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Score: Kennesaw State 56, East Tennessee State 16 
Records: Kennesaw State (1-0), East Tennessee State (0-1) 
Key Players: Rushing yards: Trey White (16-95) Chaston Bennett (7-87), Darnell Holland (2-83), Micah Reed (11-78). 
Key Plays: Redshirt freshman Trey White scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter for the initial touchdown in Kennesaw State history. The ensuing extra point gave KSU a 7-3 lead with1:33 remaining in the opening period 
Key Stat: Kennesaw State outgained ETSU in total rushing by a dominant 416-98. The Owls also totaled 63 plays for 512 total yards. 
Media Coverage: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Game Story | Atlanta Journal-Constitution Column | Marietta Daily Journal Coverage | Marietta Daily Journal Column
  
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.  – The anticipation, hype and excitement lived up to expectations on a historic night in Johnson City, Tenn. 
  
Dressed in its road white jerseys, gold pants and gold helmets, the Kennesaw State football team gave its fans and university plenty to cheer about in its inaugural game 56-16 win Thursday before 8,217 fans at Kermit Tipton Stadium. 
 
Showing an explosive offense, the Owls (1-0) had three scoring plays of 40 or more yards and added a touchdown on an interception return.
  
Redshirt junior quarterback Trey White, redshirt freshman wide receiver Justin Sumpter, redshirt junior defensive lineman Nick Perrotta and freshman running back Darnell Holland provided big plays on both sides of the ball. 
  
White scored the first touchdown in program history on a 6-yard run late in the first quarter, Perrotta capped the first-half scoring with a 19-yard interception return and White and Sumpter hooked up on a 69-yard scoring play two plays into the second half. Holland increased the lead to 42-13 on an electrifying third-quarter run in which he started to his right, reversed field, picked up a key block from White and raced the distance for the score.
 
Freshman redshirt running back Jae Bowen scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards, redshirt freshman Trey Chivers had a 2-yard touchdown run and quarterback Jake McKenzie entered the game early in the fourth quarter and rushed seven yards for a score as seven different Owls scored.
 
Kennesaw State finished with 512 yards of total offense, including 416 on the ground.
 
Defensively, after allowing a 16-play, 57-yard drive that consumed 8:48 of the clock on the game's opening drive and resulted in a 36-yard ETSU field goal, the Owls' defense tightened and changed the momentum of the game when Perrotta stepped in front of a screen pass for an interception that gave Kennesaw State a 21-13 lead with 1:10 left before halftime.
 
The defensive touchdown was part of a stretch of 49 unanswered points by Kennesaw State. Redshirt freshman safety Taylor Henkle led KSU with six tackles, while redshirt senior defensive lineman Mason Harris collected 5.5 stops, including the first sack in program history that resulted in a 10 yard loss. He finished with three tackles for loss.
 
COACH BRIAN BOHANNON ON FIRST GAME: "It's been a long time coming. Just to play the game, regardless. Obviously we want to win. The work these kids have put in and this staff has put in over the last two and a half years for me and some others and for them to come out and have a positive night that we can build on, hugging each one of them after the game, that's what it's about.  That's me, I don't really get caught up in all that other stuff, just the players, the way things finished and to see their faces after all they've done, it just couldn't end any better."

NEXT UP: Kennesaw State is scheduled to make more history on Saturday, Sept. 12 when it hosts Edward Waters in the program's first home game at sold out Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised live by WUPA-TV Atlanta's CW69. It can also be heard live on KSUOwls.com with Brian Giffin handling the play-by-play, Tutan Reyes providing color and Art Eckman reporting from the sideline.
 
NOTES
- Junior redshirt freshman quarterback Trey White and redshirt freshmen defensive backs Taylor Henkle and Jace White served as game captains.
- A group of 500 fans, including KSU Athletics support staff and University officials made the trip to Johnson City, Tenn.
-Freshman Justin Thompson was the first player in Kennesaw State history to touch a football in a game when he put his foot to the opening kickoff. Thompson was 8-for-8 in extra point attempts.
-Taylor Henkle made the first tackle in Kennesaw State history
-Redshirt senior defensive end Mason Harris recorded the first sack in KSU history, tackling Austin Herink for a 10-yard loss on ETSU's first drive of the game.
-The Owl's first offensive play was a 4-yard run by quarterback Trey White
-Defensive lineman Nick Perratta will go down in KSU history for recording the first interception and defensive touchdown.
-Four different players (Trey White, 96; Chaston Bennett, 87; Darnell Holland, 83; and Micah Reed, 78) rushed 70 or more yards.
-The Owls averaged 8.1 yards per play and held ETSU to 4.3 yards per play
-Head coach Brian Bohannon was presented with the game ball by Kennesaw State University President Daniel S. Papp in the locker room post game. It was the first time Bohannon had been presented a game ball as a coach.
-Redshirt junior defensive back Dante' Blackmon had a 32-yard interception return.
-Kennesaw State had five touchdown drives of 50 or more yards, including four of 65 yards or more
-The Owls won the first coin toss and deferred to the second half

 

 

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