Kennesaw State’s dynamic rushing attack combined for 490 yards as the Owls defeated Gardner-Webb University 56-17 on Saturday, Oct. 13, in Boiling Springs, NC.
Four players gained at least 70 yards each and Chandler Burks added three touchdowns as the Owls won their first road game of the season and sixth overall.
What began as a glimpse of hope for the Bulldogs disintegrated into a despairing reality, as their early lead quickly evaporated.
After the Owls opened their first offensive series with a three-and-out, the Bulldogs converted a fourth down, paving the way for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
KSU running back Isaac Foster immediately countered Gardner-Webb’s promising start with his second kickoff return for a touchdown in recent weeks, scaling the entire field with a 100-yard return.
“That was a big momentum shift in the game,” KSU Head Coach Brian Bohannon said. “We came out flat and Gardner-Webb made some plays early, but that kind of settled us down, and we went from there.”
Chandler Burks tacked on a pair of touchdown runs in the second quarter to help the second-ranked Owls to spoil the Bulldogs’ homecoming game before pulling away for a lopsided victory Saturday afternoon.
Burks finished with three rushing touchdowns on the day, marking his sixth straight game with multiple touchdown runs and his fourth game with at least three.
An interception by Dorian Walker arranged Burks’ second touchdown. The takeaway, Walker’s third of the season, lengthened KSU’s defensive turnover streak to 21 games. Charlie Patrick led the defense with a career-high seven tackles as Bryson Armstrong added six.
In the final minutes of the second quarter, Darnell Holland scored on a 48-yard run to extend the Owls lead to 28-3 before halftime.
Holland led the array of backs who had big rushing days, carrying six times for 78 yards. Burks, Shaquil Terry, Adeolu Adeleke and Jake McKenzie also shared the workload in the Owls’ stout run game.
“We have been doing that all year,” Bohannon said.
Terry’s big play came on a 42-yard run, setting up Daniel David to cap the drive with a touchdown run and pushing the lead 42-3 at the end of the third quarter.
McKenzie and Adeleke arose in the fourth quarter with career-long rushing touchdowns of 54 and 60 yards.
The Bulldogs have battled injuries the majority of their season, dressing only 66 players for Saturday’s game. Despite lacking manpower, Jaylen Myers’ 63-yard touchdown run snapped KSU’s five-game streak of holding opponents to 13 points or less.
Myers led Gardner-Webb in yards, carrying the ball five times for 82 yards. Dexter Brown followed with 74 yards on four attempts.
“We’re really still having to put guys out there on the field who are facing things for the first time and today that came against a really good football team,” Gardner-Webb’s head coach Carroll McCray said.
The Owls are now 6-1 and will give their legs a rest on a bye week before their game on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Charleston Southern.
