With Indiana set to host Kennesaw State on Saturday, we reached out to our friends at Underdog Dynasty, SB Nation’s go-to source for info on football in CUSA, the American, the Sun Belt and the FCS ranks.
Steve Helwick, Underdog Dynasty’s American/CUSA/General FBS writer, sat down and answered our questions on the Owls. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: Kennesaw State’s extremely sudden rise is decently well-known among college football fans. The Owls’ first FBS season wasn’t great but you can hardly blame
them, it’s a big jump and a solid amount of those 10 losses were competitive. But there’s a new head coach in Jerry Mack, just the second coaching hire in program history. What sort of vibe and on-field style has he brought to the program, what are his Owls trying to do?
Helwick: Jerry Mack has received a warm welcome from the Kennesaw State community which dealt with a controversial coaching change last November, deviating from its only other coach in program history (despite being in year one of FBS membership). Mack connects very well with players, and that’s a reason he’s been a hot commodity on the coaching market, going from Rice to Tennessee to the Jacksonville Jaguars to now in charge of an FBS program — all within the 2020s. He brought new branding to the program, putting the slogan “H.E.T.M” on the helmet and throughout the facilities, standing for “hit everything that moves.” Mack admittedly didn’t know much about Kennesaw State when he took the job, but he has fully embraced the university and its potential in Conference USA. Mack is an offensive-minded coach and on the field, he brings a hyperspeed up-tempo style offense. Many of the elements he utilizes are adopted from his Tennessee tenure under Josh Heupel, and those features include snapping the ball as quickly as possible, stacking receivers, and utilizing plenty of spacing to create advantages in 1-on-1 matchups.
Q: That 10-9 loss at Wake Forest raised a few eyebrows in Bloomington. What are the cliff notes on how that happened?
Helwick: An upset was ripe for the taking in Winston-Salem. Kennesaw State didn’t move the ball as poorly as a 9-point, 0-turnover outing would suggest. The Owls strung together a few long drives, but they left four points on the board due to a dismal kicking game. Kennesaw State missed the extra point on its lone touchdown in the opening frame and then shanked a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. They switched kickers after halftime and a successful make allowed them to lead 9-7 in the third, but Wake Forest responded with a field goal of its own, and the Demon Deacons defense took it from there — forcing Kennesaw State to go 4-of-14 passing in the second half.
Q: Indiana’s already familiar with Dexter Williams from his time with the Hoosiers, but what do you think he brings to this Owls team?
Helwick: He brings explosiveness and mobility to an offense which severely needed those qualities a year ago. Williams can turn on the jets out of empty sets, and he produced four double-digit runs in his Kennesaw State debut. As a passer, he is equipped with a cannon as exhibited by a 47-yard completion in the second quarter — which was an all-around incredible play, as he evaded a sack to step into that throw — but he still needs work in the accuracy department. He finished 12-of-33 against Wake Forest, and that accuracy should improve as he gets more valuable reps as a starter. It’s an RPO-heavy offense, so adjusting to making these reads at game speed could turn Williams into one of the CUSA’s more lethal weapons at quarterbacks.
Q: Are there any non-Dexter Williams Owls whose names should be circled on Indiana’s whiteboards?
Helwick: Offensively, Gabriel Benyard looks like one of the most improved players on the team. He finished with 162 receiving yards in the 2024 campaign but is already over the century mark after a 5-catch, 103-yard opener. These Heupel-style offenses thrive off explosive receivers like Benyard who make themselves available on deep posts and go routes — think 2022 Jalin Hyatt at Tennessee; not as a comparison, but as far as Benyard’s role. Defensively, inside linebacker Baron Hopson is a candidate to make a major leap. After 19 tackles in 2024, Hopson raked in a team-high 11 at Wake Forest. Seven of those stops were recorded on runs of three yards or fewer, making him the unit’s premier counter to the ground game.
Q: Any predictions for how Saturday’s game plays out?
Indiana enjoys a more assuring outing in both the offensive and defensive facets this week. Kennesaw State still hasn’t proven much offensively since joining the FBS, only reaching 28 points once and finishing with 14 points or below in more than half their outings. After notching just nine points at Wake Forest, another single-digit outing is witnessed in Bloomington as Indiana skates to a 41-6 victory, fueled by a stronger performance by Fernando Mendoza in the passing game and a commanding aerial defense.
Be sure to read Underdog Dynasty for more insight into CUSA, the American, the Sun Belt and FCS ball!
