After a successful opening season from the Kennesaw State football team last year, the Owls held their first scrimmage for 2016 on Friday at The Perch.
Having one season under their belt seems to have had a big impact in preparation thus far, as players seem to understand the culture and what they need to do to get better.
“I think the big thing is the guys understand winter workouts and spring,” KSU head coach Brian Bohannon said. “Last year they had no idea what was going to happen, so that was hard. It was a culture shock, but now they know it’s just a matter of embracing that grind and just trying to work to get better.”
The team is now midway through spring practice and working hard to get ready for the upcoming season. Offensively, the Owls are looking as dynamic as ever with starting quarterback Trey White leading the way. White led the team with 2,023 total yards and 17 total touchdowns in last season’s inaugural campaign.
“Spring practice and the spring game are all about improving your fundamentals,” White said. “As long as we can just keep getting better, you know, we’re strides ahead in execution and knowing what to do.”
The Owls ran over 125 plays in the grueling scrimmage that saw numerous great plays on both sides of the ball. The team seemed exhausted near the end of the practice, which isn’t surprising due to how hard they played during the two hour long practice.
“We got a lot of plays in,” White said. “But you can get all the reps you want in when you’re 100 percent, but when you’re tired it shows your stripes. I thought it went well for a first scrimmage.”
Last season’s backup quarterback, Jake McKenzie, played most of his snaps at running back during the scrimmage, as the Owls ran plenty of B-back dives up the middle using him as their back. He was also utilized as the goal-line back, scoring two touchdowns from three and four yards out — along with receiving a number of targets out of the backfield.
Another player that stood out on offense was running back Chaston Bennett. The speedy tailback out of Texas ran, received and returned his way to 921 total yards and five total touchdowns in 2015 and expects to be a large part of the Owls’ offense in 2016.
He made a few dazzling and shifty plays out of the backfield during the scrimmage, scoring two touchdowns of his own. One touchdown was a toss to the right that seemed to be a loss of five yards until Bennett made an incredible juke, cut back across the field and dove into the endzone. KSU hopes to see more of that this Fall.
“I thought offensively we were able to move the ball today,” Bohannon said. “The big thing isn’t about who scores and who doesn’t, but getting better individually and doing the things we need to do to be successful.”
Defensively, the Owls seemed to be gassed at times due to the tempo of the offense and the team still being early in the development process.
They still hit well and played hard every down, including the secondary, which appears to be vastly improved. The defensive backs and linebackers picked off four passes and made a couple highlight-worthy defensive plays. Even the big boys got a chance to score, after defensive lineman Desmond Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown near the end of the scrimmage.
“I thought defensively we got tired really quick, got on our heels, got behind and weren’t able to do a lot,” Bohannon said. “We can’t be complacent with where we are. We need to continue to grow, build and get better.”
KSU has two more weeks of practice before the spring game on March 26th and will be looking to fundamentally improve both mentally and skillfully. With a solid 2016 signing class, numerous returning starters and a culture that’s being built around success on and off the field, the Owls are looking forward to a strong 2016 campaign.
