By: By Jake Dorow
HEAD COACH BRIAN BOHANNON (Audio) | JAKE MCKENZIE & DESMOND JOHNSON, Jr. (Audio)
KENNESAW – The Nest will soon be full at Fifth Third Bank Stadium Saturday night and head coach
Brian Bohannon, along with junior RB
Jake McKenzie and sophomore DL
Desmond Johnson, Jr., met with the media Wednesday afternoon to preview Kennesaw State's matchup with Tennessee Tech.
The Owls and Golden Eagles meet for the first time, and the game can be seen live on Peachtree TV or heard on ESPN Radio 1230 and 106.3 The Fan 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Click the links above to hear complete audio from the press conference. Below is a transcript of selected questions and answers:
Head Coach Brian Bohannon
Opening Statement
We are excited to go out and play. Last Saturday was a long day and long night. We took the weekend off and got back to a regular working week Monday. We are playing an awfully good opponent this week. They (Tennessee Tech) also played a ranked opponent last week and will come back with a chip on their shoulder to try to get back in the win column. This is about Kennesaw State and what we do and how we approach the weekend. We need to execute at a high level to give ourselves a chance to be successful. We are excited to be at home and having a great crowd. It's a great atmosphere here and the kids will be excited to play in front of the students and fans. We are excited to get back on the grass.
Q: What stands out about Tennessee Tech?
A: Defensively, they are very active and run to the ball. They are very big up front and do a nice job upfront. They have played against the option in the past and it won't be new for them. They also play multiple guys up front and they are very aggressive. Offensively, they have some good receivers that can make some plays and also want to run the football.
Q: Did you think your offense is where you wanted it to be going into the first game?
A: Offensively, we came out and moved the ball but just did not score any points. When you get an opportunity to score points you have to find a way to take advantage of it. In hindsight, we could have put that game away at the half. We did not take advantage of our opportunities and came out a little sluggish in the second half. The offense can be as good as we want to be. If we continue to learn and fix some mistakes, we can do what we want to do offensively. I was pleased with some things we did in the first half if we take away the turnovers. We moved the ball and did some good things in that first half.
Sophomore DL Desmond Johnson
Q: How do you feel the defense played at Samford?
A: We had some mistakes last week and we could have done some things different. At the same time, we have to stick with the game plan and being able to execute. We have to understand we can't take plays back during and game and that's what really hurt us.
Q: What have you done to prepare for Tennessee Tech?
A: We are preparing for a tough opponent in Tennessee Tech. They like to run the ball and we need to focus on stopping the run and controlling the game up front.
Junior RB Jake McKenzie
Q: How is it coming out at half after a three-hour delay?
A: We came out sluggish to begin the second half. It was hard to keep the energy up, but eventually we did late in the game but it was too far into the night. A three-hour delay was hard to overcome but we have to learn from the experience going into this week.
Q: What are you looking for Tennessee Tech's defense to do this week?
A: We have to go out and execute our game plan. We need to limit our mistakes and penalties and focus on ourselves.
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.
--#GoKSUOwls--
