By: By Jake Dorow
HEAD COACH BRIAN BOHANNON (Audio) | IZZY SAM & CHANDLER BURKS (Audio)
KENNESAW – Head coach
Brian Bohannon, along with junior QB
Chandler Burks and senior LB
Izzy Sam met with the media Monday afternoon for the Owls' first weekly press conference of the season.
Kennesaw State heads to Birmingham, Alabama to take on No. 19 Samford at Seibert Stadium Thursday night in the 2017 season opener. The road game kicks off at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT) and can be seen live on Peachtree TV in Atlanta and nationally on ESPN3. The tilt can also be heard live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 106.3 The Fan 2.
Click the links above to hear complete audio from the press conference. Below is a trascript of selected questions and answers:
Head Coach Brian Bohannon
Opening Statement
It's great to be back. Time flies and sometimes I think back to being here year one and how we have grown to this point. Obviously, we are praying for the people and what's going on in Houston and Texas. It's tough and sometimes we get hit with things like that, and we have student-athletes here affected by it and we're praying for everyone. As a staff and team, we are excited for the opportunity to play after going through camp. The opportunity to go hit someone in a different jersey is exciting. We left last season off on a sour note and it's been motivating for our kids in the offseason and fall camp. We get to go to Birmingham and play the 19th-ranked team in the country in Samford. They are a really good football team and have some talented guys. It will be a huge challenge for us and we look forward to these opportunities.
Q: What are your thoughts about going into the season?
A: I think the expectations has changed from the outside, but the expectations from the inside has always been this. From day one, we wanted to put ourselves in position of being a playoff team and championships. We have to go out and continue to make a name for ourselves, and build on what we did the year before.
Q: What type of theme do you want to establish on Thursday?
A: We have talked a lot about consistency. It boils down to doing your job with championship effort and doing your job every rep, and do have the ability to cease those moments. Snap in, snap out, there will be bad plays, but learning from that and making the next snap counts is important.
Junior QB Chandler Burks
Q: How is your mentality going into the season?
A: Nothing has really change for me going into this season. I have always prepared as if I was the starter and I have to be focused. This is going to be a big challenge for us on the road against a ranked opponent. It's more about us and how we will execute and go out there and just play ball.
Senior LB Izzy Sam
Q: How is opening this year different from past years?
A: The first year we weren't sure what to expect, and last year we were just excited to get back out and play. Now in our third year, there is not much difference when it comes to being excited. We are just excited for the opportunity to go on the road and play the 19
th-ranked program in Samford. We have another chance to prove ourselves and this is another opportunity to do just that.
Q: As a leader, what do you want to establish on the defensive side of the ball?
A: We want to establish the fact that we are relentless and a fast-playing defense. At the same time, we need to execute our plays. Everybody has to do their job and then you can count on the guy next to you doing theirs. It's all part of the puzzle.
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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