Kennesaw State football begins Jerry Mack era with big test: An ACC opponent
On the eve of their first football game under a new regime, the focus at Kennesaw State is more internal than external.
The Owls will begin the Jerry Mack era on Friday when they travel to Wake Forest. With 60 new players on the roster and a completely new coaching staff, Mack wants to ensure that everyone will show up and be in the right place and be ready to play.
“It’s been fun. It’s been exciting to see these guys really come together and bond,” Mack said. “The (preseason) camp is really when you just massage that thing even more, just to get those guys to buy into what you believe and what you’re trying to teach. It’s a mature group, and I’ve really been pleased with that.”
The Owls are a 17½-point underdog against Wake Forest, which was picked to finish 16th in the 17-team ACC by a preseason poll of the media. Kickoff is at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
“We’re just looking at ourselves more than anything else,” Mack said. “We want to make sure we play our style and our game. We want to limit the mistakes more than anything else — penalties and turnovers and missed assignments. And we’ll look up at the scoreboard at the end and kind of see where it sits.”
Kennesaw State’s fast-paced spread attack will look like far different from last year’s run-first team. Quarterback Dexter Williams II, who transferred from Georgia Southern after spending four years at Indiana, gets the starting nod.
The offense has come together behind Williams, who’s finally healthy after various injuries over his career, and backup Amari Gordon.
“We’ve got two guys that people trust in the building, and they have some leadership ability,” Mack said. “Dexter won the job and we’re going to ride with him, and he’s excited about the opportunity to get back on the grass again.”
The Owls have veteran receivers in Christian Moss, Gabriel Benyard, Lyndon Ravare and Jordan Jackson, as well as tight end Gerard Bullock Jr. The starting running back will be Coleman Bennett, a senior who transferred from Rice after spending three seasons and earning all-conference recognition at Bucknell.
The offensive line is a new creation, and Mack said the Owls have developed a core for the rotation. Right guard J.T. Pennington (6-foot-4, 321 pounds) is a returning starter and right tackle Nikola Milovac (6-6, 313) could be a beast. The line averages out at 6-4 and 309 pounds.
“I think it’s about seven or eight guys that are really going to be able to help us win some football games,” Mack said. “We’ve got a little bit of depth of some guys who come in when guys get tired.”
The defense shifts to a 4-2-5 scheme and will be led by cornerback JeRico Washington Jr., a sophomore who was named to the preseason Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, linebacker Garland Benyard and defensive tackle Tylon Dunlap. Benyard has made 32 starts for Kennesaw State and has 152 career tackles, most on the team.
Wake Forest also has a new coach. Jake Dickert came from Washington State, where his teams went to a bowl game in three of his four seasons. Last year Washington State averaged 37 points on offense, No. 11 in the country. He takes over a program that went 4-8 for Dave Clawson, who retired.
Wake Forest is led by a pair of talented players — holdover running back Demond Claiborne and quarterback Robby Ashford, a transfer from South Carolina via Auburn and Oregon. Claiborne rushed for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
“(Claiborne) is an NFL running back. He’s extremely hard to tackle,” Mack said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us to try to tackle him and the quarterback. They’re two dynamic people with the ball when they touch it.”
Wake Forest will be the second ACC team faced by KSU. The Owls lost to Georgia Tech 45-17 in 2021.
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
