Kennesaw State learns bowl fate, QB gets wish of ‘someplace warm’

When asked about his preference for a bowl destination, Kennesaw State quarterback Amari Odom said, “Someplace warm.” Middle linebacker Baron Hopson chimed in, “Before Christmas.”

Looks like they both got their wish.

The Owls, who won the Conference USA Championship on Friday, have accepted an invitation to play Western Michigan in the Myrtle Beach Bowl at Brooks Stadium at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19. The game will be televised on ESPN.

It will be the first bowl game for Kennesaw State (10-3) in only its second season at the FBS level. Western Michigan (9-4) defeated Miami-Ohio 23-13 for the Mid-American Conference Championship on Saturday and will make its first bowl appearance since 2021.

“It’s a great day in the history of this program, our athletic department and our university,” Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack said. “I’m so proud of the work that this group of men has put in this season. All of that hard work has caused all their hopes and dreams to come true and, after claiming the first CUSA Championship, now they get to experience a bowl game. We’re excited to head to the Myrtle Beach Bowl and are looking forward to competing against a terrific opponent in Western Michigan.”

Kennesaw State this season became only the fifth team to win at least 10 games in its second year of FBS play. Their eight-win improvement over last year’s two-win season is the fifth-largest year-over-year turnaround since 2000 and the seventh-largest in college football history.

The Owls received votes in the final AP poll and the USA Today poll for the first time since moving to FBS. Their last national ranking was No. 19 in the 2022 FCS poll.

“We all have been on this journey since Day One, whether those guys came in January with us or whether they came in the summertime with us,” Mack said. “We talk about not having any regrets and I don’t want to have any regrets looking back 5-10 years from now, because at the end of the day this team is going to be a team that comes back and they’re to celebrate at Kennesaw State.”

Kennesaw State gave indications it was on the right path in the season opener when the Owls lost to Wake Forest 10-9.

“In the Wake Forest game, we knew we had an opportunity to win that game,” defensive tackle Tylon Dunlap said. “We fell short, but from that game, I just knew we had a special team. Because you don’t lose to a Power Four team by one point and know you missed some opportunities throughout the game. That doesn’t make you a bad team. I knew we had a special group of guys.”

KSU’s other losses came against No. 1-ranked Indiana and to Jacksonville State, a loss they avenged in the conference championship game.

Western Michigan began the season with three straight losses — to Michigan State, North Texas and then-No. 9 Illinois. The Broncos lost to Miami-Ohio during the regular season but got their payback by beating the RedHawks in the conference championship game.