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KENNESAW, Ga. – The No. 9 Kennesaw State football team scored 24 unanswered points and held off a late rally by Charleston Southern University to pick up a 24-19 victory Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
 
Head coach Brian Bohannon made history as the fastest coach in Big South Conference history to reach 50 career victories, needing just 65 games to reach the milestone. After leading the Owls to the best start-up program in the country, Bohannon has guided KSU to a 50-15 mark in its sixth year of competition.
 
The Owls took their first step toward their third conference championship in the last four years, knocking off Charleston Southern for the fourth consecutive season.
 
After Charleston Southern scored the first points of the game to open the second quarter, Jonathan Murphy entered the game for the Owls at quarterback and engineered a 13-play 72-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Glover to tie the game 7-7.
 
The Owls took all the momentum right before halftime, as Jeremiah Compton blocked a punt with 45 seconds left and Nathan Robertson converted the 25-yard field goal to give KSU a 10-7 lead at the intermission.
 
Kennesaw State drove the ball down the field to open the third quarter and Murphy put the team on his back, rushing nine times for 42 yards, including a 7-yard offensive line assisted touchdown run to extend the Owls' lead to 17-7.
 
Murphy turned to the air on the ensuing drive, finding Caleb O'Neal for a 51-yard touchdown strike to send the Owls out to a commanding 24-7 advantage.
 
While the Owls were putting up points, the defensive unit was dominating the Bucs in the second and third quarters, holding Charleston Southern to four consecutive three-and-outs and -17 yards during the span.
 
The Bucs scored a pair of late touchdowns, but Owls held on for their 16th Big South Conference victory in their last 17 tries.
 
KSU outgained Charleston Southern 334-244, thanks to 226 rushing yards, 117 of which came from Murphy on 27 carries. The Owls doubled up CSU in time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes.
 
Bryson Armstrong led the way on the defensive side of the ball, recording eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, while Chance Bates added six tackles and 1.0 TFL.
 
The Owls return to action Saturday, March 20, welcoming Dixie State to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
 
Coach Bohannon on the Victory
"It's great to be 2-0. I was proud of our guys. It was a lot of adversity, but we found a way to respond. I do think we made some improvements from game one to game two. I think we've got a long way to go but winning is not easy and I'm proud of our guys for finding a way to get it done."
 
Coach Bohannon on Jonathan Murphy's Performance
"It good to have Murphy and Tommy both; Murphy came in and did some really good things running the ball. He had to make a lot of people miss because we were not maintaining blocks long enough. I thought he did some really good things today."
 
Team Notes
• Kennesaw State improves to 5-1 in Big South Conference openers, including four straight wins.
• The Owls have won 16 of their last 17 Big South Conference games.
• KSU improved to 4-2 all-time against the Bucs, including four straight victories.
• The Owls have outscored CSU 145-52 in the last four meetings.
• The Owls have started 2-0 for the first time since the inaugural season in 2015 when KSU started 3-0.
• Kennesaw State is now 29-5 all-time in Fifth Third Bank Stadium, including winning 20 of its last 21 regular season home games.
 
Player Notes
• Jonathan Murphy recorded his third career 100-yard rushing game.
• Murphy had a career-high two passing touchdowns.
• Murphy eclipsed the century mark in rushing (117) and passing (108).
• Caleb O'Neal had a career-high 77 receiving yards, including a 51-yard TD reception.
• Kyle Glover's touchdown reception in the second quarter was the first of his career.
 
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