#1 Rickie Collins runs toward the end zone on Sept. 3 at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field. Photo by Jordan Tran
Kennesaw State football’s run game showed out as the Owls opened their 2026 football season with a dominant 47-0 shutout win against West Georgia Thursday night at Fifth Third Stadium.
The game was delayed before kickoff due to lightning but resumed approximately an hour later. The delay did not slow the Owls down one bit.
The Owls scored 40 points in the first half alone and never allowed the Wolves to establish their pace. Kennesaw earned its first shutout home win since their victory against North Carolina A&T State in 2021.
KSU quarterback Rickie Collinscontributed for three of the Owls’ touchdowns, while Latrelle Murrell rushed for 88 yards and scored two touchdowns against his former school after transferring from UWG during the offseason.
KSU took a quick 6-0 lead over the Wolves as Murrell ran it to the house for a 45-yard touchdown. The score remained 6-0 as the Owls missed the extra point.
KSU showed its depth in the backfield as running back Triston Morgan broke free with a 60-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. UWG continued to struggle on all sides of the ball as the Wolves fumbled during kickoff, allowing Kennesaw State to recover at the Wolves’ 14-yard line. Collins scored a 3-yard run to give the Owls a 19-0 lead only in the first quarter.
The offensive domination did not stop in the second quarter as KSU scored three consecutive touchdowns. Murrell scored his second touchdown of the night on a 17-yard run, Collins followed it up with a 24-yard touchdown, and another running back, Boogie Woods III, finished with a 1-yard touchdown.
The Owls entered halftime with a 40-0 lead.
Collins could not be stopped as he contributed to another touchdown in the third quarter, connecting with wide-receiver Dylan Gary for a 9-yard passing touchdown, scoring the final points of the game for either side.
KSU finished the game with 508 total yards, running for 297 yards and picking up another 211 yards through the air. UWG managed to only have 160 total yards for the game and failed to convert as they went 0-for-12 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth.
With the win, KSU starts the year 1-0, and looks to stay in the win column when it faces Georgia State in Kennesaw on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
