The spring game gives players, coaches and fans a preview of the season to come, but the Owls looked nowhere near mid-season form in the scrimmage on March 24.
The defense dressed in black and came out to play Friday night, wreaking havoc in the backfield. The players continued pressuring the quarterback and allowed only 2.7 yards per rush attempt.
The gold-clad offense, on the other hand, looked unprepared and timid.
“Offensively we didn’t come out with any urgency at all,” said head coach Brian Bohannon. “Overall, spring has favored the defense more days than the offense, so I hope that will carry over into the fall. The offense has got to get better.”
To be fair, though, Friday was a peculiar night. About 20 minutes into the game, a tower of black smoke could be seen from the home stands. Soon the news spread that a twin-engine plane had crashed in the front yard of a Kennesaw home, about five minutes away from the stadium.
We can’t know for sure, but this may have been a distraction for the players and the coaches. Maybe that’s why there wasn’t a cohesive team on the field that night. Maybe not.
The offense scored only two touchdowns, one coming halfway through the first quarter on a nine-yard scamper from starting quarterback, Chandler Burks. The second touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from backup quarterback Daniel David to redshirt junior Xavier Harper late in the third quarter. This gave the offense its only lead of the night.
The Owls have some time to improve before their season opener at Samford University on August 31, but the biggest area of concern for KSU is the offensive line. Giving up six sacks and allowing a blocked field goal attempt on special teams just won’t cut it against Big South competition like Liberty University and Charleston Southern.
Coming out on top 53-40, the defense proved itself. Regardless of the tension on the field and Friday night’s distractions, one thing is clear: the offense is lacking and needs to improve before the season rolls around.
