CFB Bowl Preview 2025: Myrtle Beach Bowl
Kennesaw State Owls vs Western Michigan Broncos
By Aaron Fletcher
Bowl season is in full swing, and we will be previewing every bowl game this year. This year’s Myrtle Beach Bowl will be contested between Kennesaw State Owls vs Western Michigan Broncos. Let’s take a look at the key matchups.
Where and When
Location: Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina (home of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers)
Date: 19th of December 2025
Time: 11am ET, 4pm GMT
Story So Far...
You will be forgiven if you feel a little dizzy after watching Kennesaw State this season given how quickly they’ve turned their whole programme around. The Owls went 2-10 in their first FBS season last year and with their brand new HC Jerry Mack, many thought a similar fate was inevitable. They started the season admirably, losing by only a point on the road to Wake Forest. Then got blown away by would-be Big Ten Champs Indiana, led by eventual Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. They benched Dexter Williams II in week 3, choosing to start Amari Odom instead, and thus started a 7 game winning streak. Their only loss for the rest of the season came in the way of their eventual CUSA Championship opponents Jacksonville State, but they got their revenge when it mattered most.
By all accounts, Western Michigan had an eerily similar season on paper – just with vastly different pre-season expectations. Many predicted the Broncos to make a Bowl Game, but very few thought they would make the MAC Championship. Starting the season 0-3 with a shutout loss to ranked Illinois and a tough-fought OT loss to a North Texas team that would go on to be ranked with P4 wins. A QB change to begin conference play, much like their Beach Bowl opponents, proved to be a pivotal moment in their season as the Broncos would go on to get wins over Championship hopefuls Toledo and Ohio on their way to being the #1 ranked team in the conference. Again, much like their opponents on Thursday, their only conference loss came to the team they would eventually go on to beat in the Championship game.
The Quarterbacks
Amari Odom transferred to Kennesaw State from Wofford in the 2025 off-season. He started the season as number 2 behind Dexter Williams II, but after entering the game during the blowout by Indiana, Odom was named the starter for their week 3 clash against Merrimack. He completed 171 of 256 passes (66.8%) for 2,385 yards, 18 TDs and 6 INTs, which isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. Half of those INTs came in Kennesaw State’s first game against Jacksonville State, a game in which Odom was benched for Dexter Williams. However, his ability to scramble and make plays with his athleticism made a huge difference. Odom had 376 yards on the ground with 7 more TDs for good measure. This was enough to make him first-team All-CUSA and his performance in the Championship game – which included a huge 2 game-winning plays in the 4th quarter – earned him MVP for the CUSA Championship Game.
Broc Lowry also entered the season as the back-up, but the plan was to split plays with JUCO transfer Brady Jones. Lowry impressed when given the opportunity which included a 3 TD game in an OT loss vs. North Texas. Broc was given the starting job to begin conference play vs. Toledo and the Broncos win 9 of their next 10 games, including the MAC Championship. Lowry, a redshirt Sophomore, completed 151 of 243 passes (63.4%) for 1,683 yards, 7 TDs and 2 INTs. His main strength, however, was his legs. He leads the Broncos in rushing with 940 yards and his TDs on the ground is double that of his TDs in the air with 14. His dual threat ability led him to the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as a first-team All-MAC honour.
Who to Watch
Kennesaw State: Gabriel Benyard, WR; “if you give Benyard the ball, good things happen.” is something that’s become somewhat of a weekly guaranteed post on my social media this year. Benyard is a playmaker, who’s been utilised in the air, on the ground and on special teams. His 1k yards from scrimmage and 234 punt-return yards helped him earn first-team All-CUSA honours as a WR. Unfortunately, he was pulled from the CUSA Championship early due to a concussion, and as a senior without an invite to the Senior Bowl, you’d like to think that he may use this opportunity as his final chance to get some tape as he looks to continue his football career elsewhere. While he’s yet to make any announcement on his future, he would be an interesting, late day 3 prospect to keep an eye on.
Western Michigan: Nadame Tucker, DE: a Houston transfer that the vast majority knew nothing about entering 2025. His career through 3 years at the Cougars amounted to a total 10 tackles in 3 years. His first season with the Broncos has been a MONSTER year, amassing 55 tackles and 14.5 sacks on the season. Those stats earned him MAC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as first-team All-MAC honours. The speedy, shifty DE has 1 more year of eligibility as a redshirt Senior but could still enter the draft. Whether or not he chooses to go to the draft this year is yet to be determined, but he’s widely seen as a solid day 3 pick whose stock is rising pretty quickly. One more opportunity to put some tape out there before making a decision on going to the NFL draft? Either way, he’s someone you should absolutely have an eye on.
Prediction
Currently, Western Michigan are 3.5 point favourites but I don’t particularly think the Broncos are all that much better than the Owls, if at all. Either way, I’d be looking at a fun matchup all together that absolutely has the propensity to be a high scoring affair. The Western Michigan defense is very good, but Jerry Mack has the Kennesaw State offense playing at a high level with success in both the ground and passing game. CUSA Champions vs. MAC Champions vying to be the Unofficial Kings of the G6. I’m going to take the Owls to not just cover the spread, but even take the moneyline and win outright.
Kennesaw State 31-28 Western Michigan
Aaron Fletcher
GUEST WRITER
Fletch is an NFL & College Football fanatic and podcast host, based in Manchester with an affinity for staying up until 5am+ watching whatever football he can lay his eyes on.. Follow him on Twitter @LionsGuyFletch, and find more of his content at www.aawnetwork.com