Kennesaw State’s football team held off the Furman Paladins in a high-scoring game that ended 52-42 in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Kennesaw State University (3-1) entered Saturday’s game against Furman University (0-5) fresh off a 36-28 victory at Duquesne University.
The Owls continued their offensive success, accumulating seven touchdowns throughout the game and racking up 567 total yards.
“It’s a big win for us,” said head coach Brian Bohannon in a press release Saturday. “[Furman’s] made 16 playoff appearances and won a national championship. That win says a lot about our kids and our program.”
The Owls reached the end zone quickly, and red-shirt junior running back Myles White took a 30-yard pitch for a touchdown. The KSU defense stood strong on the first possession by the Paladins and forced a fumble, capped off by a Chandler Burks five-yard touchdown run.
The Owls dominated the Paladins in total yards (275-23), most of which came on the ground (203). The rushing success and strong defense allowed the Owls to take a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
Sophomore running back Darnell Holland’s success continued when he found the end zone for a second time on a 62-yard score. Holland finished the game with six carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
With 16 seconds before halftime, Burks threw a 46-yard touchdown on the first play to sophomore wide receiver Justin Sumpter.
Red-shirt senior defensive back Dante Blackmom intercepted a pass in the closing seconds of the first half, Blackmon intercepted three passes last week at Duquesne en route to National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
On a key fourth down with 9:20 left in the game, the Owls turned to senior running back Micah Reed to pick up the first down. Reed finished the game with eight carries for 66 yards, and that drive ended in a crucial 40-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Justin Thompson, sealing a 52-42 win for the Owls.
Burks, who finished the game passing 9-12 for 121 and one touchdown and rushing 27 carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns, it completed the Owl’s second consecutive win on the road.
Desmond Johnson had two sacks and has four over his last two games. Izzy Sam led the defense with nine tackles, while Anthony Gore had eight. Taylor Henkle had six tackles, recovered a fumble.
The Owls return home to take on Missouri University of Science and Technology at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.
