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Postgame Audio (Coach Bohannon)
Postgame Audio (Bryson Armstrong)
Postgame Audio (Keon Roman) 

MONTGOMERY, Ala. –  Redshirt freshman LB Bryson Armstrong set a program-record with 15 tackles and had one of three Kennesaw State interceptions as the Owls held off Alabama State, 20-14, Saturday evening at ASU Stadium.

The Owls (2-1), who forced three turnovers and limited the Hornets (0-3) to 195 yards of total offense, clamped down on the game's final possession. Leading 20-14 with under a minute remaining, Kennesaw State got sacks from Armstrong and Anthony Gore, Jr. to thwart an Alabama State comeback. Armstrong sack dropped ASU QB Kobie Jones for a loss of 18 yards on first-and-10 at the Owls' 28. Three plays later, Gore sacked Jones on fourth-and-long to secure KSU's second straight win.

"Bryson (Armstrong) played very well. Defensively in the second half, as a unit, was about as good of football you could have played," said head coach Brian Bohannon. "The defense was repeatedly put in tough situations and they responded with a strong effort. I thought the defense did a fabulous job in the second half."

Armstrong, the reigning Big South Freshman of the Week, racked up 15 tackles, two sacks, forced a fumble and had an interception for his fourth takeaway in three games this season. Senior DB Keon Roman picked off two passes and logged three tackles, while and Gore, Jr. and sophomore DL Desmond Johnson, Jr. each recorded seven tackles.

The Owls held the Hornets to just 36 yards rushing and 195 yards overall, while forcing three more turnovers. For the season, Kennesaw State ranks top-five nationally in turnover margin (plus-5). Two of those takeaways in the first half helped the Owls build a 17-7 lead at the break. Trey Chivers rumbled 11 yards for the game's first score early in the second quarter as the visitors capitalized on Roman's first interception.

ASU tied the game with a 41-yard TD pass from Jones to George Golden, but the Owls answered with three consecutive scores to build a lead they would not relinquish. Shaquil Terry sprinted 25 yards for a touchdown to make 14-7, four plays after Armstrong's second interception this season. Kennesaw State closed the half with a 13-play, 55-yard drive that milked the final 3:37 off the clock and culminated in a 37-yard field goal from Justin Thompson.

Thompson added another field goal from 31 yards with 10:44 left in the third quarter to make it 20-7, but a wild quarter was far from over. ASU's Jeffrey Hill intercepted a pass, but the Hornets gave the ball right back as Roman picked off a pass in the end zone on the very next play. Five plays later, Kennesaw State fumbled the ball back to the hosts, who failed to capitalized and turned the ball over on downs.

Two plays after that defensive stop by Kennesaw State, the Owls turned the football over again as backup QB Daniel David was dropped in the backfield and lost the ball, which was scooped up by ASU's Darius King and returned 20 yards for a touchdown with 1:25 left in the quarter.

Junior QB Chandler Burks paced the Owls offensively as he rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Terry and Chivers each tallied a touchdown and a combined for 61 yards on the ground. Kennesaw State owned a 310-195 advantage in total yards, including a 243-36 edge in rushing.

The start of the game was delayed 54 minutes by lightning.
 
The Owls return to Fifth Third Bank Stadium on September 30 following an open week to welcome non-conference foe North Greenville. The game is a "Gold Out" and the first 2,000 KSU students will receive a free Adidas gold t-shirt. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and can be seen live on Peachtree TV and heard on ESPN Radio 1230 and 106.3 The Fan 2.

POSTGAME GAME NOTES

• Kennesaw State entered the weekend plus-5 in turnover margin (7-2), which ranked tied for fifth nationally. The Owls generated three more takeaways in Saturday's win.
• The Owls finished with a 14-7 edge in points-off-turnover scoring. For the season, Kennesaw State owns a 37-7 edge in points-off-turnover scoring.
• Alabama State's 36 rushing yards were nine shy of the Owls' record for fewest rushing yards allowed (27 vs. Shorter in 2015).
• Bryson Armstrong set a program record with 15 tackles, surpassing the previous record of 12 set last season by both Anthony Gore, Jr. (vs. Gardner-Webb) and Akebren Ralls (vs. Liberty).
• Armstrong finished the game with 15 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
• Armstrong's second-quarter interception marked his fourth takeaway in just three career games. He had an INT and fumble recovery at Samford and recovered another fumble in last week's win over Tennessee Tech.
• Keon Roman picked off a pair of passes in the game, his second and third career interceptions. His first career INT came versus Edward Waters in 2015.
• Roman is the first KSU with multiple interceptions in the same game since former DB Dante Blackmon had three at Duquesne last season.
• Kennesaw State held Alabama State scoreless in the first and fourth quarters – the 40^th and 41^st scoreless quarters in program history and the sixth in 12 quarters this season.
• Zach Mitchler (RT) and Izzy Sam (LB) each made their 25th consecutive starts tonight. They are the lone two Owls to have started each game in the program's history. Mitcher, Sam, along with Anthony Gore, Jr., Xavier Harper, Taylor Henkle, Darnell Holland, Drew McCracken, Devin Pughsley, and Nicolas Snowden have played in all 25 games in program history.
• Tonight's captains: Justin Sumpter, Dorian Walker and Justin Thompson.

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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