As the Kennesaw State University Owls won a significant victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, an expected shift upwards in their rankings occurred. The Owls moved up to 17th in the FCS ranking, while prior to this game they were 20th. In this top-25 match, there was one player that stood out above others. Xavier Shepard is the KSU’s starting quarterback out of Nashville, Tennessee. In the game against the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks on October 2, 2021, Shepard made great plays not only as the leading passer, but also as the leading rusher.
The sophomore quarterback earned career records in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in one game. Also, in the matchup between the two rival teams, Shepard completed 5 of 6 pass attempts. The KSU quarterback proved to be a double-threat in being a rusher and passer as he came out of the game with 124 rushing yards which led to 3 rushing touchdowns, accounting for 18 points out of the 31 scored by the Owls. Due to these impressive statistics, Xavier Shepard was given an honorable mention FCS Player of the Week, and was named Big South Player of the Week. Shepard, leading the Big South in scoring with six touchdowns and 36 points this season, and the Owls move on to their first conference game next week.
Kennesaw State University will be traveling to Hampton University on October 9th. The Owls hope to have a victory over the Pirates as they did the last time they met, with a notable score of 50-7! Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m., and may be watched on ESPN3, or listened to on the KSU Owls App.
