KSU football team huddles up. Fifth-Third Stadium, September 20th, 2025. Photo Credit: Jackson Louneoubonh
Kennesaw State football will be forced to overcome a banged-up quarterback room when it hosts Louisiana Tech on Thursday night.
The Owls rolled into the bye week, winning three straight games for the first time since 2022 and for the first time at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, making their 0-2 start feel like a distant memory.
This week’s test will serve as another barometer as to what kind of season KSU could have.
Louisiana Tech has firmly set itself as one of Conference USA’s frontrunners with a 4-1 start, in which the only loss came at the hands of No. 11-ranked LSU, 23-7.
Heading into the third full week of CUSA play, La Tech, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State and KSU remain the only teams without a conference loss, meaning the winner of Thursday’s contest will sit no lower than third in the standings.
Having already surpassed last season’s win total, a victory on Thursday could seriously improve the Owls’ chances of becoming bowl eligible for the first time in program history, or even competing for a conference title.
The Bulldogs bring a stellar defense to Kennesaw, allowing just 11.6 points per game through five contests and never allowing more than 23 (LSU).
The unit is tied for first in the nation with UNLV with 13 turnovers forced, five of which have been returned for touchdowns.
La Tech will have to deal with the loss of leading tackler Kolbe Fields, who was announced to be out for the season by The Ruston Leader a week ago. Fields had tallied 39 total tackles, two sacks and two interceptions through five games.
Beyond Fields, safety Jakari Foster leads La Tech with three of the team’s 11 interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, Mekhi Mason leads the team with three sacks and Michael Richard has two interceptions.
“Defensively is where everything starts for [La Tech],” KSU coach Jerry Mack said. “They have one of the top defenses in the nation right now, definitely in Conference USA. The way they’re creating turnovers on the defensive side of the ball is like something I’ve never seen before.”
On the other side of the ball, La Tech has been led by quarterback Blake Baker since an early season injury to Trey Kukuk who won the job over last year’s CUSA All-Freshman standout, Evan Bullock.
Matt Belinson of The Ruston Leader reported that Kukuk is expected to play on Thursday on hisX account.
Baker’s numbers don’t jump off the page for positive or negative reasons. The sophomore has tossed for 603 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while completing 62% of his passes. Prior to his injury, Kukuk completed 27-of-39 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Tight end Eli Finley leads the Bulldogs with 231 receiving yards, including a 154-yard performance against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 20, but did not record a catch in La Tech’s CUSA opener against UTEP.
The Owls’ quarterback situation is expected to remain in question until kickoff, as starter Amari Odom exited the game in the fourth quarter against Middle Tennessee State with an apparent upper-body injury when backup Dexter Williams II was already inactive.
“The bye week has allowed both of those guys to heal some bumps and bruises,” Mack said. “They’ve both been at practice this week; they’ve both been taking reps. We’ll kind of see as we get closer to gameday who’s exactly the healthiest out of all our quarterbacks.”
Both Odom and Williams II appear in bold on this week’s depth chart, implying at least one is expected to be active. If, for whatever reason neither is able to go, Kent State transfer Tommy Ulatowski would be expected to step in having played in the final minutes against MTSU.
