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KENNESAW, Ga. – The No. 7 Kennesaw State football team scored 21 points in the first quarter and never looked back, welcoming Robert Morris to the Big South Conference with a 35-0 shutout victory at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
 
With the win, KSU moves to 4-0 on the season and is off to its best start in program history. The Owls have now won 17 of their last 18 conference games and improve to 31-5 all-time at home.
 
The offensive onslaught came early and often for the Owls as Xavier Shepherd executed an eight-play 40-yard touchdown drive to open the game, capped by his first career score, a run from one yard out to give KSU a 7-0 lead.
 
Bryson Armstrong jumped in on the scoring two drives later when he recorded his sixth career interception and returned it 75 yards for the seventh pick six in program history. Isaac Foster capped off the first-quarter scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run and the Owls took a commanding 21-0 lead after the first frame.
 
The Owls went airborne in the second quarter as Shepherd fired a 33-yard strike to Will Haigler in the end zone to give KSU a commanding 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
 
The KSU defense surrendered just 52 yards in the first half, holding the Colonials to 0-of-6 on third downs and 0-of-1 on fourth downs. The domination by the defensive unit continued in the second half as the Owls held RMU scoreless, while Adeolu Adeleke iced the game with a 15-yard rush to the pylon in the fourth quarter.
 
The 35-0 victory marked the seventh shutout performance in program history, including the fifth against a Big South opponent.
 
Chance Bates led the defense with seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, while Desmond Scott and Peyton Moore each recorded a sack in the contest. To go along with his pick six, Armstrong added six tackles, including two tackles for loss.
 
The Owls were 3-of-3 in the red zone with a trio of touchdowns and have now scored in 16 of 18 trips to the red zone this season, including 12 touchdowns.
 
The Owls return to action next Saturday, traveling to Monmouth for a showdown with the Hawks. Kickoff between the two undefeated teams is set for 1 p.m. at Kessler Stadium.
 
Coach Bohannon Quote
"It's great to be 2-0 in the league and it's great to win again at home. It's great for the defensive getting a shutout, it's always huge getting a shutout in league play. The biggest thing today is we looked like ourselves in the first half and that is the first time truthfully all year I recall seeing Kennesaw State football. We came out with some energy and ready to play. I thought we did some good things early on. On the flip side, we were struggling to finish in the right manner … just way too many penalties today. At the end of the day we won a conference game at home, which is huge. We have a lot of things to build on and fix going into next weekend."
 
Team Notes
• Kennesaw State is off to its best start in school history at 4-0, besting the previous 3-0 mark set during the inaugural season in 2015.
• The Owls have 17 Big South Conference wins in their last 18 tries.
• KSU moves to 2-0 in league play for the fourth consecutive season.
• Kennesaw State is now 31-5 all-time in Fifth Third Bank Stadium, including winning 22 of its last 23 regular season home games.
• The Owls outscored Robert Morris 7-0 in the second quarter and are outscoring opponents 48-7 this year in the second frame.
• The defense recorded its seventh shutout in program history, including the fifth against a Big South opponent.
• KSU held RMU to 162 total yards of offensive, marking the second time this year the Owls have held an opponent to less than 200 yards.
 
Player Notes
• Xavier Shepherd recorded his first collegiate touchdown on the opening drive of his first career start.
• Bryson Armstrong's 75-yard interception return for a touchdown was the longest in program history and just the seventh pick six overall.
• Will Haigler notched his first career touchdown reception on his fourth career reception.
• Adeolu Adeleke recorded his second career rushing touchdown, first of the season.
 
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