Liberty will play host to CUSA co-leader Kennesaw State for both teams’ regular season finale. The Flames will look to halt a three-game losing streak, which has seen all three setbacks come in either the final minute of regulation or overtime.

Game Overview

  • Matchup: Liberty Flames (4-7, 3-4 CUSA) vs Kennesaw State Owls (8-3, 6-1 CUSA)
  • Date & Time: Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
  • Series History: Tied, 2-2

Preview of the Owls

It’s a very important game for the Owls who can clinch a spot in the CUSA Championship Game next week with a win over the Flames on Saturday (or if Jacksonville State defeats Western Kentucky).  It has been quite the season for Kennesaw under first year head coach Jerry Mack, who has the Owls at 8-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play and having a terrific turnaround from a 2-10 campaign last year. Mack came to Kennesaw after spending last season as the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The three prior seasons he held that same position at the University of Tennessee. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator at Rice. Mack was the head coach at North Carolina Central from 2014-2017 where he was 31-15 overall and 26-6 in the MEAC.

The Owls picked up their first ever win as an FBS program last season with an upset of Liberty, 27-24, in Kennesaw, Georgia. Since that time, the two programs have gone in opposite directions. The Flames are 7-11 since then while Kennesaw is competing for a spot in the conference championship game.

After dropping the first two games of the year to Wake Forest and Indiana, the Owls bounced back in a big way with seven straight wins. It put them in the driver’s seat perched atop the conference standings heading into a CUSA unbeaten showdown in Jacksonville, Alabama on Nov. 15. The Owls dropped that one to the Gamecocks, 35-26, but bounced back this past week with a win at home over Missouri State, 41-34, where Kennesaw set school records for passing yards for a second straight week.

Saturday’s matchup will mark the fifth Liberty-Kennesaw State clash in the Owls’ 11 football seasons all-time. The two teams have split their four previous meetings. Liberty gave Kennesaw State its first-ever Big South Conference loss, Oct. 24, 2015 in Lynchburg and Kennesaw State gave Liberty its first-ever Conference USA loss, Oct. 23, 2024 in Kennesaw. On Saturday, Liberty will attempt to play the role of spoiler with Kennesaw State needing a victory to clinch its first berth in the CUSA Football Championship Game.

Mack sought out to rebuilt the quarterback room at Kennesaw when he arrived, with the addition of three transfers in Dexter Williams II (Georgia Southern), Amari Odom (Wofford), and Tommy Ulatowski (Kent State). Williams won the quarterback competition in the offseason and started the first game, a loss at Wake Forest. He has started four games this season as Mack has shuffled between Williams and Odom throughout much of the year. Odom has started seven games so far this season and was named the CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Missouri State last week, setting school records in passing yards (387), total offense (419), passing touchdowns (5), and total touchdowns (6). For the season,  Odom has completed 131 of 201 passes for 1,899 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He’s also rushed 84 times for 307 yards and 6 touchdowns.

The Owls lead CUSA in scoring in conference only games, putting up 32.6 points per game. They are third in total offense (407.8), fifth in rushing offense (161.6), and fifth in passing offense (246.2). Kennesaw has done a great job protecting the quarterback, whether it has been Williams or Odom. They rank second in CUSA in allowing just 1.45 sacks per game.

In addition to the quarterback run game, there are three primary backs Kennesaw State relies on. Coleman Bennett leads the team with 117 carries f or 542 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also is a threat in the receiving game, where he has caught 16 passes for 234 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Chase Belcher has 83 carries for 415 yards and 2 touchdowns while Alexander Diggs has 72 carries for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Gabriel Benyard leads the team in receiving with 50 catches for 795 yards and 7 scores. He has posted back to back 100-yard receiving games and leads CUSA with four 100-yard games this season. Christian Moss has 35 receptions for 530 yards and a score, and Clayton Coppock has 20 catches for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Owls rank second in CUSA in conference only games by allowing 20.8 points per game. For the season, Kennesaw ranks 9th in total defense (403), 6th in rushing defense (161.8), and 8th in pass defense (241.2). The owls are second in CUSA in sacks, averaging 2.36 per game. Baron Hopson leads the team with 104 tackles to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss. Tylon Dunlap has 34 tackles on the season while leading the team with 9 TFLs and 5 sacks.

Coach Mack on the Flames

“Really good football team. We tell these guys all the time, you don’t need to look at anybody’s record. All these teams are capable of beating one another. You see Liberty, you see big, physical football team. Present a ton of different variations of problems on both sides of the ball. Really talented team. The quarterback does a really good job of executing their offense. Had some unfortunate interceptions and things like that the last ball game, but for the most part that guy can hurt you with his legs. He’s been able to throw the ball down the field. They have some talented receivers. Their running back is playing lights out this last half of the season. Athleticism all over the field. The other thing that you see on the defensive side of the ball is physical guys. Up front, their front seven is probably one of the best that I’ve seen in this league from the standpoint of just athleticism and size combined together. They like to play man coverage. They have the athletes to do whatever they want to do. Obviously, we’ve got to do a lot to try and do some things to try and match up well with these guys.“

Coach Chadwell on the Owls

“They play hard. They give you multiple looks. They play with a lot of confidence. Their offense is scoring a lot of points. Their quarterbacks are playing well. They play at a fast pace. They trust that their offense can go score points, so the defense can be very aggressive knowing that their offense is scoring some points. I think it shows in the way they are playing. They want to be aggressive defensively because if they give up some points, they know their offense is scoring at a high clip so they don’t have to play on their heels as much. Odom had a great game last week. They go so fast they give him an opportunity to make some plays down the field, and he is playing at a high level right now. He is doing really well. We’ve got our work cut out on that side of the ball of keeping guys in front of us and making sure we line up quick. Not giving up explosive plays, making them drive the field. Jacksonville State beat them because they made them drive the field, didn’t give up any explosives, and they turned it over. That’s the way you have to do it, you have to make them drive the field and see if they can continue to do that. When they get their explosives, they put a lot of points on the board.“

Prediction

Spread: Liberty +1.5

My forecast: Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24

My record this season: 7-4 straight-up, 7-4 against the spread