By: By Jake Dorow
DEFENSIVE POSITION BREAKDOWN (PDF) | FULL POSITION BREAKDOWN (PDF)
KENNESAW – High expectations have become a reality for the Kennesaw State football team. The Owls are the preseason co-favorites in the Big South Conference and boasted a conference-leading eight preseason all-league selections.
The Black and Gold welcome back 16 starters –including seven all-league selections a year ago— from a team in 2016 that finished 8-3 overall, coming one win shy of a conference title. The Owls are 14-8 (.636) overall in two seasons and finished last year with a program record for most wins in a single season.
Head Coach
Brian Bohannon, who earned himself a spot among 15 finalists for the STATS Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award a season ago, will guide Kennesaw State through a demanding schedule, including non-conference FCS perennial powers Samford and Montana State on the road and a home tilt versus Tennessee Tech.
The Owls also face an ever-improving conference slate in which every team in the Big South brings back its starting quarterback. KSU begins its conference schedule on October 14 at Liberty at 6 p.m. in Lynchburg, Va.
Below is part two of the Owls' position breakdown of the defense and specialists, and what fans can expect come August 31.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Kennesaw State returns a very talented group in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, as Big South first-team all-conference selections
Desmond Johnson, Jr. and
Tonarius Portress lead the Owls' front-end attack. The tandem of Johnson and Portress combined for nine sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss, helping form the league's best rushing defense in 2016. Johnson, a Rome, Ga., native, was one of 11 players to start every game in 2016, leading the Black and Gold with six sacks and ranked eighth in the league with 9.5 tackles for loss. He totaled 38 tackles (30 solo) for the year. On the other end, Portress had a breakout season with a career-high and team-leading 13.0 tackles for loss. He was one of nine players in the Big South with multiple forced fumbles and ranked third on the team with 56 tackles (38 solo). Helping the duo will be junior
Auzoyah Alufohai, an Alpharetta, Ga., native, who appeared in 10 games for the Owls. Alufohai recorded 13 tackles and 0.5 TFL in 2016. His 6-4, 322-pound frame is solid to fill the middle and plug any holes for the ground attack and someone to watch out for a breakout season. Junior
McKenzie Billingslea also returns for his third season, coming off a season in which the Powder Springs, Ga., native appeared in all 11 games. He totaled 14 tackles, 0.5 TFL and one pass break-up. Others to watch out for and make contributions is
Justin Marcus, Georgia State transfer
Peyton Moore,
Braylon Young and
Devin Pughsley.
LINEBACKERS
A strong defensive line is backed by a rock-solid linebacking core with leading tacklers
Anthony Gore, Jr. (70) and
Izzy Sam (65) forming a deadly one-two punch in the box. The pair of preseason all-conference selections mark the third and fourth preseason award winners for the Owls' front seven, which formed the league's best rushing defense a season ago. A 2016 second-team all-league selection, Gore was one of 11 players to start in every game a season ago, ranking ninth in the league with 70 tackles. His 11.0 tackles for loss were the second most on the team and fifth in the Big South. Gore holds the KSU program record with 12 tackles in a single game (Gardner-Webb, Oct. 22). His colleague, a senior from Buford, Ga., Sam also started in all 11 games and forced two fumbles, and tallied a career-high 65 tackles. The senior recorded a career-best 10 tackles at Duquesne a season ago and have been impressive in Training Camp. Linebackers
Chris Byrd, who took a redshirt in 2016, and
Brenton Wimberly are also listed on the preseason depth chart. Wimberly appeared in all 11 games, recording 15 tackles (11 solo), and tallied a fumble recovery. The linebacking core is young behind Gore, Sam, Byrd and Wimberly, with
Demetrius Pettway,
Jack Ness,
Courtney Mills,
Kyler Eldridge and
Kendal Lawrence all incoming freshmen.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The Black and Gold have some holes to fill after two of their backfield standouts earned pro contracts following graduation.
Dante Blackmon became the first Kennesaw State player to sign an NFL deal, as the defensive back was inked by the Indianapolis Colts. Safety
Derrick Farrow earned himself a contract with Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League. However, the Owls return two-year starter
Taylor Henkle,
Akebren Ralls, and
Keon Roman to the secondary. Henkle, a Marietta, Ga., native, ranked fifth on the team last year with 45 tackles (35 solo), while Ralls logged 33 stops and racked up a career-high 12 tackles against Liberty (Oct. 15) in 2016. The two played in all 11 games in 2016 and will play a key role in the Owls' secondary. Redshirt freshman
Bryson Armstrong, a Marietta native, had a strong spring campaign and looked solid in training camp, while
Paris Bostick –an Oregon transfer – look to fill Farrow's hole at safety. Other names that could see time on the field in 2017 and make contributions are freshman
Adesola Abisoye, sophomore
Dustin Clabough, senior
Duronte Carter, and Georgia Tech transfer
Dorian Walker.
SPECIALISTS
Junior
Justin Thompson, an Evan, Ga., native, returns for his third season in The Nest. The 5-foot-10 kicker handled the bulk of place-kicking duties in 2016, connecting on 2-of-4 field goals, including a long of 40 yards. Thompson converted 42 of his 44 extra-point tries and totaled 48 points. Junior teammate
Jordan Genovese also hit 2-of-4 field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards. Genovese, an Alpharetta, Ga., native, spent the majority of his time as the primary kickoff specialist, booting 47 kickoffs for 2,816 yards. He averaged of 59.9 yards per kickoff with 13 touchbacks. Junior
Drew McCracken also returns for his third season as the long snapper. He's appeared in all 22 games in Owls' history.
GAMEDAY HASHTAGS/ SOCIAL MEDIA HUBS
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Fifth Third Bank is the Official Bank of Kennesaw State Athletics. Fifth Third Bank Stadium, the signature athletics landmark on the Kennesaw State University campus, is a world-class facility that has been recognized as one of the premier multi-use outdoor athletics venues in the country. In the fall of 2015, it become the official home of Owls football team and is home to Owls soccer and lacrosse as well.
Keep up with Kennesaw State Athletics by following KSU on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook. You also can follow Kennesaw State football at @KennesawSTFB and The Owls fund on Twitter at @TheOwlsFund.
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