The Kentucky State Thorobreds hit the road 7 p.m. Saturday looking for their first win of the season, facing Kentucky Wesleyan in non-conference action. It's the last non-conference before KSU hits Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action.

BROADCAST: The game can be heard live on Passport Radio 93.5 FM and 1490 AM. In addition, it will be streamed at www.mypassportradio.com. Fans will be able to follow the Thorobreds all season. Sports Information Director Jayson Ameer Rasheed will be providing play-by-play for the game.

SERIES: Following Kentucky State's 30-23 victory in Frankfort last season, the Thorobreds lead the all-time series, 9-1.

THE LAST MEETING: Kentucky State University recorded its first win of the 2017 season with a 30-23 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on September 16 at Alumni Stadium.
    The Thorobreds scored the first two touchdowns of the game en route to taking a 21-7 halftime lead.
    Running back Brett Sylve racked up 100 yards on 21 attempts to go along with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Quarterback Paul Campbell added a pair of passing scores with 60 yards passing and 28 yards rushing.
    Kentucky State's defensive line finished with seven sacks. Defensive end Rodriquez Jones had 5.5 tackles and two of the seven sacks.

THE LAST GAME: A slow start and a pair of goal line stands prevented the Kentucky State University football team from securing the victory in their home opener last week, falling to McKendree 34-17 at Alumni Stadium.
    Playing without starting running back Brett Sylve, the Thorobreds rushing attack still managed to rack up 247 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Jules St. Ge eclipsed the 100-yard barrier for the second straight game with 108 yards on 14 attempts. St. Ge added 101 yards passing on 14-of-22 passing with one touchdown and zero interceptions.
    Senior Demetrius Anderson led the team with five catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. Junior running back Malik Saunders added 41 yards on four receptions.
    Senior Matthew Bizimana tallied 13 tackles, while junior linebacker Myrthel Stewart finished with 10 stops.

NEW LOOK OFFENSE: Under new offensive coordinator, Ken Ackerman, Kentucky State University is ranked 18th nationally in rushing offense, racking up 257 yards per game. The team's rushing attack is enabling the Thorobreds to stay in manageable third down situations.
    Kentucky State currently leads the SIAC on third down, converting 43.3 percent of its chances.

CROWN JULES: After sitting out last season, quarterback Jules St. Ge returned to the gridiron looking better than ever. The redshirt sophomore is completing 70.5 percent (24-of-34) of his pass attempts for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
    As the starting quarterback two seasons ago, he completed just 47 percent of his attempts (83-of-175) for 986 yards and seven touchdowns. He threw for eight interceptions.
    He is doing the majority of his damage on the ground, leading the SIAC with 234 yards rushing. He is seventh nationally, averaging 9.36 yards per carry.

GETTING BIZI: Senior defensive back Matthew Bizimana is leading the team with 19 tackles from his nickleback position. He recorded 13 tackles in the loss to McKendree.

MIA: Kentucky State University played McKendree without its top rusher and tackler from 2017. Junior running back Brett Sylve and senior defensive end Andre Miles both missed the game with injuries. Miles has yet to play this season.

LEAGUE LEADERS: In addition to leading the conference in third down conversion, the Thorobreds are atop of the SIAC in kickoff
return average (27.25 yards per return) and net punting (35.63 yards).

ALL-CONFERENCE TIMES THREE: Junior running back Brett Sylve was named All-SIAC at three separate positions last season. The Hammond, Louisiana product earned first team honors as a running back and kick returner, and picked up second team laurels as a punt returner.
    Sylve led the SIAC in all-purpose yards at 1,970, good enough for top-five in all of NCAA Division II. He finished second overall in rushing yards at 995 and total touchdowns with nine while being noticed as one of the top returners in the conference. He was first overall in returns yards with 594 and two touchdowns, and in punt returns, he was third overall with 151 yards and one touchdown.

WATCH LIST: After an impressive sophomore season, Brett Sylve enters the season on the  Black College Football Player of the Year award Watch List.
    He is one of 15 players from the SIAC on the preseason list.

CAMPBELL'S SOUP: Senior offensive lineman Marcus Campbell enters the season with a rare opportunity to earn All-SIAC honors for the entirety of his career. He earned second team honors in 2017 after playing every single offensive snap through the first nine games.

MILES AHEAD: Senior defensive end Andre Miles led the team with 64 tackles despite playing in just nine of the team's 11 games. Miles is still nursing an injury thus hasn't played yet in 2018.

NOSE FOR BALL: Junior nose guard Chris Roberts leads the team, and his fifth in the SIAC, with 3.5 tackles for loss. He is coming off a season in which he led the team with 11 tackles for loss.
    Despite his production, Roberts is listed as a back-up at the defensive tackle position.

PRESEASON POLLS: In a vote of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) head coaches and sports information directors, the Kentucky State Thorobreds were picked to finish third in the West Division, earning one first-place vote.
    Reigning SIAC champion Tuskegee was picked to win the division, followed by Miles, KYSU, Central State and Lane.
    Albany State was predicted to claim the East Division crown, earning seven of the 10 first-place votes. Following ASU was Benedict, Fort Valley State, Morehouse and Clark.

KENTUCKY STATE BY THE NUMBERS
9 - Junior running back Michael Nero is one of nine players nationally with a kickoff return for a touchdown. He had an 86-yard return for score against McKendree. Nero is averaging 32.5 yards per return.
7 - Junior defensive back David Daniels is one of seven players the country with two fumble returns. The seven players lead the nation.
24 - Kentucky State has scored 56 points in its first two games. The Thorobreds are second in the SIAC with 24.0 points per game. They have scored six touchdowns with two field goals.
8 - The Thorobreds have lost eight of the last nine games, dating  back to last season. The last Kentucky State win was a 32-5 victory over Lane a year ago.
8 - Kentucky State University has eight plays this season over 20 yards, including three rushing plays over 60 yards. In fact, six of the team's 20-yard-plus plays are on the ground.
7 - Quarterback Jules St. Ge has done a good job of spreading the wealth, finding eight different receivers through two games. Senior Demetrius Anderson and junior Malik Saunders are sharing the team lead with seven receptions each. Anderson has the team's lone receiving touchdown.