By: Austin Williams
The Kennesaw State Owls secured their first-ever FBS and Conference USA victory over the Liberty Flames last Wednesday, 27-24.
Davis Bryson and the Owls on the Attack
The Owl offense came alive against the undefeated Liberty Flames when it mattered most, but what most impacted the KSU offense was the resurgence of Owl quarterback Davis Bryson. Bryson played a great game by completing 16-20 passes, throwing for 189 yards, and a passing touchdown. Bryson did not play last week against Middle Tennessee, but he was able to keep his eye on the prize and earned the Owls' first win of the season.
"I'm really proud of the quarterback," head coach Brian Bohannon said. "You get benched, you got to manage that, you have to handle that and Bryson responded."
Bryson and his receivers played significant roles in the Owls' victory over the Flames. Redshirt junior wide receiver Christian Moss secured his first receiving touchdown on the season on a 41-yard pass play, freshman wide receiver Jaden Robinson earned 72 yards receiving and redshirt junior Blake Bohannon secured a clutch fourth-quarter catch that helped earn the Owl win.
Owl Defense and 12th Man Extinguish the Flames
The KSU defense also kept the key players on Liberty's offense in check. The Flames' star running back, Quinton Cooley, only had 37 yards rushing, and quarterback Kaidon Salter ran well against the Owl defense but could not find any explosive plays while passing the ball. Salter only completed 55% of his passes, 206 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception by redshirt junior defensive back Tyler Hallum. The Owl secondary also broke up six passes, three caused by Hallum himself.
Another major contributor to the victory over Liberty was Owl Nation. The stadium came alive when victory was in sight for KSU, which caused multiple false start penalties against the Liberty offense.
"This was the best-engaged crowd we've had in a long time here," Bohannon said. "Tonight was different. I'm looking at the fans behind Liberty's bench jumping up and down, and I thought the crowd did have an impact on the game which is what we want this place to be."
Taking Advantage of Liberty Penalties
Penalties against the Flames helped multiple Owl scoring drives, and Liberty would end the game with nine penalties that cost them 100 yards in total.
The first key penalty was the pass interference call against Liberty in the third quarter, as Bryson attempted a deep fourth-down pass to Bohannon. This penalty eventually earned the Owls a six-yard Qua Ashley touchdown run and gave them a 21-14 lead.
Another heartbreaking penalty for the Flames was the roughing-the-passer call on Bryson on third and long. The Owls most likely would have punted if the penalty had not been called, but KSU was able to score again off a Liberty mistake with a 30-yard Austin Welch field goal, putting the Owls up 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
Coach Bohannon and His Owls
"I could not be more proud of a group of kids, staff and coaches," Bohannon said. "All we've talked about for the last month and a half was sticking together, and if we stick to it, something good will happen. I told them that we have had a lot of great wins here, but nothing was better than that. I could not be more prouder of this program."
Kennesaw State returns to the road for its final midweek contest of the season at Western Kentucky on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
