The Kennesaw State University football team traveled to Pittsburgh Saturday to take on the Duquesne Dukes and came away with a 36-28 victory for the first road win of the season.
KSU had a bye week after defeating Point University, and the extra week of practice seemed to pay off as a number of Owls had breakout performances.
On defense, red-shirt senior defensive back Dante Blackmon dominated the opposing receivers and collected three interceptions on the day, returning one for a 57-yard touchdown.
Offensively, wide receiver Justin Sumpter was able to catch everything thrown his way, hauling in eight catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
The Owls began the game with the ball and scored quickly. Red-shirt sophomore quarterback Chandler Burks capped off a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
KSU fumbled the ball later in the quarter, and a Dukes defender returned it for a touchdown, bringing the score to 7-6 Duquesne.
The Dukes then marched down the field and converted a short field goal, making the score 10-6.
Just when the Owls were beginning to feel a bit of pressure defensively, Blackmon intercepted a pass at the Dukes’ 43-yard line, giving the KSU offense a second chance.
A huge run by running back Chaston Bennett on a well-timed option pitch got the Owls into the red zone, setting up a field goal with 6:42 remaining in the first half.
The Dukes again applied pressure on KSU’s defense through the running game. On the first pass of the drive, however, Blackmon once again punished them, this time returning the interception 57 yards for a touchdown.
With little time remaining in the half, Duquesne got the ball back and shocked the Owls by quickly scoring a touchdown, taking the lead into halftime 17-16.
Burks was injured on the last offensive possession for the Owls before the half, so freshman quarterback Daniel David stepped in during the third quarter.
The second half also brought Justin Sumpter into the spotlight again. On KSU’s first possession of the half, David and Sumpter connected for a 67-yard touchdown pass to take the lead and the momentum back.
Blackmon had his third interception of the game during the next Duquesne possession, but KSU was unable to capitalize on that turnover. The Dukes were able to close the gap late in the third quarter after another field goal.
Early in the final quarter, the Owls scored on a 28-yard run, giving them the 29-20 advantage after a failed fake punt by the Dukes.
A second touchdown connection between David and Sumpter gave the Owls a 36-20 lead and sealed the win for the Owls.
“I’m so proud of the effort,” head coach Brian Bohannon said in a press release Saturday. “This was a great team win on the road against a very, very good football team.”
Offensively, Burks completed seven of 14 passes for 140 yards while David completed seven of 10 for 172 yards.
Blackmon set a KSU single-game record with three interceptions and a career high of three pass deflections. He was named College Sports Madness’ National Defensive Player of the Week and Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
The Owls take on Furman University at 3 p.m Saturday, Oct. 1. The game will be available to watch on ESPN3 and to listeners will be able to catch the game on ESPN Radio 1230.
