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2023 Media Guide
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State football finished the 2023 season with a 63-3 victory over Virginia-Lynchburg on Saturday afternoon inside Fifth Third Stadium. The Owls scored a touchdown on their first seven possessions and outgained the Dragons 538-105.
Leading the offense was
Michael Benefield who made program history as the first Owl with four-straight 100-yard rushing games. Benefield ended the day with 106 yards on 13 attempts with two rushing touchdowns. Benefield finished the season with six rushing scores in his final three games.
Jonathan Murphy capped his Kennesaw State career with a big performance. The Los Angeles native was 8-of-10 through the air with 133 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also added three rushes for 39 yards and one rushing score.
Today marked the 49th career game for
Isaac Foster. The receiver ended the afternoon with two catches for 67 yards and a receiving touchdown. In the second quarter, Foster caught a 44-yard touchdown pass which marked the longest reception of his career.
Markeith Montgomery made his 53rd and final appearance in an Owl uniform. The Flintstone, Ga. native registered three tackles (one solo) with a pick six for a touchdown. Montgomery ends his career as KSU's all-time record holder in interceptions with 12.
The contest also marked offensive lineman
Terrell Paxton's final game as an Owl. The fifth-year senior played in 50 games throughout his KSU career and was a two-time all-conference selection.
The Kennesaw State defense came out on fire with a sack on the first play of the game by
Adam Watkins. Two plays later, Montgomery ripped an interception out of the air and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. This was the second pick-six of Montgomery's career.
The Owl defense forced a three-and-out on VUL's next drive to get the ball on its own 14-yard line. The offense followed with an 11 play, 86-yard possession to move ahead 14-0. Murphy capped the drive with a 14-yard rushing score for his seventh of the season.
Benefield continued his hot streak by adding a three-yard rushing touchdown on KSU's next possession. The score marked Benefield's fifth rushing touchdown in his last three games and put Kennesaw State ahead 21-0 in the first quarter.
Virginia-Lynchburg connected on a 43-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter. This pulled the score to 21-3 in favor of the Owls.
KSU's offense responded quick as it needed only four plays to reach the end zone. Benefield exploded for a 29-yard rushing touchdown which marked his third consecutive game with multiple rushing scores. This extended the Owls' lead to 28-3.
A three-and-out gave Kennesaw State the ball back with 8:24 remaining in the first half. Murphy connected for his first touchdown pass of the afternoon when he found
Rowan Darnell for a 17-yard score. The touchdown catch was the first of Darnell's career and pushed KSU ahead, 35-3.
Murphy found Foster on the next drive for a 44-yard touchdown pass. The catch marked the first touchdown reception of the year for Foster and was the 17
th total touchdown of his seven-year KSU career.
The Owls led 42-3 at the half and held Virginia-Lynchburg to 50 yards of total offense. VUL recorded only three first downs during the first two quarters. The Owls' 42 points marked the most the team has scored in a half since 2019 when KSU scored 42 against Point University.
Davis Bryson started the third quarter for the Owls at quarterback and led the team 65 yards down field for another touchdown. On the seventh play, Bryson juked his way into the end zone for a 17-yard rushing score that put Kennesaw State ahead, 49-3.
With 1:23 left in the third quarter, freshman
DJ Scott found paydirt for the first rushing score of his collegiate career. From one yard out, Scott bulldozed his way into the end zone to cap an 11-play drive. This increased the KSU advantage to 56-3.
Kenai Grier became the third Owl that scored their first career touchdown in the contest with a 17-yard rush in the fourth quarter. Greer had two carries for 26 yards.
With the win, Kennesaw State concludes its last season as an FCS program. The Owls are set to officially join the FBS and Conference USA on July 1, 2024.
For more information on Kennesaw State athletics, follow @KennesawStFB on Twitter or like Kennesaw State Football on Facebook and Instagram.
