The Kennesaw State Owls were a little more than two minutes from beating Jacksonville State again. Instead, they lost 27-26 on Wednesday night in a Conference USA opener that doubled as a rematch of the 2025 title game.
Garrison Rippa's 33-yard field goal with 52 seconds left put Jacksonville State back in front, and Rob Billings IV intercepted quarterback Rickie Collins on Kennesaw State's final drive. The defending conference champions fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in CUSA, prompting angry backlash from fans.
The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter before the Owls succumbed to defeat. The official Kennesaw State football X account, posting the final score, acted as a sounding board for the frustrations of a fanbase that has come to expect more from the on-field product.
Linebacker Tywon Christopher, who finished with a career-high 15 tackles, forced a fumble by Jacksonville State running back Lucas Farrington with the Owls down 24-23, and Baron Hopson recovered. That set up freshman Daniel Kinney's 28-yard field goal for a 26-24 lead.
On the Gamecocks' next possession, a defensive holding penalty on Kennesaw State turned a fourth-down stop into a fresh set of downs. Jacksonville State quarterback Caden Creel then led the 11-play drive that ended in Rippa's kick.
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One fan zeroed in on that flag. "That penalty after getting a stop on our captain is inexcusable. How does that happen."
The holding call was one of 15 penalties for 137 yards against Kennesaw State, while Jacksonville State was flagged 11 times for 93 yards. The Owls also missed the extra point after Collins' 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, in a game they lost by one.
Then there was Deondre Johnson, the Jacksonville State receiver whom Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack rated among the conference's top deep threats before the game. "Everybody always has to know where #11 is every time you line up," Mack said.
Johnson, Jacksonville State's No. 11, caught four passes for 112 yards, an average of 28 per catch. Another fan tied those numbers to the flags. "28yds per catch and umpteen penalties trying to stop him!"
Yet Kennesaw State outgained Jacksonville State 410 yards to 385. Collins threw for 293 yards and ran for 61 more and a touchdown, while Brayden Munroe caught seven passes for 159 yards.
But Jacksonville State intercepted Collins twice. Safety Caleb Nix picked him off in the end zone in the third quarter, on the Owls' only red-zone trip without points, and Billings ended the final drive at the Kennesaw State 45-yard line.
Another fan spread the blame around. "Each unit had a role in thoroughly blowing this game. Sad."
"It's conference play, and this is where everything counts," Mack said before the game, framing the opener as the start of the Owls' push for another championship.
Since opening the season with a 47-0 win over West Georgia, Kennesaw State has lost to Georgia State, Tennessee, Arkansas State, and now Jacksonville State. It is the Owls' first four-game losing streak under Mack, and their first back-to-back home losses in 733 days.
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One Kennesaw State fan looked beyond Wednesday, writing that the Owls will keep losing until the school invests in football facilities. "Our football stadium looks like a dump."
The Owls play home games at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium, where attendance on Wednesday was 10,225 for a game shown on CBS Sports Network.
Another Kennesaw State fan agreed, arguing that better facilities recruit better players. "If facilities are bad then it's going to trickle down into everything we do."
Kennesaw State plays at Missouri State next Wednesday and returns home to face Liberty on Oct. 22. According to the Pro Football Network College Football Playoff Meter, the Owls only have a 2.2% probability of repeating as CUSA champion.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
