Kennesaw State got off to a fast start to earn themselves a win over Jacksonville State with a score of 31-6 on Saturday, Oct. 2.
Kennesaw opened up the game with a scoring drive thanks to Adeolu Adeleke’s 32 yard TD run. Kennesaw’s defense came to play as well with Desmond Scott blocking Jacksonville State’s field goal attempt on the next series.
Kennesaw’s “bend don’t break” defense allowed less than 100 rushing yards and forced two turnovers to help secure the win for the team.
Owls quarterback Xavier Shepherd used the momentum from the blocked field goal to lead the offense down the field, scoring his first touchdown of the night from 16-yards out.
Despite Jacksonville using half of the second quarter on their long drive, KSU managed to score again thanks to a 45-yard field goal from Nathan Robertson to extend their lead to 17-0.
The Owls came back on defense to make another play thanks to a tipped pass from Evan Thompson which lead to teammate Java’n Singletary intercepting the ball. The Owls took their 17-0 lead into the half.
After the half, Kennesaw would display was head coach Brian Bohannon said was the most efficient team win of the year. On Jacksonville’s opening drive, Erwin Byrd picked off the Gamecocks for the Owls to force their second interception of the game.
Shepherd took his offense onto the field with a great starting field position thanks to the interception. It was not long until Shepherd took it into the end zone himself for his second rushing touchdown of the game.
Kennesaw’s defense gave up a touchdown midway through the third quarter but held strong when Jacksonville attempted to go for a two-point conversion which was unsuccessful. The Owls lead 24-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Owls won the game after a final touchdown from Shepherd made the score 31-6. Bohannon stated that this was a great win moving forward for the team.
Defensive lineman Desmond Scott added that this win builds confidence heading into conference play.
The Owls finished the game with 343 total offensive yards with 271 of those yards coming from the ground. Shepherd ended with 196 total yards with three touchdowns. Running back Kyle Glover ended the night with 60 rushing yards on 14 attempts to help him achieve 1000 rushing yards for his career.
The Owls will take their 3-1 record into conference play next week when they travel to Virginia to take on the 2-2 Hampton Pirates. Kickoff will be at 2 pm EST and will air on ESPN3.
