Brian Bohannon Press Conference
 
Head Coach Brian Bohannon (AUDIO) | Justin Sumpter and Taylor Henkle (AUDIO)

KENNESAW – The scorching-hot Big South Champion Kennesaw State Owls (11-1), who are riding a program-record 11-game winning streak, hits the road for the first time in four weeks. The Owls trek to No. 3 Jacksonville State for a second round matchup in the FCS Playoffs. The game is schedule to kick off at 2 p.m. (ET) at Burgess-Snow Field. The contest can be seen live on ESPN3 and heard on ESPN Radio 1230 and 106.3. 

Head Coach Brian Bohannon, along with junior WR Justin Sumpter and DB Taylor Henkle, met with the media Wednesday afternoon to preview KSU's matchup with the Gamecocks.

Below is a transcript of selected questions and answers:
 
Brian Bohannon Opening Statement
"We're awfully excited to be in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. It's another great opportunity for our football program as we head over to Jacksonville State to play the No. 3 seed. You just look at both sides of the ball and special teams and you see they're an awfully talented football team. They a rich tradition of winning in FCS and Division II. I've known about them for a long time. It will be quite a challenge for us to go over there. Defensively, they are awfully talented and have the player of the year, their outside linebacker. They can run and are probably the most athletic defense we've played since we've been here. They fly to the ball and run. Offensively, they're big up front. The running backs are exceptional and they do a nice job of what they do in the running game. They're a solid football team and there is a reason they're the No. 3 seed. They are definitely one of the top two or three teams in the country. I think it's a great opportunity for our program. If you want to in elite company and be one of the teams then you have to go play them and compete. We're going to continue to prepare like we always do, continue to go play our best football game and we'll see what happens. It's going to be a great football environment over there so we're excited about that.
 
Justin Sumpter (Wide Receiver)
Q: What challenges does their defense present and is this a game where the receivers might play a bigger role?
A: Like Coach Bohannon said, they are real fast and real physical. For the wide outs, every game is important for us and we treat it just like any other game and make sure we get our assignments done.
 
Q: How better of a team are you this year than you were last year and how have the experiences of last year and some of the big wins this year helped you get over the hump and into the situation you are now?
A: On the maturity level, now that we've been in those difficult situations we know how to handle it a little bit better now. We know we need to make sure everyone is ready for whatever situation comes up in the game and that everyone stays focus no matter what the other circumstances are and that we get our job done.
 
Taylor Henkle (Safety)
Q: They have a really good running back in Roc Thomas, he is going to be a big focus for you, what are some of the things you have to do on the defensive side of the football to prepare for a running back like him?
A: It's going to come down to tackling. He's very good in open space and the first guy that gets to him is going to have to slow him down and the rest of us have to run to the ball. That has been a big focus point for us all year long and it is going to have to pay off on Saturday. Their running backs do a great job in open space. You let them get there and it's going to be tough. We have to run to the ball, corral them and hold on.
 
Q: With all that you have accomplished this year, do you still feel like you have some unfinished business?
A: We set goals this year. The goal that we set this year was win championships. Not just conference championships or just national championships. It doesn't matter whether we're playing the first game of the season or playoffs, we just want to win. We're still trying to earn respect. We still get overlooked at times and that's fine, but we're still playing now and we want to continue to play.
 
GAMEDAY HASHTAGS/ SOCIAL MEDIA HUBS
Hashtag: #GoKSUOwls
Twitter: @KSUOwlNation; @KennesawStFB; @jdorow19
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Fifth Third Bank is the Official Bank of Kennesaw State Athletics. Fifth Third Bank Stadium, the signature athletics landmark on the Kennesaw State University campus, is a world-class facility that has been recognized as one of the premier multi-use outdoor athletics venues in the country. In the fall of 2015, it become the official home of Owls football team and is home to Owls soccer and lacrosse as well.
 
Keep up with Kennesaw State Athletics by following KSU on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook. You also can follow Kennesaw State football at @KennesawSTFB and The Owls fund on Twitter at @TheOwlsFund.

--#GoKSUOwls--
 

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