Owls Roll Over Point 59-0 In Season-Opener

Kennesaw State Quarterback Daniel David runs to his left as he searches for a receiver to pass to in a game against Point University on September 1, 2019. (Photo: Kennesaw State University Athletics.)

By: Aury St. Germain

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KENNESAW, Ga.- All facets of the Kennesaw State football team clicked against Point University Saturday evening, as the Owls rolled to a 59-0 victory over the Skyhawks.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who came to the game, I thought the crowd was great, our students were awesome. That’s the first time we won an opener at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, we were 1-3 coming into tonight and we haven’t won at home, so it was a big deal for us.”

The Owls’ offense converted through the air and on the ground, as quarterback Daniel David rushed for two scores and threw for two more.

After a one-yard touchdown run from David, Bronson Rechsteiner took advantage of a gaping hole on the left side and sprinted 36 yards to put the Owls in front 14-0.

On the ensuing possession, Shaquil Terry scampered 44 yards for the Owls third rushing touchdown of the evening.

Kennesaw State’s offense continued to roll and at the 1:11 mark in the first quarter, David found K.J. Hancock over the middle to push the edge to 28-0. The Owls added two more scores in the second quarter and held a 42-0 advantage at the break.

Tommy Bryant added two more scores himself in the second half, rushing for one while finding T.J. Reed on a wheel route for another.

A Nathan Robertson field goal with 7:24 to play capped off the Owls scoring.

“We have a lot of moving parts that are new, so I thought everyone did a good job of dialing in and focusing on their job. There’s a lot of positives, there’s going to be a ton of things we have to work on and continue to get better at, but the last thing that’s really positive is that so many kids got to play. With a young team, you can’t put a price tag on that experience.”

The Owls defense was spectacular the entire night, allowing just 129 yards of total offense. Junior linebacker Kareem Taylor led the defense with five tackles and a sack, while Jeremy Dees, Demetric Barnes and Joel Parker each recorded a sack.

As a team, the Owls surrendered just 37 rushing yards and 92 passing yards. The defense allowed just 4-of-16 third down attempts and a miniscule 2.3 yards per play.

“We have a stretch coming up where we have to put on our big boy pants, especially when you’re on the road with a young team, but at the end of the day, the objective was to be 1-0 after the game and we achieved that. There’s going to be things we can learn from that are positive and that were negative.”

The Owls look to win their first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) game at Kent State on Sept. 7. Kickoff is slated for noon in Kent, Ohio.

Team Notes
• The shutout was the sixth in program history.
• The 56-point advantage was the largest margin of victory in program history.
• The Owls have now rushed for at least one touchdown in 39-straight games.
• 16 Owls recorded carries.
• KSU completed 6-of-7 passes.
• As a group, the Owls averaged 7.9 yards per carry.
• The Owls are now 22-6 in non-conference games.
• This was the first win in the month of August for the Owls.

Individual Notes
• Bronson Rechsteiner’s 36-yard rush was a career-long.
• K.J. Hancock caught his first career touchdown, a 38-yard reception.
• Cincere Mason recorded a career-high four tackles.
• Daniel David’s two rushing scores were a career-high.
• Brandon Simmons’ 47 rushing yards marked a career-high.
• Simmons’ 14-yard rush was a career-high.
• Ryan Pontrelli recorded a career-high 64 yards receiving.
• Nicholas Jones tied the program mark with 56 career punts.
• Isaac Foster recorded just one kickoff return for 54 yards.

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