Chris Raimondi, Sports Editor
Fifth Third Bank Stadium got its first taste of what a true southern Saturday in the fall is like.
From tailgating to cheerleaders, the day culminated in a stadium of over 4,000 buzzing fans in anticipation of some hard-nosed football for Kennesaw State’s first ever scrimmage.
For what was essentially a practice, fans filled the stadium to half capacity before the players stormed the field.
“Could you get a better atmosphere for a scrimmage?” head coach Brian Bohannon said. “What an unbelievable showing from the Kennesaw State fan base.”
Before the team took the field, spectators were given the opportunity to enjoy all the pageantry that goes into a typical college football game. Tailgating, mascots and performances by KSU’s flight squad, co-ed cheerleading team and the Atlanta Braves drum line all preceded the announcement of the 2014 Homecoming Queen and King and KSU athletics Hall of Fame inductees.
Once the opening ceremonies were complete, the players emerged from smoke billowing through the tunnels beneath the video board. After a series of warmups and drills, it was time for the team to showcase the work put in from the previous six weeks of practice.
The defense came out strong, forcing a turnover off of a pitch from an option play, which ended with the defense scoring the first touchdown of the afternoon, after defensive lineman Austin Byrd scooped up the loose ball and cashed it in for six.
The offense was stifled early, getting nowhere and struggling with the triple-option pitch. The defense appeared to be very comfortable in handling the option offense until a long completion from quarterback Jake McKenzie broke the defense’s rhythm and opened up the field.
“You could tell it was the first time some of them have been in an environment like that,” Bohannon said. “They were a little bit shaky early on, but they settled down and played a little better at the end.”
McKenzie and Jantzen Jeffrey split time under center and each had their share of highlights. Jeffrey found wide receiver Tremayne Trawick in the end zone for the first score of the day through the air. McKenzie would join the action after Justin Sumpter hauled in a long pass for a score.
The ground game found equal success as running backs Christian Rall and Cameron Blackburn both reached the end zone.
“I think they [the offense and defense] both had good moments,” Bohannon said. “I think the biggest thing is getting in this environment. You can’t put a price tag on playing in an environment with the noise and the crowd when you have 85 freshmen. So it was invaluable for what we did today.”
Bohannon noted that his team is not operating by the typical first, second and third team system. “We have a black group, a white group and a gold group,” Bohannon said. “We don’t talk a lot about depth charts right now. We’re trying to get everyone up to speed on how to play.”
Jeffrey and McKenzie currently remain the only two fully healthy quarterbacks, according to Bohannon. “We have two and a half quarterbacks that are healthy right now,” Bohannon said. “We got a bunch of guys banged up.”
The day would not have been complete without the attendance of former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley. Dooley, who served as a consultant to KSU and played a major role in bringing football to the University, joined the event’s hosts Brian Katrek and Nathan McCreary on stage during the scrimmage to talk Owl football.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have such a humble, gracious and effective leader as Vince Dooley,” said Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. “He understands football in this state, he understands athletics in this state and impacting lives. To have Coach Dooley to be a part of what we’re doing is amazing. We have one of the good guys for sure.”
The Owls will head back to the practice field starting Oct. 13, and will prepare for their next showing at the spring game in March. The team’s first game is against East Tennessee State Sept. 3, 2015, in Johnson City, Tennessee.
