.m. It can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on the KSU Owls app.