SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Kennesaw State football rose to the occasion with a 31-10 demolition of Wofford on Saturday night. The Owls bounced back to give head coach Brian Bohannon his 30^th career non-conference win and secured their eighth consecutive regular season road victory in FCS play.
 
The Owls and Terriers were locked into a defensive battle for the first two quarters of play at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday night. As the first quarter ticked down, Kennesaw State safety Cole Loden stepped in front of a pass for an interception which halted the Wofford offense as it threatened to score. The Owls then marched the ball down the field on an 11 minute and 30 second drive, which ended on a 30-yard field goal by senior kicker Nathan Robertson. This drive totaled 72 yards and saw the Owls run 22 plays.
 

After the field goal, Kennesaw State's defense stood strong and linebacker Evan Thompson came up with a big sack on third down to force a punt with 1:59 remaining in the half. Quarterback Xavier Shepherd moved the offense quickly down the field and into Wofford territory with limited time left on the clock. Shepherd found senior receiver Caleb O'Neal in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown reception, which extended the Owls' lead to 10-0 with 47 seconds left to play in the second quarter. The Owls went 50 yards on seven plays, scoring in one minute and one second to finish the half. 
 

Kennesaw State dominated the time of possession battle in the first two quarters and held the ball 20:05 to the Terriers 9:55. The offense was led by Preston Daniels who added 11 carries for 49 yards in the half. Shepherd posted 12 rushing attempts for 47 yards and was 4-of-5 passing for 28 yards and one touchdown.
 
Defensively, the Owls' allowed only 51 total yards during the first half. Desmond Scott led the way with five tackles (three solo), one tackle-for-loss, and one sack. Thompson also added two tackles (one solo), two tackles-for-loss and one sack.

Kennesaw State wasted no time extending the lead as the second half began. The offense dominated on the ground and moved the ball down the field 78-yards for a score. The drive concluded when senior running back Kyle Glover broke off a run up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown. Glover finished the game with 116 rushing yards on 18 carries. This marked the first time in Glover's career that he surpassed the 100 yard mark in a game. 
 
 
At the start of the fourth quarter, Kennesaw State held a 17-3 lead. On the second play of the frame, Murphy found sophomore Iaan Cousin for a 33-yard touchdown strike to open up the lead at 24-3. This touchdown reception marked the first receiving score of Cousin's career - one week after scoring his first rushing touchdown at Georgia Tech.
 
 
Wofford added one touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Owls immediately answered with a score of its own. Shepherd kept the ball on the option and exploded up the field for a 56-yard touchdown run. Shepherd finished the day with 97 rush yards, 75 pass yards and three total touchdowns - two passing and one rushing.
 
Post Game Notes

• KSU moves to 3-0 all-time against Wofford.
• Head coach Brian Bohannon earned his 30th career non-conference win.
• The Owls secured their eighth consecutive non-conference regular season road victory in FCS play.
• Kyle Glover ran for 116 yards and became the first Owl to pass the century mark this season.
• Preston Daniels joined in on the B-back success with a career-best 82 yards on the ground.
• Iaan Cousin made his first career start and pulled down his first career TD reception on a perfect 33-yard throw from Shepherd.
• The Owls picked up 418 total yards and averaged 6.1 yards per play.
• The Owls have rushed for at least 150 yards in 62 consecutive games, scored a rushing touchdown in 60 straight games, and had a sack in eight straight games.
• KSU held Wofford to 67 yards on the ground and just 2.7 yards per rush.
• The rushing total serves as Wofford's lowest since:
  • It is the fewest rushing yards Wofford has been held to since at least the 1997 season.
  • In the 2018 FCS Playoffs second round, KSU held the Terriers to just 74 yards on the ground, which marked the last time Wofford was held under the century mark prior to Saturday.

The Owls will enjoy a bye next week and prepare for a contest at Fifth Third Bank Stadium with Jacksonville State on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 3:00pm. Purchase tickets by clicking here.

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