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HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Although its historic season came to a disappointing conclusion in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs quarterfinals, No. 16 Kennesaw State showed that it plans to remain a force at the national level following a hard-fought 34-27 loss to No. 5 Sam Houston State Saturday at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.
 
Trailing by 14 points twice in the fourth quarter, the Owls (12-2) produced a pair of scoring drives that cut the deficit to seven points and, following a late interception by sophomore DB Dustin Clabough, had an opportunity to tie the game. However, Kennesaw State's hopes for the upset victory came up short following a fourth-down play that ended at the Sam Houston State 15-yard line.
 
The Owls had one last hope to tie the score following Clabough's interception that gave KSU the ball at the Sam Houston State 41-yard line trailing 34-27. With redshirt junior QB Chandler Burks at the controls, Kennesaw State moved the ball 30 yards in nine plays down to the Bearkats' 11-yard line.
 
On fourth down, redshirt freshman Ezra Naylor was tackled behind the line of scrimmage for a four-yard loss and Sam Houston State (12-1) ran out the final 1:04 to post the victory and advance the Friday's semifinal against North Dakota State.
 
"First of all, I want to say congratulations to Sam Houston State," head coach Brian Bohannon said. "They did a great job tonight and made more plays than we did. You have to take advantage of opportunities and make plays, and they made more than we did tonight.
 
"I'm awfully proud of our football team tonight," Bohannon added. "We're a third-year program that went undefeated at home, won a Big South Championship and two playoff games. We have a lot to be proud of and I am proud of our seniors and where this program is."
 
The Owls opened the game in impressive fashion. After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, the KSU defense forced a punt on the opening drive and began its first possession in Sam Houston State territory. Kennesaw State drove 43 yards in seven plays and scored on a 13-yard run by Darnell Holland that gave the Owls a 7-0 lead, nearly four minutes into the game.
 
After the Bearkats scored on a 61-yard pass play to tie the score at 7-7, the Owls again moved the ball deep into Sam Houston State territory and appeared to score on a 44-yard run by TJ Reed. However, a holding penalty negated the play forcing KSU to attempt a 42-yard field goal that was unsuccessful.
 
The nation's top-ranked offense scored 24 unanswered points to build a 24-7 lead with 5:45 remaining in the first half before Justin Thompson kicked a 28-yard field as time expired to cut the deficit to 24-10 at halftime.
 
The high-powered Bearkats offense scored on four of its six first half possessions, but the Owls' came up with a couple big defensive stands. They forced Sam Houston State to settle for a field goal, and made a big fourth-down stop at their own 13-yard line with 1:46 remaining, setting the stage for a nine-play, 76-yard drive that resulted in Thompson's field goal to close out the half.
 
After the teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, the Owls opened the fourth quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run by Chandler Burks. Shaquil Terry highlighted the drive with a 50-yard run, helping the Owls cut the deficit to 27-20 with 14:26 remaining.
 
Following a Sam Houston State touchdown that made it 34-20, Burks connected with TJ Reed on a 23-yard pass play to make it a 34-27 game with 7:21 remaining.
 
Offensively, the Owls rolled up 472 total yards, including 352 on the ground against a Bearkats defense that was allowing just 165.9 yards rushing for the season.
 
Terry finished the game with 120 yards rushing on five carries, while Burks completed seven of 14 passes for 120 yards with a touchdown and interception. Justin Sumpter led the Owls' receivers with 76 yards on four receptions.
 
Senior LB Izzy Sam led Kennesaw State with nine tackles. Clabough's fourth-quarter interception extended the Owls' streak of at least one interception in every game this season to 14. Sam Houston State, which entered the game leading the FCS with 558.2 yards a game, was held to 472 yards and nine points under its season average (46.6) by KSU.
 
NOTES

• Kennesaw State concluded its season with a 12-2 overall record, marking the best record in program history.
• The 12 wins mark a KSU single-season program record – previous, 8-3 in 2016 - are the most by third-year program, eclipsing the mark of 10 set by Old Dominion in 2011.
• Kennesaw State became the first program in just its third year to advance to the quarterfinals. Old Dominion (2011) went on to lose to Georgia Southern in the second round.
• The Owls became just the third Big South member to reach the quarterfinals in league history.
• KSU's 12 wins this season tied a Big South single-season victory record. The Owls became the second team with a dozen triumphs in a season (Coastal Carolina in 2013 and 2014)
• Kennesaw State's advancement to the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals is the farthest a KSU team has advanced in the NCAA postseason since moving to the Division-I level in 2005-06. The Owls' baseball program reached the 2014 Super Regional, while the men's golf team advances to the NCAA Championships on three occasions (2011, 2014, 2017).
• KSU entered the night ranked No. 16/18 and captured its first Big South Conference championship and automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2017.
• The Owls defeated three ranked opponents (No. 22 Monmouth, No. 14 Samford, No. 3 Jacksonville State) for a program record.
• Kennesaw State rushed for a single-season record 4,623, marking the first team in Big South history with 4,000 yards on the ground in a campaign.

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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