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BOZEMAN, Mont. -- No. 25 Kennesaw State chewed 10:07 off the clock to kick the go-ahead field goal with 1:55 left, and Taylor Henkle sealed the comeback with an interception, as the Owls defeated Montana State, 16-14, on a snowy Saturday in Bozeman, Mont.
 
The eventual game-winning drive was a 20-play, 78-yard march that saw the Owls convert three third downs and two fourth downs and was capped by Justin Thompson's third field of goal of the day to put KSU in front 16-14.
 
Kennesaw State (8-1) took the ball with 11:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, trailing 14-13. The next time MSU touched it; there was 1:55 left and the hosts trailed by a deuce.
 
But QB Chris Murray moved the Bobcats (4-5) quickly into long field goal range, only to see Henkle jump a route and register the game-clinching interception to secure the program's first win as a ranked team and extend the winning streak to eight.

"It's a big win for us. A third-year program going across the country to find a way to win is exciting," head coach Brian Bohannon said. "I had a feeling it would be one of those knockdown, drag-it-out games, and it was. It was a hard-fought game, and they have a good football team. We found a way and that's what I'm most proud of."

Chandler Burks and Jake McKenzie each rushed for 100 yards, with Burks, the Owls' junior signal-caller finishing with career highs in both carries (34) and yards (149). McKenzie posted his third 100-yard rushing effort in the last four games with 116 yards on 20 carries.
 
Burks was at his best with his team's back against the wall. On the final drive, he scrambled and hit TJ Reed for a 15-yard pass on third-and-10. He gained four yards on a fourth-and-two to move the chains, and the game's biggest play – found Darnell Holland for 12 yards on fourth-and-six in the Red Zone – to set the stage for Thompson.
 
The nation's best rushing team, Kennesaw State out-gained Montana State, 346-163, on the ground and finished the day with 401 yards of total offense. Kennesaw State converted 10 of 21 third-down attempts, was three-of-four on fourth down and set a program record in time of possession (39:32). In the fourth, the Owls held the ball for 12:35 of the quarter's 15 minutes.
 
Thompson's first field goal of the day was a 37-yarder with nine seconds left in the first half to give the Owls a 10-7 cushion. He made good from 40 yards to pull KSU within 14-13 with 8:44 left in the third, and the eventual game-winner was a 37-yard boot.
 
Henkle's clutch interception was the game's lone turnover and marked the team's 17^th this season. Kennesaw State has intercepted at least one pass in every game this season and the Owls 15 turnover margin is among the best in the FCS.
 
Burks found the end zone with a two-yard carry on the game's opening drive to make it 7-0, but Montana State answered on the ensuing possession for the tie. Murray, who passed for 110 yards and rushed for 92 more, found Mitch Herbert for a 37-yard touchdown early in the third to give the Bobcats a 14-10 edge.
 
Outside of the two long touchdowns drives, the Owls yielded just 129 total yards on Montana State's other seven possessions in the game.
 
Bozeman received nearly six inches of snow Friday night and the game kicked off with a temperature of 20 degrees – the coldest game in the KSU history by 34 degrees (54 degrees at Monmouth last season).
 
The Owls return home next week to begin a two-game homestand that closes the regular season. Saturday, Kennesaw State welcomes Charleston Southern to Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
 POSTGAME NOTES

• The victory extends the Owls' school-record winning streak to eight.
• The 8-1 overall record and 3-0 mark in Big South play are also program-bests.
• The nation's best rushing team, KSU rushed 74 times for 346 yards. It marks the sixth straight game and seventh time this season the Owls have surpassed 300 yards on the ground.
• Junior QB Chandler Burks finished the game with a career-high 34 rushes that compiled 149 rushing yards and a touchdown. It marked the sixth time in his career he rushed for over 100 yards.
• Burks' rushing TD on the opening drive was his 11^th rushing score of the season, which ranks third in the FCS. He's accounted for seven straight KSU touchdowns (five rush, two pass) over the last three games.
• Junior RB Jake McKenzie finished the ballgame with 20 rushes for 116 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. In his last four games, McKenzie has totaled 394 yards on 69 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per rush.
• Burks and McKenzie both rushed over 100 yards in the game Saturday at Montana, marking the second time the Owls had two players rush over 100 yards (at Liberty). The two combined for 265 of the Owls' 346 rushing yards (76%) and 54 of KSU's 74 carries.
• Justin Thompson hit his 10^th, 11^th and 12^th field goals of the season –his first since Oct. 21 vs. GWU—and is 12-for-15 (80%) for the season. His 37-yard field goal with 1:55 left in regulation seal the victory.  
• The interception by junior DB Taylor Henkle was his third of the season in the closing minute of the game to secure the Owls' eighth straight win. The Owls, who entered the game with the third-most picks in the FCS, have had at least one in every game.
• Zach Mitcher (RT) and Izzy Sam (LB) each made their 31st consecutive starts – they are the only two players to have started every game in program history.
• Today's captains: Jake McKenzie, Jordan Genovese and Tonarius Portress

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.
 
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