The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Michael Hiers threw for four touchdowns in his Samford debut and the Bulldogs upset FCS power Kennesaw State 27-17 in a season opener for both teams Thursday night.

Hiers, a junior college transfer, was 18-of-24 passing for 289 yards, completing two touchdown passes each to Kendall Watson and Chandler Smith. Watson had nine catches for a career-high 187 yards.

Hiers' two scores to Smith came in the fourth quarter, the final one a toss into the flat that the receiver turned into a 31-yard score with five minutes remaining and a 27-17 lead.

Xavier Shepherd connected with Nykeem Farrow on a 72-yard pass play to the 7-yard line but was intercepted in the end zone by Kourtland Marsh with 3:41 left.

Shepherd went over 1,000 rushing yards for his career but had just 64 yards on 35 carries with a score against the Bulldogs.

The Owls fell in their first game since leaving the Big South, where they won three conference titles in seven years, including last season. They joined the Atlantic Sun this season.

Both teams are headed for road games at ranked FBS teams on Sept. 10, Kennesaw State at No. 23-ranked Cincinnati and Samford at No. 3 Georgia.

Any bets Samford does better than Oregon?

Watched a little Kennesaw State on ESPN+. They run the triple option. We will have a tremendous size and athletic advantage over them. One thing we did poorly on defense yesterday was keeping that outside containment. Their QB ran the ball 35 times against Samford, making him by fair their leading rusher both from a carry and yardage standpoint (the next back only had 8 carries).

(09-04-2022 12:36 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  Watched a little Kennesaw State on ESPN+. They run the triple option. We will have a tremendous size and athletic advantage over them. One thing we did poorly on defense yesterday was keeping that outside containment. Their QB ran the ball 35 times against Samford, making him by fair their leading rusher both from a carry and yardage standpoint (the next back only had 8 carries).

Upsets happen--they're appropriately named. But I don't see KSU matching up well in size, speed, or physicality with our Bearcats. Hoping it's sunny, a packed house, and the concession stand beer is appropriately cold.

Has UC ever played Kennesaw State before? This game is on ESPN+ I think.

(09-04-2022 03:49 PM)chatcat Wrote:  Has UC ever played Kennesaw State before? This game is on ESPN+ I think.

Game is on ESPN+ @ 3:30. This is the 1st meeting w/ KSU.

Oh great. Kennesaw St. is going to be coming in here mad.

40% chance of rain. High 78

Extra week of preparations for the Navy game later in the year.

3rd biggest school in Georgia. Don't overlook this team.

(09-05-2022 08:51 PM)doss2 Wrote:  40% chance of rain. High 78

LOL, our daily forecast for this September.

As someone commented, this may be good preparation for Navy later this year and with lots of fresh faces on UC's defense it does present an opportunity to see how adaptable coaches and players are when facing rarely seen formations.

My hope is the field goal unit gets some action too. Any opinions on whether those missed ones at Arkansas were in need of something more than a tweak to put the ball through the uprights?

If we iron out 1/4 of the mistakes we made last week (especially in the first half), we win by 40.

Looking forward to attending first game at Nip for 2022. Sellout as well which is great for the opponent we play.

Way too many mistakes to come out with a W against top 25 SEC West team last week but boy do we have some talent. Bearcats get back on track Saturday!

(09-05-2022 08:51 PM)doss2 Wrote:  40% chance of rain. High 78

Now forecast is just cloudy!

You know something Cincinnati fans? I'm happier than I've ever been before. All the Cincinnati fans are running wilder and stronger than ever before!

I've said since day one, when I became a Bearcats fan, that I fear no football team that walks on to that field. If something were to ever happen to Cincinnati fans, it would have to be an act of God. Some kind of natural disaster! When I look around college football, the only disaster that I see threatening Cincinnati fans is Kennesaw State.

Oh yeah, right there on national TV, Arkansas jumped on Cincinnati's chest. But in our eyes, with Cincinnati fans being so strong, it didn't do that much damage. You better have more gas in that engine!

Cincinnati fans make up the strongest force of fans in football! You better hit Cincinnati hard, Kennesaw State. Who knows what happens to you if you don't!

(09-07-2022 11:32 PM)Tom Campusano Wrote:  You know something Cincinnati fans? I'm happier than I've ever been before. All the Cincinnati fans are running wilder and stronger than ever before!

I've said since day one, when I became a Bearcats fan, that I fear no football team that walks on to that field. If something were to ever happen to Cincinnati fans, it would have to be an act of God. Some kind of natural disaster! When I look around college football, the only disaster that I see threatening Cincinnati fans is Kennesaw State.

Oh yeah, right there on national TV, Arkansas jumped on Cincinnati's chest. But in our eyes, with Cincinnati fans being so strong, it didn't do that much damage. You better have more gas in that engine!

Cincinnati fans make up the strongest force of fans in football! You better hit Cincinnati hard, Kennesaw State. Who knows what happens to you if you don't!

Cincinnati fans swing Big Ficks!

By: Michael Goss
Story LinksKENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State travels to Nippert Stadium to face-off with the 2021 College Football Playoff participant, Cincinnati Bearcats. The matchup is the first between the two programs and marks the fourth time in KSU history that the team will face an FBS opponent. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.

The Rundown
Opponent: Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1, 0-0 AAC)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
Site: Nippert Stadium; Cincinnati, Ohio
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KSU Owls App
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: KSU | CIN
2022 Schedule: Click Here
FB Media Guide: Click Here

Top Storylines
Kennesaw State is looking for its first win over an FBS opponent in school history. The Owls are 0-3 against teams in this classification, with two losses coming by less than four points.
Preseason All-American quarterback Xavier Shepherd surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards and 1,500 career passing yards in the season opener at Samford. Shepherd became the sixth Owl in team history to reach the career rushing milestone and sits only four yards shy of second place in the KSU record books for rushing yards by a quarterback.
Defensive lineman Travis Bell enters Saturday six tackles away from 100 for his collegiate career. The graduate student has bolstered the KSU defensive line over the past four seasons and ranks fifth in the Owl record book for total sacks in a career (9.5).
The Kennesaw State offense has scored a point in 82 straight games and has reached the double-digit mark in each of its last 60 contests. The last time the Owls scored less than 10 points was in November of 2016.

Numbers to Know
73 - The Owls have rushed for 150+ yards in 73 straight games dating back to week 11 of the 2015 season.
32 - KSU has won each of the last 41 games when it scores 32 points and is 44-1 all-time when reaching that mark
4 - Saturday's contest marks the fourth game against the FBS for Kennesaw State Football.
3 - The Owls' trip to Cincinnati will be the third game against a team from Ohio in program history.
1 - 2022 marks year one for Kennesaw State in the ASUN Conference for football after seven years in the Big South.

Best Ever
No other start-up program in college football history had more wins in its first five seasons than Kennesaw State with 48 victories.

Dynasty Mode
Dating back to week two of the 2017 season, Kennesaw State has won 49 of its last 59 games for an .831 winning percentage.

Ranking Streak Record
Following the preseason polls by Stats FCS and the AFCA, the Owls have been ranked in one of the two polls for 61 consecutive weeks. The streak started Oct. 30, 2017, and spans 1,776 days. This broke a Big South Conference record of 45 during the 2021 season.

Minute Men
In their first seven seasons, the Owls have 63 scoring drives of one minute or less, including a program-best 17 in 2019. KSU tallied eight scoring drives under one minute during the 2021 season.

Season Tickets
Season tickets are still on sale for the 2022 season and feature the most affordable purchasing options in KSU football history. New benefits include the first football concessions discount and the option to purchase a season-long parking pass. Click here to purchase today!


For more information on Kennesaw State athletics, follow @KennesawStFB on Twitter or like Kennesaw State Football on Facebook and Instagram.

https://ksuowls.com/news/2022/9/8/footba...rcats.aspx

Defend the Nip!

These broadcast angles should get someone launched into the sun.

Cats off to a pretty awful start