Kennesaw State shined from start to finish in the opening round of the FCS playoffs with a commanding 48-21 win over the Davidson Wildcats. The Owls totaled 417 yards of total offense en route to the largest margin of victory during a playoff game in school history.
Head coach Brian Bohannon recorded his 63rd career victory, tying the Big South Conference career wins record. The win also marked Bohannon’s fifth career playoff victory and broke the conference record for most playoff wins by a head coach.
Kyle Glover led the Owls’ rushing attack with 71 yards on nine carries. Following Glover was Nykeem Farrow who added 53 yards on three attempts.
Quarterback Xavier Shepherd earned his 11th win in his 12th career start. The sophomore went 4-for-5 passing with 115 yards. He also added 13 carries for 15 yards. With his four rushing touchdowns, Shepherd set the school record for rushing touchdowns in a postseason game. The quarterback has ran for 11 touchdowns in the Owls’ last three games.
Junior Markeith Montgomery made a big impact in his sixth start of the season for the Kennesaw State secondary. Montgomery finished second on the team in tackles with eight (three solo) and added one interception with a return of 43 yards. The eight tackles mark a career high for the junior.
The Owls (11-1) scored touchdowns on all five of their offensive drives in the first half of the game against Davidson (8-3). The 41 points are also the most the team has scored through two quarters against a Division 1 opponent in school history.
The KSU defense wasted no time breaking out the turnover plank. On the second play of the game, Evan Thompson fell on a Wildcat pitch to give the Kennesaw State offense great field position at the Davidson 29-yard line. Seven plays later, Shepherd found the end zone on six-yard rushing touchdown. The score marked the sixth time this season the Owls scored points on their opening drive.
The stout KSU defense forced a three-and-out to give the team the ball back immediately on its second possession. Big runs from Iaan Cousin and Gabriel Benyard put the offense in great position to strike again. On the seventh play of the drive, Shepherd kept the ball on the option and forced his way into the back of the end zone to give KSU a 14-0 lead.
The Owl defense continued to dominate and forced another three-and-out for the Wildcats. Before the KSU offense could return to the field, the special teams ignited the crowd on a huge play to give the team a 20-0 lead. Benyard returned the Davidson punt 63 yards to the house for KSU’s first punt return for a touchdown in school history. The freshman finished the day with 103 all-purpose yards.
The Wildcats scored late in the first quarter, but the Owls answered with a nine-play, 68-yard drive to push the score to 27-7. Junior receiver Will Haigler made a beautiful sliding catch to move the ball deep into Davidson territory. Three plays later, Cousin dove into the pylon on a 10-yard touchdown run.
Shepherd and the offense continued to assert its dominance on the ensuing drive, when the Owls scored on a 54-yard drive. The sophomore kept the ball for another one-yard rushing touchdown to mark his 22nd rushing score of the year.
Montgomery made an impact all over the field in the game, but his biggest play came with only 42 seconds remaining in the first half. The junior picked off a pass in the end zone and returned the ball all the way to the KSU 43-yard line before being pushed out.
Two plays later, Shepherd would find Xavier Hill for the longest touchdown pass of his career. Hill leaped over the Wildcat defender for a 56-yard touchdown catch with only 14 seconds remaining in the half. Kennesaw State took a 41-14 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the half, running back Nykeem Farrow flew down the field on a 44-yard run to put the ball on the Wildcat five-yard line. The run was the longest of the sophomore’s career and set up a Shepherd touchdown on the very next play.
With the win, Kennesaw State has won at least one game in all four of its FCS playoff appearances. The team has won 11-straight contests at Fifth Third Bank Stadium and eight straight in the month of November.
The Owls are back in action for round two of the FCS Playoffs next Saturday, Dec. 4 as they take on the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. inside William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn.
