Getty Samford's Jay Stanton looks to start strong against Kennesaw State on Thursday.
Kennesaw State kicks off its 2022 college football season with a matchup against Samford on Thursday, September 1.
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The game (7 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV, but anyone in the US can watch Kennesaw State vs Samford live on ESPN+ right here:
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Kennesaw State vs Samford Preview
Kennesaw State opens the season with high expectations but faces a Samford program that gave Florida a run for its money last year.
Samford ultimately fell 70-52 in a gridiron shootout that looked like a college basketball score in the end. The Bulldogs ultimately finished the season 4-7 overall.
Samford is leading Florida 42-28 in the first half. FORTY TWO POINTS. 😳🔥
This year’s Bulldogs squad lost a lot of talent on offense from last year, but the Bulldogs bring back a few key skill players from that team in running back Jay Stanton and wide receiver Ty King. Stanton rushed for 572 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. King looks to bounce back from a quiet 2021 campaign with 23 receptions for 240 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Hiers will start at quarterback for Samford after Nik Scalzo injured his knee during fall camp. Hiers played junior college football at Briarwood Christian last year and transferred to Samford.
Kennesaw State went 11-2 last year before falling to East Tennessee State in the FCS playoffs. The Owls enter this season ranked No. 8 in the FCS preseason poll with eyes on the first ASUN-WAC title.
KSU has a talented dual-threat quarterback in Xavier Shepherd. He threw for 1,341 yards and 15 touchdowns plus rushing for 867 yards and 23 touchdowns. He enters this season as a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, the highest individual honor in the FCS.
PSA: Xavier Shepherd is fast.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a lot of pressure,” Shepherd said via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Erika LeFlouria. “I’d say it’s more of competitiveness. We all compete out here as a team. So, I feel like if we can just compete between each other and make each other better, [then] it’ll be more of a team accolade than individual accolade.”
Samford will get a tall test on defense in facing Shepherd and the Owls. The Bulldogs notably struggled on defense last season with 39.45 points allowed and 503.9 total yards allowed per contest.
“I think we will be a little more multiple in what we do defensively, and I think we will have just a little bit tougher, harder edge about the way we play defense,” Bulldogs head coach Chris Hatcher said on his radio show via 1819 News. “I have been really pleased with the way those guys have practiced and the way they have been playing. Hopefully, we will be much improved on that side of the ball.”