Oct. 21 wasn’t just any Weekday CUSA Tuesday.
It was separation Tuesday, pitting hopeful Conference USA contenders against one another to determine what the league pecking order might look like. Games kicked off in Miami, FL and Ruston, LA, but the winners hailed from Kennesaw, GA and Bowling Green, KY in the CUSA double-header:
- Kennesaw State (5-2, 3-0 CUSA) 45, FIU (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) 26
- WKU (6-2, 4-1 CUSA) 28, Louisiana Tech (4-3, 2-2 CUSA) 27 (OT)
Now let’s review what went down Tuesday night on the gridiron:
Kennesaw State wins fifth-straight
Kennesaw State is only in year two of FBS membership, yet the Owls suddenly fit the role of Conference USA contenders.
One year ago, Kennesaw State suffered a tumultuous 2-10 season that involved an in-season head coach firing and seven double-digit defeats. But first-year head coach Jerry Mack completely transformed the program in year one, and the Owls are now 5-2 and on the fringe of bowl eligibility after handling FIU 45-26 on Tuesday night.
Kennesaw State starting quarterback Amari Odom who returned after missing the previous contest due to injury. Odom led the Owls to a stellar offensive start, contributing an efficient 205 passing yards and 36 rushing yards, recording a touchdown in each facet. However, Odom was nicked up in the third quarter, causing Dexter Williams II — no stranger to starting this season — to provide relief duties. Williams’ first pass was a 70-yard bomb to Christian Moss, who took advantage of the FIU cornerback slipping at the release, providing Kennesaw State the cushion of a 31-17 advantage. The Owls ran down the Panthers’ throat in the fourth quarter, finishing with 498 yards in the 19-point road victory.
After defeating Louisiana Tech by 28 and FIU by 19 in midweek games, Kennesaw State is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play — tied with Jacksonville State at the top of the standings. The Owls’ only two losses were to No. 2 Indiana and 4-2 Wake Forest — the latter being a 10-9 Week 1 defeat due to a missed extra point. Kennesaw State is rolling with five-straight wins, and the Owls are on the 2024 Sam Houston trajectory of improvement in year two of FBS status. Last year, Kennesaw State’s 16.5 points per game offense never eclipsed 35 points. This year, the Owls have 35 and 45 in back-to-back conference wins, highlighting the seismic offensive shift Mack and his staff brought to Kennesaw, GA.
WKU bowl eligible after OT clutch heroics
Immediately after the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets concluded their bizarre double-overtime finish to commence the NBA season, different blue and red teams competed in an overtime finish in the college football universe.
WKU led Louisiana Tech 20-7 in the second quarter, and the Bulldogs were unable to trim the deficit on the final play of the half, burdened by a mishandled snap on a chip shot field goal — never even getting the kick off. Louisiana Tech then stormed back with 13 unanswered in the second half, knotting the game at 20-20 with 6:20 remaining in the fourth.
Both teams received shots at game-winning field goals in the final two minutes, and both attempts were blocked. Louisiana Tech rejected WKU’s 37-yard attempt with 1:44 remaining and the Hilltoppers returned the favor at the regulation buzzer. In overtime, Louisiana Tech struck first on an Andrew Burnette wildcat touchdown. All odds pointed to a Bulldog victory when the defense forced WKU to a 4th and 10 from the 25-yard line. However, redshirt freshman Rodney Tisdale Jr. — making his first collegiate start in place of the injured Maverick McIvor — stepped up with a clutch delivery. He connected with the CUSA’s leading receiver Matthew Henry on a diving grab right at the sticks, and the catch and spot were both upheld after review.
Henry’s clutch grab allowed George Hart III to punch in a short rushing touchdown for the Hilltoppers, but Tyson Helton wasn’t content with winning the game. He kept Tisdale and the offense on the field, and the young quarterback rolled out, pump faked, patiently waited for the play to develop, and found K.D. Hutchinson in the middle of a swarm of blue jerseys. Hutchinson secured the ball, securing a 28-27 WKU victory and bowl eligibility. WKU became the first team to walk off an overtime game this season with the decision to go for two, opposed to kicking the extra point. Now at 6-2, the Hilltoppers are postseason-bound for the fifth-straight year and for the sixth time in Helton’s seven years.
FIU Vice Night is amazing, results aside
College football is built on the concept of tradition. Oftentimes, traditions were born anywhere from the late 1800s to the 1950s and just stood the test of time. Newer traditions aren’t always easy to create, especially in the social media era where everything is criticized and scrutinized. Miami (FL) dropped its Turnover Chain, Minnesota and Nebraska played last Friday without any postgame evidence of the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy, and Texas Tech’s tortilla toss is in jeopardy.
We cannot let “Vice Night” die at FIU. The all-black Miami Vice themed uniforms with the pink and turquoise accents were sensational. The midfield logo was changed to “305” in Miami Vice colors (with the Panther head serving as the zero) as a nod to the city’s area code. Lamborghinis adorned the sidelines once again, and FIU brought a whole celebrity row to Pitbull Stadium, headlined by Young Thug. It was the epitome of Miami, and FIU embraced its city perfectly.
Tuesday was the third-straight Vice Night, a tradition which coincided with the dawn of Weekday CUSA. The only problem? FIU is now 0-3 in Vice Nights, losing in 2023 to UTEP, 2024 to Sam Houston, and 2025 to Kennesaw State. The opponents are the ones always celebrating with the Lambos and yachts on the sideline, and FIU cannot let the results end this tradition. The uniforms and presentation are spectacular, and it will all be worth it when the Panthers celebrate in their Lambos.
Louisiana Tech’s kick return was electric
The best play of Tuesday night belonged to Louisiana Tech’s special teams. The Bulldogs saw a share of special teams miscues throughout the contest, but it was that phase of the game which brought them back in the third quarter. Clay Thevenin fielded the opening kickoff of the second half and ran behind an entourage of blockers. Upon reaching his own 16-yard line, Thevenin waited for wide receiver Devin Gandy, who disguised himself as background noise in the blue end zone — thanks to Louisiana Tech’s all-blue alternate uniforms.
Gandy cleanly secured the pass back and raced to the house with a whole security team fending off WKU tacklers. He was finally contacted between the WKU 10 and 15-yard line but hit the spin move to avoid going down. Gandy recorded Louisiana Tech’s first kick return touchdown since Amik Robertson scored off an onside kick in 2019, and it was a rare pass back play that produced a touchdown.
