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KENNESAW, Ga. -- Five forced turnovers and 309 rushing yards helped propel Kennesaw State past visiting Tennessee Tech, 27-14, Saturday night before a sold out crowd of 8,418 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The Owls (1-1) jumped out to a commanding 27-0 lead through three quarters, but had to hold off a fourth-quarter rally by the Golden Eagles (0-2).

"The first thing you notice when you come out is that student section," head coach Brian Bohannon said. "That was awesome tonight. I thought the students were awesome, I thought the crowd was awesome and it definitely made a difference."

Junior RB Darnell Holland posted a career-high 129 yards on the ground on just four carries, averaging a career-best 32.2 yards per carry, and redshirt freshman LB Bryson Armstrong once again led the defense with nine tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.

Leading 27-0 entering the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles put their first seven points on the board with a touchdown pass with 12:16 remaining, before another TD strike with 9:44 to cut the deficit to 27-14.

Sophomore Dorian Walker sealed the victory as he intercepted a Tennessee Tech pass in the end zone in the game's final minutes as the Eagles were threatening to cut it to a one-score game.

"We won tonight. We won the first half and at the end of the day we won tonight," Bohannon said. "At the end of the day we got done what we wanted to accomplish. There's a lot of positives we can take from tonight and a lot of things we can learn from to continue to be the football team we want to be."

The interception was the final of three by Kennesaw State as senior LB Brenton Wimberly and junior DB Taylor Henkle had the others. Henkle and Armstrong recovered fumbles as the Owls owned a 17-0 edge in points-off-turnover scoring.

It was a one-sided affair at the half as KSU led 24-0 and out-gained TTU 291-161. Holland's school-record 84-yard touchdown run with 4:58 left in the second quarter made it 17-0 and Justin Sumpter reeled in a one-handed TD grab with four seconds left in the half.

Justin Thompson put the Owls on the board with a 19-yard field goal two minutes into the game. Following Wimberley's interception, Kennesaw State made it 10-0 as Trey Chivers capped a seven-play, 83-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown run.

Junior LB Izzy Sam led the Owls' defense with 10 tackles, while Armstrong had a career-high nine. Henkle finished with five tackles, recovered a fumble, had an interception and broke up a pass.

Andre Sale had a big night under center for the visitors, finishing 31-of-42 passing for 297 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes to D.J. Wilkes. Dontez Byrd had 10 catches for 109 yards.

The Owls return to action next Saturday night at Alabama State. Kickoff in Montgomery is set for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).

GAME NOTES

• The announced crowd of 8,418 marked the Owls 10^th sellout and also marked the 10^th-largest football crowd in school history.
• Junior RB Darnell Holland had a monster first half en route to a career night. He rolled up 123 yards on just three carries in the first half, including a school-record 84-yard rush that resulted in a touchdown to make it 17-0 in the second quarter. He finished with four carries for a career-high 129 yards.
• Kennesaw State generated a school record five turnovers (interceptions by sophomore DB Dorian Walker, senior LB Brenton Wimberly, junior SS Taylor Henkle, and fumble recoveries by redshirt freshman LB Bryson Armstrong and Henkle. The Owls, who played turnover-free, owned a 17-0 edge in points off turnover scoring.
• The interceptions by Wimberly and Walker were the first of their careers.
• It is the first time the Owls have had three different players record an interception in the same game.
• Armstrong had another big game in second game as an Owl. He finished with nine tackles, a sack and recovered a fumble for the second straight game. He is the first KSU player to recover fumbles in consecutive games.
• Kennesaw State held Tennessee Tech scoreless over the first three quarters to mark the 37^th, 38^th, and 39^th quarters the Owls have blanked an opponent in school history.
• Zach Mitchler (RT) and Izzy Sam (LB) each made their 24th consecutive starts tonight. They are the lone two Owls to have started each game in the program's history. Mitcher, Sam, along with Anthony Gore, Jr., Xavier Harper, Taylor Henkle, Darnell Holland, Drew McCracken, Devin Pughsley, Nicolas Snowden and Braylon Young have played in all 24 games in program history.
• Tonight's captains: Bryson Armstrong and Jake McKenzie

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.
 
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--#GoKSUOwls--