The Clark Atlanta University Panthers will venture to metro Atlanta's north side Saturday to challenge one of the best teams in FCS (Football Championship Series, formerly I-AA) football when they take on Kennesaw State at 6 p.m.  

CAU (0-3), a member of Division II, will take on the Owls at KSU's Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be available locally on Peachtree TV.

Kennesaw State (2-1) is ranked fifth in the country after having only lost in the final minute in their opener against Georgia State.  The Owls have since defeated Tennessee Tech 49-10 and Alabama State 62-13. 

"They are an opponent that we faced my first year," said CAU Head Coach Kevin Ramsey about Clark Atlanta's last visit to Kennesaw, a 56-0 loss in 2016.  "Those guys have just been doing a tremendous job.  We have local, Georgia kids, so we look forward to this ballgame and have a lot of respect for their ball club.  Our guys are looking forward to the challenge."

Kennesaw State's success this year starts with their ground game.  The Owls have the nation's second-best running game, averaging 368 yards a game.  Darnell Holland leads KSU in rushing with 258 yards and two touchdowns in three games.  But the offense is centered around quarterback Chandler Burks.  Burks is second in the nation in touchdowns with six after his second consecutive three-touchdown game last week.

Burks has also thrown for 337 yards and two touchdowns this season, both of his TDs going to leading receiver Justin Sumpter who has caught nine passes in three games.

"The quarterback makes great decisions with the ball," said CAU Defensive Coordinator Milton Patterson.  "They utilize the athletes at every phase of the game, whether that's passing, getting the ball on the perimeter, or hitting you up inside.  We have a challenge ahead of us, but we are up to it.  I think those guys do a great job of utilizing all the talent they have on the field.

KSU runs a spread option, similar to the triple option offense run by CAU's opening night opponent, Mississippi College.  CAU narrowly lost to Mississippi College on the road, 31-30.

"We had the opportunity to see the triple option earlier in the season," Patterson said. "I know it's on a different scale, however the principles stay true.  There were some situations where we kind of violated our eyes and hands. But now we have the film to kind of correct those so we can come into this game better prepared."

The CAU defensive charge will be led by last week's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honorees Justin Wade and Ezekiel Edmonds.  Wade, a junior linebacker, was named the SIAC's Defensive Player of the Week after making a game-high 12 tackles against Tuskegee.  Edmonds, a senior defensive back, was named Newcomer of the Week after he made nine tackles and nabbed a sack.

Defensive back Kenneth Morgan – a junior Patterson refers to as the quarterback of the defense – leads CAU in tackles with 23 stops. He also has an interception and a fumble recovery.  Defensive end Kameron Rogers, a graduate transfer, has 18 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and has forced two fumbles, while spark plug William Profit has 14 tackles and four tackles for loss.

The CAU offense will be led by quarterbacks Charles Stafford and Elijah Odom. Stafford, the starter, has thrown for 480 yards and two touchdowns, while Odom, a transfer from Texas Southern, is a dangerous dual threat as s a passer and rusher.

"We feel comfortable with our quarterbacks," said CAU Offensive Coordinator Willie Totten.  "We feel they can do the things that we are asking them to do.  Both quarterbacks bring a different flavor to the game.  We just feel comfortable with both of those guys bringing different things to the game."

Their top receiving targets are Johnathan Sanders and Josh Banks, while Roger Thomas anchors the running game.

"It's always good when you can play a local team and a team of their capability," Totten said. "It shines a light on our program and we look to go in there and really compete and give our kids some inspiration as well before we go into conference play."