FCS Second-Round Playoff
The Matchup – Wofford (9-3) at No. 4 seed Kennesaw State (10-1) at Fifth Third Bank Stadium (8,300) in Kennesaw, Georgia
Kickoff – 2 p.m. ET
Coverage – ESPN3
Series – First meeting
3 Players to Watch – Wofford: FB Andre Stoddard (154 carries, 912 yards, 11 TDs; 952 passing yards, 10 TDs), RB Lennox McAfee (109 carries, 826 yards, 8 TDs), OLB Jireh Wilson (57 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 FR, 2 FF); Kennesaw State: QB Chandler Burks (172 carries, 864 yards, 29 TDs), RB/KR Darnell Holland (66 carries, 783 yards, 8 TDs), LB Anthony Gore Jr. (61 tackles, 9 TFL, 5 sacks)
The Skinny – Although from different conferences, these similar, triple option teams have played three common opponents, with Kennesaw State going 3-0 against Presbyterian, Gardner-Webb and Samford, and Wofford going 2-1. Both teams know what to expect from the other. Wofford, the automatic qualifier out of the Southern Conference, ranks fourth in the FCS in rushing (331.5 yards per game) and ninth in stopping the run (99.1); Big South champ Kennesaw State is second in rushing offense (373.9) and 13th in rushing defense (110.6). In the first round of the playoffs, Wofford wore down Elon 19-7 with 344 rushing yards plus Luke Carter’s four field goals. Nathan Walker, who’s fourth on the team, led the way with 90 yards and a TD last Saturday. The defense is balanced with 12 players at 30 or more tackles. The host Owls ended the regular season with a No. 2 national ranking, posting 10 straight games behind Burks, who has set an FCS single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (29). They’re averaging an FCS-high 48.6 points per game. Gore and Bryson Armstrong, the 2017 STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award winner, are a pair of stout linebackers. Freshman Isaac Foster has returned two of his five kickoff returns for touchdowns.The Owls have won 14 straight home games.
Up Next – The winner will play either Duquesne (9-3) or No. 5 seed South Dakota State (8-2) in the quarterfinals Dec. 7 or 8.
Prediction – Kennesaw State and Wofford have a home-and-home series beginning in 2021, so they’re getting an early start. The Owls are just a little better at what both teams do. Kennesaw State, 28-20.
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