Two teams absolutely drowning in Conference USA chaos are about to collide tonight, and honestly, it’s a rough scene. Kennesaw State and Missouri State both roll into this Wednesday night clash sporting a miserable 1-4 overall record, and neither has managed to snag a single conference victory yet. This isn’t just a game, it’s a fight for survival in the early season standings, a desperate shot at some kind of momentum.
Who’s Worse Off? A Battle of Struggling Squads
Look, both these teams are having what the pros call “horror starts” to their Conference USA seasons. Kennesaw State is reeling from a four-loss streak, coming off a brutal loss to Jacksonville State where they gave up a go-ahead field goal with less than a minute left. You know that kind of gut-punch defeat, right? Their second-year coach, Jerry Mack, did lead them to a dramatic 41-34 triumph over Missouri State last season in Georgia, so there’s some history there.
But then you look at Missouri State. Woof. Head coach Casey Woods is in his debut year and he’s still chasing his maiden win over an FBS school. That’s a rough look, same as Kennesaw State, by the way. The Bears are back at Plaster Stadium for the first time in nearly a month, and they’re hoping to finally get one over KSU, having lost their previous two series matchups. This team started their year in the absolute worst way possible, taking a brutal 50-0 drubbing from Texas A&M. Yeah, 50-0. That’s not a typo. And it’s not gotten much better, either; they’ve given up 30 points or more in all but one game so far this season. Yikes.
Quarterback Puzzles and Defensive Nightmares
So, let’s talk defense. Kennesaw State’s D has actually kept opponents under 30 points in three of their five games, which isn’t great, but it’s better than Missouri State’s record. For KSU, junior quarterback Rickie Collins leads the team with four rushing touchdowns this term, which is cool. But here’s the rub: he’s got as many touchdown passes as he does interceptions, with three of each. That’s a puzzle, isn’t it? Can he clean that up?
Missouri State’s Henry Belin IV was throwing the ball in that SMU game, but the stats just scream defensive issues for his team. You can’t give up 50 points in your opener and then 30+ in basically every other game and expect to win. Someone’s gotta step up.
Tonight, at 7:30 PM EDT on CBS Sports Network (you can stream it on Fubo, too), one of these teams is finally going to taste that sweet, sweet first conference win. For Casey Woods, it could be his first FBS win ever. For Kennesaw State, it’s a chance to stop a four-game slide. For Missouri State, it’s about proving that 50-0 loss isn’t who they are all season long. It’s not going to be pretty, but it’s going to be a battle, and one of these teams desperately needs it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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