Syracuse transfer Rickie Collins has a tough act to follow in Kennesaw. We were always going to judge the Owls’ new starting quarterback against Amari Odom’s end result: First-team All CUSA, a 4th-and-14 conversion against Jacksonville State, and smoking cigars as a champion on the Gamecocks’ home turf.
We don’t talk as much about the three back-breaking interceptions Odom threw the first time the two teams played. Or what happened in the bowl game. Or really anything else from last season outside the highlight reel.
Endless “trade” references only add fuel to the fire comparing the two quarterbacks. One quarter into the season, can we put together a progress report for Collins?
We’ll never get a fair view across seasons, but we can try our best by looking at the numbers through each player’s first three games with the Owls. Odom took the reins one drive into the Indiana game, played a majority of snaps against Merrimack, and got a wire-to-wire start vs. a G6 opponent in our own weight class (Arkansas State, coincidently). That roughly lines up with Collins’ half against West Georgia, complete game against Georgia State, and a buy game against Tennessee.
The tale of the tape through three weeks of action:
Obvious disclaimers apply: Stats don’t tell the full story, different weapons and competition level, etc. A few takeaways from diving into the numbers, though:
KSU’s pass blocking performance needs to lead every conversation about QB play this season. Only five quarterbacks in the entire country faced more pressure than Collins through the first three weeks. 25 CUSA tackles recorded at least 25 pass blocking snaps so far. Kennesaw’s two starters grade out as #24 and #25, according to PFF. Odom faced pressure less often in the early stages of last season and threw for 2.4 fewer yards per attempt on 14% lower completion percentage in those situations. Would be interested to get the staff’s take on why it’s so much worse this season.
KSU’s lack of ability - or interest, when down big - in running the ball against FBS competition so far this year has impacted the passing game, too. Collins is running PA/RPO less than half of the time compared to the play-calling in Odom’s first three appearances. When the Owls use a play fake of some kind, Collins is 15/19 for 208 yards (10.8/attempt), with a 14.6% jump in completion percentage compared to straight dropbacks.
To that point, Collins also looks like KSU’s best ball-carrier this season, with more attempts than any of the Owls’ lead running backs. Collins is responsible for 27.7% of KSU’s carries and leads the team in runs longer than 10 yards. The rushing upside was evident at Syrcause in a limited sample size, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how effective he’s been on the ground this season.
For all the conversation about Collins not pushing the ball downfield, he’s within 18 inches of Odom’s average air yards through three appearances last season and has made the exact same number of Big Time Throws (PFF stat, with a comical name). Odom’s 2025 holds the lead on QBR and total passing yards, but how much production came from throws like this where Gabe Benyard gets 6 yards clear of the next closest defender. KSU clearly needs to find some explosiveness on offense. Can we blame Collins for the lack of it?
This isn’t really evident in the numbers above, but KSU’s screen game works MUCH better this season. Mack credited blocking from guys like Navelle Dean, plus Zion Booker has been extremely consistent in that phase of the game. Through three games, Collins is only 4 yards away from matching Odom’s full-season yardage on wide receiver screens. Good sign toward sustainability on some of the underneath stuff.
To be clear, this is not an anti-Odom post or a definitive statement that one QB is better than the other. Odom’s objectively the most important Kennesaw State football player ever, based on when he hit the scene and the major moments he provided. There’s just a little bit of a selective memory from Owls fan where we only talk about the positives and celebrations.
Based on the actual QB performance so far, Collins looks right on schedule in my amateur eyes. I wonder how we’d talk about Collins - and what the the results would look like - if his appearances came in the same exact sequence as Odom: Flashes against a Power 2 opponent, an FCS matchup, and then a level playing field against Sun Belt opposition. Would the Georgia State game happen the same way if KSU had three full games of experience, like when Odom took down Arkansas State in Game 4 (his third outing)? Would we feel any different about Collins with two appearances under his belt before facing a team in our own weight class?
Given the hand he was dealt with pressure, I thought Collins took a step forward against Tennessee. Go back a couple months and every Owls fan on earth would gladly take 22-34 and no picks in a hostile environment against a top-15 team knowing the turnover troubles that plagued him last season. SEC Network color commentator Cole Cubelic said it best as the Owls offense found a second wind in the fourth quarter: “You’re starting to see a little bit on this drive, when Rickie Collins has time to set up and deliver the football, some of that talent coming out.”
KSU still needs to find some answers in pass protection (understatement) and generate more explosives, but Collins making intermediate throws like this look routine was a positive sign down the stretch. On the season, he’s completing nearly 80% of his passes within 20 yards - up about 18% from last season at Syracuse in that same range.
Collins’ last throw of the night fell incomplete but he was just inches away from connecting with Davis Bryson on a slot fade and getting the Owls into the checkerboard. Tough play for 9, but I’m betting OC/QB coach Mitch Militello would take that ball placement 100% of the time.
Here’s the immediate reaction from Mack about how his quarterback performed in front of 100K+ at Neyland Stadium:
“I thought Rickie did a really good job of just managing the game. He took the throws they gave to him, he didn’t try to do anything extra. We talked about letting the game come to him. Rickie’s going to continue to grow as a passer. That’s the biggest thing from him I want to continue to see. I want to continue to see him progress through plays, he took the tags when he needed to take the tags, and as a runner he conitnued to show he can use his legs.”
Mack spent most of the offseason talking up Collins’ “undeniable” talent amidst a carefully-crafted position battle meant to built up the former four-star recruit following a rough experience at Syracuse. It’s difficult not to view the first quarter of the season in that same lens: Can the Owls rebuild the offense and Collins’ confidence at the same time? If we’re talking about QB1 as a game manager through three games, that might be a win on its own.
If you’re not quite ready to turn the page to Arkansas State:
PFF grades went up a little late on Sunday afternoon after getting back from Knoxville. Thought they were a little harsh on the defense, as crazy as that sounds in a 33-point loss. Side note: Awesome experience. If you’re able, I would highly recommend hitting one of the P4 paycheck games in the next few seasons.
Over at the Film Guy Network, Brooks Austin walked through a half hour of tape from the Owls defense vs. Tennessee offense. Obviously KSU’s not the main character here, but worth your time to get an outside perspective from ball-knower. He came away pretty high on Josh Anglin and tries to sell Luke Evans to the highest portal bidder.
Former Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall also runs a film-focused channel and posted an offensive line breakdown from the game.
I saved this last bullet point for the AJC and MDJ, but they were nowhere to be found once again. Kevin Hart has now attended more Kennesaw State games than Atlanta’s legacy media this season. Jerry Mack’s press conference yesterday also featured two KSU employees going iso-ball for the fourth straight week. Gotta admit it’s pretty funny that the athletic department would rather have literally nobody covering the team than let me or one of the OCP guys in the Zoom.
