Kennesaw State Sports

Kennesaw State Ends Its FCS era with dominating 63-3 Victory Over Virginia-Lynchburg

Don Stone — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:36:05 +0000

By Don Stone – KennesawStateSports.com

This was another one of those game where the opponent never should have been on the same field as Kennesaw State. Similar to Tusculum to open the season or Lincoln on October 28. Not coincidentally, those were the only two wins for the Owls prior to Virginia-Lynchburg.

The Dragons came into Fifth Third Stadium and got their collective butts kicked, trailing 42-3 at the half where the Owls outgained them 337 to 50.

Michael Benefield became the first player in Kennesaw State history to have over 100 yards rushing…and that was just in the first half.

Eventually, KSU made it 63-3 with the fourth quarter mostly consisting of subs.

With a student population of only 913, that came out to a point for every 14.80 students.

But, the mismatch was a result of an improvised schedule that KSU was forced to make when they decided to move up in 2024 to the FBS level and leave the Atlantic Sun Conference to join Conference USA.

As part of the transition, they lost all of the scheduled games with ASUN teams and had to play whoever they could get games with. Those three were among only nine they could come up with in a shortened season.

But, the odd 2023 shortened campaign is over now. The coaching staff will have extra time on their hands to recruit and maybe watch some football for a change.

Things get real again in August as a new era of Owls football begins.

At this point, they just have two games announced on that schedule. UTSA in San Antonio, TX on August 31st and at San Jose State on September 14. The rest will be filled in in the spring when Conference USA announces their schedule.

Owls Disappoint Homecoming Crowd With Loss To Tennessee State

Don Stone — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 23:23:49 +0000

By Don Stone – KennesawStateSports.com

This is not your big brother’s Owls team. Those that came before dominated lesser teams and usually beat tougher teams winning multiple Big South Championships along the way since their inception in 2015.

This year is a transitional one as Kennesaw State moves out of the FCS and the Atlantic Sun Conference to the FBS level Conference USA.

They were only able to get a nine game schedule to fill in the gaps. Many of those teams looked like pushovers. But, so far, the only one that would qualify for that label is the season opener against Tusculum. After losing that matchup 38-7, the Pioneers have won three of their five games since. But, all of those games were against teams like Wingate, Catawba, Barton and Carson-Newman.

KSU, in the meantime, has struggled in every game they’ve played, losing every one since to teams like Chattanooga, Furman, Tennessee Tech, Charleston Southern and now a frustrating 27-20 Homecoming loss in front of a sellout crowd to Tennessee State, who led in every minute of the game from start to finish.

This was despite the fact that Michael Benefield set a career high with 101 yards rushing. Mistakes in the snapping game were a problem last week. And, a bad snap in this one took an Owls team that was driving deep in Tiger territory and had the ball sail over the quarterback’s head an astounding 40 yards giving them an insurmountable first and 50 on their own 40, obviously killing that promising drive.

And, even though Tennessee State committed eight penalties for 81 yards and had maybe a dozen three and outs, they still won by a touchdown.

KSU has a rare double bye week lined up as they try to figure out what’s not working before hosting another one of those teams you probably have never heard of, Lincoln (CA). This one has to be a win with the Oaklanders winless in seven games this season, outscored by a combined 270-64 in those games.

But, there’s a lot to work on in the time between now and October 28.

Owls Fall Short In Another Comeback Attempt

Don Stone — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 15:21:40 +0000

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

A very exciting game at Fifth Third Bank Stadium resulted in a similar result for Kennesaw State for the second consecutive week. Seven days earlier in Chattanooga, the Owls fell behind 17-0 before mounting a second half comeback, outscoring the Mocs 20-10. But, they came up short 27-20.

On Saturday night, after scoring first, Furman got up by two scores twice, 21-7 and 28-14. The Owls played come from behind virtually all game getting to within seven a few times. But, they could never overcome the 14 point hole they had dug.

Kennesaw State wound up losing by a 31-28 score, actually much closer than I thought it would be. Coming in, the Paladins looked like a very tough opponent ranked #7 and making it to the second round of last season’s playoffs. But, the Owls hung tough throughout. In the end, it was settled on a last second field goal.

What did them in was undisciplined penalties, six of them for 68 yards, extending drives and keeping the Furman offense on the field. The one that stood out the most was 30 yards on two plays, a horse collar tackle on Tykeem Wallace followed by a late hit on Deontre Morris that moved the ball from the KSU 45 all the way into the red zone at the 15. That made it easy for quarterback Tyler Huff to take it into the right corner of the end zone and go up 28-14.

The Owls had a difficult time containing Huff, who had a great night, rushing for 79 yards and four touchdowns, a Furman quarterback record. He was 24-32 passing with 237 yards through the air.

Another series that stood out as crucial was near the end of the first half when it looked like the Owls were going to tie it at 14. KSU got the ball back in their best starting field position at their 42 with 28 seconds left.
A quick completion to Carson Kent went out of bounds at the FP48. A false start moved it to the KSU47. Blake Bohannon’s big catch up the middle for 33 yards got it into field goal range at the 21. Then, a big sack for a 10 yard loss pushed it back to the 31. Another false start was followed by a short pass and time ran out. A golden opportunity for an easy three points and maybe more was squandered with more penalties and the sack.

Two Owl players who stood out were quarterback Jonathan Murphy who set a single game program record with 308 yards passing, the first to go over 300 in a game. Single game records for passing attempts (31) and completions (17) were also established.

Gabriel Benyard had 136 receiving yards, a career high, the longest for 61 yards and two touchdowns. The running back ran for 65 yards, the longest for 45 yards and a third TD.

Next up, Kennesaw State returns to Tennessee to visit Tennessee Tech. The Owls beat the Golden Eagles at home last year in a close 33-30 game.

Tech is winless in three tries this season and will be coming off a 20-7 September 16^th loss to the North Alabama Lions. The game takes place on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. It can be seen on ESPN+.

Kennesaw State Football Begins 9 Game Transitional Season As An Independent

Don Stone — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 15:38:58 +0000

Kennesaw State Football Begins 9 Game Transitional Season As An Independent

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

After an uncharacteristically bad 2022 season, Kennesaw State looks to get back on track with an abbreviated nine game season in 2023.

“The whole deal with this football team’s been, ‘what does it mean to play Kennesaw State football? What does Kennesaw State football look like’, said head football coach Brian Bohannon.

“We lost a little bit of that last year. Right now, we’re talking about protecting the brand. That’s number one for us.”

The shortened season is part of the exit plan from the also short stint in the Atlantic Sun Conference after spending their first seven seasons in the Big South Conference.

The Owls are moving up in the world and will elevate to FBS status next season. They’ll be leaving their one season as an independent and transferring up to the Conference USA.

All of that will mean more revenue coming in and much more attractive (and difficult) opponents.

There was a lot of rescheduling when the decision was made to leave the ASUN Conference and the FCS.

So, for now, KSU works their way through a season of teams that they could get on their transitional schedule starting with the Tusculum Pioneers. Yes, I had to look them up to and check the spelling more than once. They are based in Tusculum, Tennessee a little east of Knoxville.

The Owls are not included in the new ASUN-WAC partnership for the 2023 season. As part of the transition to the FBS, the Owls are ineligible for post-season play as they are competing as an FCS Independent this season.

Conference USA has a lot of changes itself as former member schools Rice, UTSA, North Texas, UB, Florida Atlantic and Charlotte all moved away to the American Athletic Conference. C-USA adjusted by adding Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State. Four months later, they severed ties with Old Dominion, Marshall and Southern Miss. All three moved to the Sun Belt.

So, the new look Conference USA will have 10 member schools with the addition of KSU in July of 2024.

For the second time in program history, the Owls will open the season on a Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. And, there is a fireworks display scheduled at halftime. They have another one on the books after the game with Furman on September 16th. That Saturday game starts at 5:00 p.m.

The opener is also #Flight27 night acknowledging all of the incoming freshman students who are on track to graduate in 2027.

You can watch the game on ESPN+ with Nolan Alexander doing play-by-play. Barclay Miller will be analyst with Lauren Hoffman sidelines.
On radio, you can hear it on the Owl Network and Tune In with play-by-play handled by Jordan Griffitt. Analyst is Brandon Sutton and Caleb O’Oneal doing sideline reporting.Sun

Owls Finish Homestand With 30-20 Win Over Charleston Southern

Don Stone — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 15:09:53 +0000

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

In the early days of Kennesaw State football, one of the Owls’ biggest rivals was Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers won the first two meetings. But, since, KSU has won the last five, including a 30-20 game on a cloudy day Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

From the beginning, Kennesaw State took charge jumping out to a 10-0 lead after being held to just a field goal in the first quarter including another missed field goal. The only points the Bucs could muster was on a 25 yard pick six by Jeremiah McClendon with 1:05 left in first half.

Along the way, Markeith Montgomery set the school record for career interceptions. Another record setting performance was by Gabriel Benyard with 117 punt return yards, also the most in team history.

In reality, CSU is a shadow of what they used to be with just one win in seven tries this season. They were inconsistent throughout the game as they have been all year, held to just 76 yards rushing.

Starting quarterback Tony Bartalo had a fumble and an interception before being replaced by redshirt freshman Deymon Fleming in the third quarter.

The Owls have also been inconsistent with this being the first time in 2022 they have won two games in a row. They improved to 4-4.

After a long homestand, the KSU finally heads back on the road for a non-conference game at No. 18 Tennessee Martin at Hardy M. Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee, just
It will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m.

Owls Win OT Thriller On Homecoming

Don Stone — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 16:47:43 +0000

Owls Win OT Thriller On Homecoming

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

For the second time this season, Kennesaw State pulled out a victory that required more than regulation time.

The game against Tennessee Tech looked all but lost on more than one occasion. But there were other times when a win looked likely.

Kennesaw State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a 10 yard rushing touchdown by Preston Daniels and a 9 yard rushing score by Issac Foster with 8:31 to go in the second quarter.

Then, the Golden Eagles took control and outscored the Owls 20-3 by the time there was 5:40 left in the third quarter.

A fumble by quarterback Xavier Shepherd at the KSU34 led to a 46 yard field goal to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game at 20-17.

Apart from a Connor Cummins 24 yard field goal near the end of the first half, the Owl offense had been held completely in check.

TTU was driving again on the way to what looked like a 10 point lead when Markeith Montgomery intercepted a Quavel Thornton pass at the KSU19. An unnecessary roughness call moved it out to the 34 giving the Owls new life.

A big 46 yard run by Daniels got it into the red zone at the 20. But Cummins missed a 40 yard field goal that would have tied the game.

Things looked bleak, especially when Gabriel Benyard took the punt at the 5 yard line. But, KSU engineered a 95 yard scoring drive capped by a 20 yard Foster TD catch to put the Owls up 24-20 with just over a minute left.

TTU quickly responded with a 75 yard drive of their own going back on top 27-24 with an 18 yard Willie Miller TD catch.

The Owls had just 27 seconds left to avoid a second loss in a row. But a pair of quick 26 yard catches by Foster and Hill got them to the 23 with six seconds to go…just enough time for Cummings to redeem himself and tie the game at 27 from 40 yards as time ran out in regulation.

In overtime, the Eagles got the ball first at the KSU25. The defense held with Tennessee Tech having to settle for a 46 yard Hayden Olsen field goal putting them up 30-27. The Owls could win it with a TD…or, at the very least send it into a second OT with a field goal.

The offense picked up where they left off moving the ball with runs by Daniels and Shepherd to give them a first down at the 17. Shepherd got 11 more then took it across the goal line to give his team an unexpected 33-30 OT win.

A perfect gift for the large Homecoming crowd.

The Owls keep their 3-4 record at home for a visit next Saturday by old Big South rival Charleston Southern. Kickoff is 1:00.

Owls Dominated At Home By UCA Bears

Don Stone — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 16:04:39 +0000

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

Kennesaw State had just announced their plans to move up from the FCS to the FBS as they’ll join Conference USA in 2024.

That will come with some growing pains as the FBS level of competition gets tougher. They have already struggled at that level, losing all four times they played FBS teams (Georgia State, Kent State, Georgia Tech and Cincinnati).

The fact is that one of the main reasons this season is the worst start in program history (2-4) is the higher level of competition as they moved into the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Saturday was a perfect example.
“We got our butts whipped,” said head coach Brian Bohannon after the game.

From start to finish, ASUN opponent Central Arkansas dominated the game eventually pulling away in the fourth quarter with a convincing 51-24 victory.

Most of the damage was due to the the inability to stop running back Darius Hale, who ran for a season-high 170 yards and two touchdowns, his fifth career 100-yard game and third of the season and receiver Christian Richmond, who set the ASUN single-game record with 12 receptions for 156 yards.

The 27 point deficit was the 4th worst loss in program history behind the 63-10 loss earlier this season at Cincinnati and the 45-13 drubbing in their first season of play in 2015 at then Big South Conference foe Liberty and last season’s 45-17 defeat at Georgia Tech.

The point differential was just ahead of the 42-17 loss in 2020 at Monmouth.

It was also the worst home loss in program history ahead of another Monmouth defeat in 2019, 45-21 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The Owls will try to regroup for their Homecoming game next Saturday in a game they should win.

Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley Conference) will come in at 1-5 after losing at home 30-14 to Tennessee Tech. Its a later 3:00 p.m. kickoff.

By Don Stone, KennesawStateSports.com

Kennesaw State Wins Season Opener In Front Of Record Crowd

Don Stone — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 17:15:55 +0000

By Don Stone, www.KennesawStateSports.com

A record crowd of 10,108 saw KSU take on Tusculum in the 2023 season opener at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in the second Thursday night game in program history.

The KSU student section was packed with a new student attendance record of 5,415 as the team recognized incoming freshman as part of the new Flight 27 promotion. The entire excited class ran across the field prior to the game. (Photo at left)

The Owls, playing for the first time as an independent, had a lot of changes to work with as they make the transition to FBS and their new Conference USA in 2024.

Part of that involved a different offense under new Offensive Coordinator Chris Klenakis. They also brought in new Defensive Coordinator Nathan Burton.

You could see differences on offense as they moved away from the triple option into the pistol option
“It’s a headache,” said Burton. “I call it like a windshield wiper offense. It moves this way and then that way. And, sometimes it gets stuck.”

It was kind of stuck in the beginning as Kennesaw State was shutout 7-0 in the first quarter. From there, they outscored the Pioneers 38-0 as both sides of the ball took over.

The defense was in quarterback Preston Roberts’ way all game holding him to 17 for 31 with just 179 yards passing. They picked him off four times and forced a fumble.

On offense, Johnathan Murphy threw for 219 yards and ran for another 90.

KSU showed an ability to explode with big plays. Junior WR Tykeem Wallace, who is also a sprinter on the track & field team, caught one in stride and took it 54 yards to tie the game at 7 with the Owls’ first points of the season.
Murphy broke free for a 55 yard second quarter scoring rush of his own to move the Owls up 17-7.

The head coach’s son, Blake Bohannon had a long TD catch as well. Last year, he had his other TD for 61 yards against the UT-Martin Skyhawks. This one was for 55 yards to make it KSU 24, TU 7.

And Davis Bryson, filling in at QB to finish the game, ran it in from 21 to ice the game at 38-7.

The game was enhanced with the team’s first ever fireworks display at halftime sending the crowd home happy.

The Owls continue their abbreviated 9 game season on the road next Saturday at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga to take on the Mocs. Kickoff is 6:00 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.