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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State football secured a Homecoming win in front of 7,906 fans with a 33-30 victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon inside Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The Owls (3-4, 1-2 ASUN Conference) improve to 3-0 over the Golden Eagles (1-6, 0-3 Ohio Valley Conference) and have won six-straight Homecoming contests.

Trailing 27-24 with six seconds remaining, Conor Cummins nailed a career-long 40-yard field goal to send Kennesaw State into its third overtime game on the season.

The Owls moved the ball down field in only 27 seconds, led by 26-yard receptions from both Isaac Foster and Xavier Hill. Cummins then notched his second field goal of the day which tied the score.

Kennesaw State won the toss in overtime and elected to play defense first. The team stood strong and did not allow a yard in the frame, holding TTU to a field goal.

Needing points to survive, the offense moved down field in five plays. With the ball on the four-yard line, Xavier Shepherd dove into the end zone for the game-winning score. The quarterback finished the afternoon with 125 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

Shepherd notched his fifth career game with 100+ rushing yards, moving him into fourth place in the KSU record books.

The KSU signal-caller also went 15-of-24 through the air with a career-high 224 passing yards. His main target was Foster who added four catches for 61 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Another top-target was Hill, who ended the night with three catches and set a new career-high registering 76 receiving yards. The wide receiver had one reception go for 26 yards and recorded 33 yards-after-catch.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Markeith Montgomery registered his eighth career interception, tying him for the Kennesaw State career record (Donte Blackmon). The pick was Montgomery's third on the year, tying his single-season high (2019).

Freshman Juandarion Silas led the Owl defense with nine tackles (four solo) in the contest. Silas set a new single-game high in the contest.

Kennesaw State won the toss and elected to defer, giving Tennessee Tech the ball to begin the game. The Golden Eagles put together a solid opening drive, but the KSU defense came up with a fourth-down stop on its six-yard line to end the threat.

The Owls' offense capitalized on the momentum and needed only six plays to reach the end zone. Shepherd broke open a 41-yard run that moved the ball down field, then connected with receiver Gabriel Benyard on a 23-yard pass down to the opponent's 10-yard line.

On the next play, Preston Daniels broke through the middle for a 10-yard touchdown run that gave KSU a 7-0 lead. The score marked the fourth of the season for the running back and was the fifth of his career. He ended the afternoon with 80 yards on 10 carries.

Kennesaw State's defense forced a quick punt on Tech's next drive. Shepherd and the offense grinded out a 17-play, 78-yard drive, capped by a 9-yard touchdown run from Foster. The run was Foster's third-consecutive game with a rushing touchdown for the longest streak of his career.

The 17-play scoring drive was the second-longest for KSU on the season, behind an 18-play scoring drive versus North Alabama (Oct. 8). The Owls also took 7:04 off the clock and marked the third time this season the team held a 7+ minute drive that ended with points.

Tennessee Tech got on the board with a 17-yard touchdown pass that pulled the score to 10-7 midway through the second quarter.

With four minutes remaining in the half, Shepherd led the offense into field-goal position where Cummins connected on a 23-yarder that gave Kennesaw State a 17-7 advantage. The drive was highlighted by an incredible, one-handed reception from Hill that put the ball on the Tech five-yard line.

The Golden Eagles kicked a field goal as the first half expired and scored on their first possession of the third quarter to notch the game at 17 apiece.

A 46-yard field goal midway through the third frame put Kennesaw State behind for the first time on the afternoon.

The game remained scoreless until there was 1:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Owls and Golden Eagles combined for 17 points in the final 81 seconds to send the game into overtime.

Kennesaw State football concludes its four-game homestand next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. as the team hosts Charleston Southern. The matchup will be the seventh in series history between the Owls and Buccaneers, with KSU holding a 4-2 advantage. Click here to purchase tickets.

Post-Game Notes

• Kennesaw State football improves to 24-1 all-time against non-conference teams inside Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
• Today's win marked the 21st consecutive non-conference victory at home for KSU football. 
• The Owls have rushed for 150+ yards in 75 straight games vs. FCS opponents dating back to week 11 of the 2015 season.
• Kennesaw State has scored a point in 88 straight games and has reached double-digits in 66 consecutive contests.
• KSU has won each of the last 43 games when it scores 32 points and is 46-1 all-time when reaching that mark.
• Today's contest marked the third overtime game for the Owls this season.
• Senior Markeith Montgomery moved into a tie for first place in the KSU record book for career interceptions (8).
• Xavier Shepherd set a new career-high for passing yards in the contest with 224.
• Isaac Foster has now rushed for a touchdown in three consecutive games.
• Conor Cummins set a new career-long with a 40-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime.
• Preston Daniels set a new career-high with 80 rushing yards and posted a career-long 46-yard run.
• Xavier Shepherd notched his fifth career game with 100+ rushing yards, moving him into fourth place in the KSU record books.

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