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WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Kennesaw State's defense pitched a second-half shutout, while the offense rolled up a school-record 482 rushing yards as the Owls flew past Monmouth, 49-17, Saturday at Kessler Field to win their fourth straight road game.
 
Kennesaw State (6-2, 2-1) remained undefeated on the road, while staying in thick of the Big South Conference race with the run-away victory. The Hawks slipped to 4-5 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
 
The victory allows KSU to become just the second Division-I football team since 2008 (Old Dominion) to record winning seasons in each of the program's first two years in existence.
 
"We have a very challenge-driven football team that won just one road game a year ago and that was the first one," said head coach Brian Bohannon. "They've been on a mission. We're growing up. We have a very young football team, but I thought we grew up today. We've been ahead in games before, but haven't been able to finish."
 
Senior QB Trey White, who maximized his opportunity in short-yardage situations, set a school-record with four rushing touchdowns in helping the Owls convert on all six of their Red Zone chances.
 
Chaston Bennett rushed eight times for 129 yards and two scores, but none of his touches were more important than a 39-yard jaunt on fourth-and-one in the second quarter that allowed the Owls to extend a drive and score before the half to make it 28-17.

"We checked the play, he (Burks) called my number," said Bennett of the key fourth-down conversion. "Darnell Holland threw a great block for me on the edge, there was a crease and I just hit it and it went for a big play on fourth down."
 
Bennett later punched in a four-yard touchdown to cap the second half's opening drive as the visitors expanded the lead to 35-17 and never looked back.
 
Starting QB Chandler Burks rushed 13 times for 83 yards, while Jake McKenzie picked up 66 yards on 12 bruising carries. Twelve different Owls toted the ball 65 times as KSU set a school record with 482 yards on the ground and averaged 7.4 yards per carry.

The Owls converted seven of 13 on third down, were perfect on four fourth-down conversions and held the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
 
Monmouth claimed an early 3-0 lead thanks to Matt White's 38-yard field goal, but KSU answered right back with a 10-play, 79-yard drive capped by White's three-yard run.
 
Bennett finished off another 10-play drive with an eight-yard score, and the Owls made it 21-7 when Desmond Johnson scooped up a fumble on a strip-sack by Izzy Sam and rumbled 30 yards for the team's second defensive touchdown this season.
 
Two consecutive touchdowns by the hosts made it a 21-17 game, but Lavon Chaney's 24-yard touchdown run with 5:49 left in the second quarter would be the last time Monmouth sniffed the end zone on its Homecoming.
 
Monmouth was limited to just three possessions after halftime, and each ended with a fourth-down stop by Kennesaw State. The Hawks totaled just 241 yards of offense, but just 103 in the second half.
 
Johnson had a monster game defensively as the redshirt freshman defensive lineman recorded a career-high nine tackles, a sack and forced two fumbles. Taylor Henkle added seven tackles, while Sam had five stops, 1.5 sacks and two other forced fumbles.

Kennesaw State is back home Saturday to welcome Clark Atlanta. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and can be seen live on Peachtree TV.

POST-GAME #NESTNOTES
 
WHITE CALLING HIS OWN NUMBER
Senior quarterback Trey White called his own number four times at Monmouth, setting a new school record for touchdowns in a single game. White finished the day with six carries for 12 yards and a touchdown in every quarter.
 
WINNING SEASON, AGAIN!
The Owls' 32-point victory at Kessler Field secured a winning season for the second time in as many season. In fact, the win marked the first time in program history KSU has won consecutive Big South Conference games.
 
BENNETT CONTINUES HIS STREAK
Chaston Bennett recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, carrying the ball for 129 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. For Bennett, the multi-TD game marked his fourth straight game with two or more scores. The senior now has 10 (seven rush, three catch) touchdowns in 2016.  
 
OFFENSE JUGGERNAUT
The Owls put up video-game-like numbers once again, totaling 513 yards on 78 plays while holding the ball for over 36 minutes. It marked the fourth time this season, and second time in as many games, that KSU has eclipsed the 500-yard mark. Kennesaw State also scored over 40 points for the eighth time in program history, winning every game when doing so.
 
OWLS CAN RUN, TOO
Kennesaw State's spread option offense was on full display Saturday afternoon, out-gaining Monmouth by a dominant 482-53 on the ground. The performance marked the second time this season going over the 400-yard mark on the ground and third in program history (3-0). KSU's six rushing touchdowns also tied a school record, which occurred on two previous occasions.
 
DEFENSE MAKES A STATEMENT
Kennesaw State entered the day ranked second in the Big South in scoring defense and held the Hawks to 17 points. The Owls held Monmouth to 53 rushing yards -- a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in conference action. It was the fourth opponent this season the Owls have held under 100 rushing yards in a game. KSU also held the Hawks scoreless in the second half, marking the second time in program history the Owls have held an opponent scoreless in the final 30 minutes.