KENNESAW, Ga. – A 17-point third-quarter surge sparked Kennesaw State football on a sold-out night to a 27-13 win over Merrimack on Saturday night at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field. The victory is the first under KSU's first-year head coach Jerry Mack.
After a defensive battle in the first quarter, the Owls (1-2) jumped on the scoreboard first with a 13-play, 85-yard march that finished with a 4-yard scamper by quarterback Dexter Williams II.
Carrying a 7-0 lead at the intermission, Kennesaw State barreled out of the gates in the third quarter to amass a 125-32 advantage in total offensive yards.
The barrage began when quarterback Amari Odom capped off a four-play drive, finding Gabriel Benyard on a quick 7-yard strike and giving Benyard his first receiving touchdown since 2023.
Keeping the pedal down, Odom and Co. quickly drove down the field again as he capped another four-play drive with a 12-yard scurry to the left pilon to get his first rushing TD as an Owl and up the KSU lead to 21-0.
Place kicker Britton Williams would provide the cherry on top of the win, driving home field goals in the third quarter (38-yarder) and fourth quarter (44-yarder).
Defensively, the Owls were oppressive in the back field all night, piling up a whopping 14 tackles for loss – tying a program record – including 4.0 sacks.
Defensive back JeRico Washington Jr. led the night with a team-high seven tackles, including the first two tackles for loss of his career (also including his first sack). Linebacker Baron Hopson was once again at the top of the leaderboard, creating a 0.5 tackle for loss to bolster his five tackles on the night.
Five Owls finished with four tackles – Donovan Westmoreland, Marcus Patterson, Alexander Ford, Adam Watkins and Garland Benyard – with Patterson providing a sack and Westmoreland (1.0), Watkins (0.5) and Benyard (0.5) providing tackles for loss.
Offensively, Christian Moss led the receiving corps., hauling in six passes for 68 yards (both career highs), while Benyard finished with five receptions for 54 yards. In the backfield, Alexander Diggs averaged 6.1 yards per carry with 55 rushing yards on just nine attempts. Williams added 42 yards on the ground, while Coleman Bennett finished with 39.
Under center, Williams finished with 88 passing yards and Odom finished with 108 passing yards. Odom was an ultra-efficient 12-for-14 on the night passing, which sets the school record for completion percentage (.857) with 10 or more attempts.
Kennesaw State continues its homestand when it hosts Arkansas State on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Fifth Third Stadium and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the KSU Owls app.
Postgame Notes
Team Notes
- Kennesaw State notched its first win for first-year head coach Jerry Mack.
- The first home game under Mack featured a sellout crowd of 11,040 at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field.
- Kennesaw State improved to 47-13 inside Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field.
- Kennesaw State improved to 29-6 against non-conference foes inside Fifth Third Stadium.
- Kennesaw State's defense pitched a first-half shutout against Merrimack, the first instance for KSU since Oct. 28, 2023 vs. Lincoln (Ca.).
- It also marked the first time KSU has held a Division I opponent scoreless in the first half since Oct. 16, 2021 vs. North Carolina A&T.
- Kennesaw State moved to 1-2 on the season.
- Kennesaw State moved to 1-0 against Merrimack.
Individual Notes
- R-So. QB Amari Odom made his first start at Kennesaw State Saturday. He connected with r-Sr. WR Gabriel Benyard from 7 yards out for his first touchdown pass as an Owl in the third quarter.
- Benyard's 54-yard day at receiver allowed him to surpass 1,000 on his career, becoming just the second player in an Owl uniform to achieve the feat (Justin Sumpter, 2015-18).
- The touchdown reception was Benyard's first since 2023 (Aug. 31 vs. Tusculum).
- Odom's pass completion percentage of .857 (12-for-14) is a school record (min. 10 attempts).
- R-Sr. QB Dexter Williams II's second quarter 4-yard touchdown keeper was his first in an Owl uniform.
- R-Sr. WR Christian Moss set career highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (68).
- R-Jr. DL Marcus Patterson set new career highs in total tackles (5) and two sacks – both acquired in the first quarter of action.
- Freshman DL Elijah Hill got to the Merrimack quarterback for a critical third down sack in the third quarter – the first of his collegiate career.
- R-So. DB JeRico Washington Jr. tallied his first two tackles for loss of his career, including his first sack.
- R-Sr. DL Tylon Dunlap recorded a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss.
Multimedia
Postgame Press Conference (Jerry Mack, Marcus Patterson, Gabriel Benyard)
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