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BUIES CREEK, N.C. – No. 11 Kennesaw State played spoiler on Saturday afternoon as it defeated the Campbell Fighting Camels 30-7 on their Homecoming weekend at Barker-Lane Stadium. The Owls (6-1, 3-0 Big South Conference) held Campbell (3-3, 2-4) to 104 passing yards and 86 rushing yards. Both totals marked season-lows for the Camels. The Owls also won the turnover battle, 2:1, against the nation's leader in turnover margin.

Offensively, KSU was led by quarterback Xavier Shepherd. Shepherd went 8-for-14 passing with 112 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore also added 14 carries on the ground for 52 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, the Owls had multiple players that made an impact. Evan Thompson led the team in tackles with 10 (three solo), while linebackers Chance Bates and Xavier Reddick each added interceptions to halt Campbell drives. This marked the second consecutive game the KSU defense has held an opponent to seven points or less, as well as the third consecutive double-digit tackle mark for Thompson.

It is nothing out of the ordinary for the Kennesaw State football team to be locked into a defensive battle before the half. The Owls held the Camels to 90 total yards in the first half, which marked the lowest total yards Campbell has recorded through the first two quarters this season. The defense was led by Thomspon and Bates who each recorded four tackles in the first half.

Campbell got on the board in the second quarter after it recovered a fumble and took it 97 yards to the end zone. The Owls answered and put together a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to even the score at 7-7 late in the first half. The drive was finished by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Shepherd. The even-score marked the first time the Owls went into halftime tied this season.

After deferring the opening kick, Kennesaw State received the second half kickoff. The drive was stalled on the Fighting Camels' 29-yard line when senior kicker Nathan Robertson was called upon to break the tie. Robertson's 46-yard kick was good and tied the senior's career long.

On the ensuing drive, the Owls' defense got the ball back to its offense on just four plays. Kennesaw State forced a three-and-out highlighted by a second down tackle-for-loss by Thompson. The next play, Kerick Reese got in on the action with his first sack of the season on a crucial third down.

Shepherd took over and marched the offense down the field. On the fifth play, the quarterback found slotback Nykeem Farrow for a 52-yard touchdown reception. The play marked the longest pass of Shepherd's career and the longest reception of Farrow's. This extended the Owls' lead to 17-7 late in the third quarter.

Campbell looked to answer the Owls' score. The Fighting Camels drove the ball 80 yards down the field, but an incomplete pass stalled the drive on third down. Campbell attempted a field goal to make it a one-score game, but the kick was no good.  

The Owls were unable to capitalize on the missed field goal and were forced to punt. The Camels moved the ball right back down the field and found themselves within striking distance again. A great defensive play by Je'Cory Burks forced an incomplete pass and forced the third field goal attempt for Campbell.

With the ball on the KSU 11-yard line, senior defensive lineman Desmond Scott broke through the Camels' offensive line and recorded his second blocked kick of the season. Burks would scoop up the block and return it 89 yards for a touchdown. This pushed the game out of hand and extended the Owls' lead to 24-7 with less than six minutes remaining in the game.

Reddick put the game on ice when he intercepted a pass from Campbell quarterback Wiley Hartley two plays into its final drive. The Owls' offense scored one last time on a four-yard touchdown catch by freshman Gabriel Benyard. The reception marked the first touchdown catch of Benyard's career and pushed the score to 30-7.  

With the win, the Owls secured their ninth consecutive victory over a team from North Carolina and 16^th consecutive win in the month of October. The team is back in action against Gardner-Webb next Saturday, Oct. 30 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. and will be the Owls' Hall of Fame weekend.








Post-Game Notes

•  KSU has now started four straight seasons with a record of 6-1 (the Owls finished the 2021 covid shortened season at 5-1).
• Quarterback Xavier Shepherd's 12 rushing touchdowns rank third in the FCS.
• Kennesaw State has now won 16 consecutive games in the month of October.
• The Owls' offense has rushed for 150+ yards in 66 consecutive games.
• The win marked the ninth consecutive victory over a team from North Carolina. 
• Kennesaw State's defense has posted back-to-back games without allowing an offensive touchdown.
• Head coach Brian Bohannon improved his record to 25-8 in Big South play.
• The Owls' defense held Campbell to its lowest total yardage in a game this season (189).
• Nykeem Farrow recorded the longest reception of his career (52 yards).
• Kennesaw State has held opponents to less than 100 yards rushing in four of its last five games.

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