2018 Kennesaw State Owls football team

The 2018 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as fourth-year members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 11–2, 5–0 in Big South play to win the Big South conference championship for the second consecutive year. The Owls received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The Owls earned a No. 4 seed and a first round bye. They defeated Wofford in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to No. 5 South Dakota State.

2018 Kennesaw State Owls football
Big South champion
FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, L 17–27 vs. South Dakota State
Conference	Big South Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 4
2018 record	11–2 (5–0 Big South)
Head coach	Brian Bohannon (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Grant Chesnut (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Brian Newberry (4th season)
Home stadium	Fifth Third Bank Stadium (Capacity: 8,318)

2018 Big South Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Kennesaw State $^		5	–	0					11	–	2
Monmouth		4	–	1					8	–	3
Charleston Southern		3	–	2					5	–	6
Gardner–Webb		2	–	3					3	–	8
Campbell		1	–	4					6	–	5
Presbyterian		0	–	5					2	–	8
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Previous season

The Owls finished the 2017 season 12–2, 5–0 in Big South play to win the Big South conference championship.[1] The Owls received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, their first trip to the playoffs in school history.[2][3] In the first round of the playoffs, the Owls defeated Samford in a rematch of their only regular season loss and marked the school's first ever playoff win.[4] In the second round, the Owls upset No. 3 seed Jacksonville State to advance to the quarterfinals.[5] In the quarterfinals, despite a furious second half comeback, they lost to Sam Houston State.[6]

On January 9, 2018, head coach Brian Bohannon was named the American Football Coaches Association's Coach of the Year.[7][8]

Preseason

Big South poll

In the Big South preseason poll released on July 23, 2018, the Owls were predicted to finish as Big South champions.[9]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Kennesaw State	107 (17)
2	Monmouth	82 (1)
3	Charleston Southern	75
4	Gardner–Webb	52
5	Campbell	36
6	Presbyterian	26

Preseason All-Big South team

The Big South released their preseason all-Big South team on July 23, 2018, with the Owls having fourteen players selected along with two more at three positions on the honorable mention list.[10] Quarterback Chandler Burks was named preseason offensive player of the year and linebacker Bryson Armstrong was named the preseason defensive player of the year.

Offense Chandler Burks – QB Darnell Holland – RB Justin Sumpter – WR C.J. Collins – OL Joseph Alexander – OL Ryan Warrior – OL

Defense Desmond Johnson – DL McKenzie Billingslea – DL Bryson Armstrong – LB Anthony Gore, Jr. – LB Jace White – DB Dorian Walker – DB

Special teams Justin Thompson – K Drew McCracken – LS

Honorable mention Shaquil Terry – RB/KR Nicholas Jones – P

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Walter Payton Award[11]	Chandler Burks	QB	SR
Buck Buchanan Award[12]	Bryson Armstrong	LB	SO

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	7:00 p.m.	at Georgia State*	No. 5	Georgia State Stadium Atlanta, GA	ESPN+	L 20–24	23,088
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at Tennessee Tech*	No. 7	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPNU	W 49–10	4,118
September 15	6:45 p.m.	Alabama State*	No. 7	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN+	W 62–13	8,799
September 22	6:00 p.m.	Clark Atlanta*	No. 5	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN+	W 70–13	6,009
September 29	6:00 p.m.	Samford*	No. 4	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN3	W 24–10	6,304
October 6	2:00 p.m.	Presbyterian	No. 4	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN3	W 56–0	6,414
October 13	1:30 p.m.	at Gardner–Webb	No. 3	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN3	W 56–17	4,150
October 27	6:00 p.m.	at Charleston Southern	No. 2	Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 38–10	1,242
November 3	2:00 p.m.	Campbell	No. 2	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN+	W 49–0	6,012
November 10	12:00 p.m.	at Monmouth	No. 2	Kessler Stadium West Long Branch, NJ	ESPN3	W 51–14	2,332
November 17	3:00 p.m.	vs. No. 6 Jacksonville State*	No. 2	SunTrust Park Atlanta, GA	FSS	W 60–52 ^5OT	16,949
December 1	2:00 p.m.	No. 13 Wofford*	No. 2	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	ESPN3	W 13–10	3,515
December 8	2:00 p.m.	No. 5 South Dakota State*	No. 2	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)	ESPN3	L 17–27	3,242
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

• Source:[13]

Game summaries

at Georgia State

See also: 2018 Georgia State Panthers football team

Kennesaw State at Georgia State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 5 Owls 7 7 6 0 20 • Panthers 0 14 0 10 24 Date: August 30 Location: Georgia State Stadium Atlanta, GA Game start: 7:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 23,088 Game weather: 83°F • S 6 • Mostly sunny Referee: Marshall Lewis TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Stewart, Wayne Gandy, Jael Rucker

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at Tennessee Tech

See also: 2018 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team

Kennesaw State at Tennessee Tech

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 7 Owls 7 14 21 7 49 Golden Eagles 3 0 0 7 10 Date: September 6 Location: Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN Game start: 7:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 4,118 Game weather: 74°F • 10 mph • Early rain Referee: D. Whitehead TV announcers (ESPNU): Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2017	KSU, 27–14

Alabama State

See also: 2018 Alabama State Hornets football team

Alabama State at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 3 3 7 0 13 • No. 7 Owls 14 28 20 0 62 Date: September 15 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 6:45 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 8,799 Game weather: 78°F • 6 mph • Light rain Referee: Jeff Page TV announcers (ESPN+): Brian Katrek, Tutan Reyes, Chris Mooneyham

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2017	KSU, 20–14

Clark Atlanta

Clark Atlanta at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 13 0 0 0 13 • No. 5 Owls 14 21 21 14 70 Date: September 22 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 6,009 Game weather: 88°F • 6 mph • A few clouds Referee: Douglas Mercer TV announcers (ESPN+): Brian Katrek, Tutan Reyes, Chris Mooneyham, Lauren Hoffman

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2016	KSU, 56–0

Samford

See also: 2018 Samford Bulldogs football team

Samford at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 3 0 0 7 10 • No. 4 Owls 7 7 7 3 24 Date: September 29 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:41 Game attendance: 6,304 Game weather: 83°F • 6 mph • Partly Cloudy Referee: Stephen Hazle TV announcers (ESPN3): Brian Giffin, Brandon Joseph, Nathan McCreary

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–1	2017 FCS Playoffs	KSU, 28–17

Presbyterian

See also: 2018 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team

Presbyterian at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Hose 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 4 Owls 14 14 21 7 56 Date: October 6 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 2:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:51 Game attendance: 6,414 Referee: Marcus Woods TV announcers (ESPN3): Brian Katrek, Tutan Reyes, Chris Mooneyham, Lauren Hoffman

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–1	2017	KSU, 28–0

at Gardner–Webb

See also: 2018 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

Kennesaw State at Gardner–Webb

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 3 Owls 7 21 14 14 56 Runnin' Bulldogs 3 0 0 14 17 Date: October 13 Location: Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC Game start: 1:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:45 Game attendance: 4,150 Game weather: 65°F • 7 mph • Sunny Referee: Duane Heydt TV announcers (ESPN3): Fabian Fuentes, Renaldo Wynn, Brendan Boylan

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
3–0	2017	KSU, 17–3

at Charleston Southern

See also: 2018 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team

Kennesaw State at Charleston Southern

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Owls 7 17 7 7 38 Buccaneers 3 7 0 0 10 Date: October 27 Location: Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:57 Game attendance: 1,242 Referee: Thomas Graham TV announcers (ESPN+): Kevin O’Rourke, Danny Croghan III, Danielle Hensley

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–2	2017	KSU, 38–0

Campbell

See also: 2018 Campbell Fighting Camels football team

Campbell at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Camels 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 2 Owls 0 21 21 7 49 Date: November 3 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 2:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:40 Game attendance: 6,012 Game weather: 62°F • NW 1 • Sunny Referee: Todd LaPenta TV announcers (ESPN+): Brian Katrek, Tutan Reyes, Chris Mooneyham, Lauren Hoffman

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at Monmouth

See also: 2018 Monmouth Hawks football team

Kennesaw State at Monmouth

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Owls 7 10 14 20 51 Hawks 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 10 Location: Kessler Stadium West Long Branch, NJ Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 2,332 Game weather: 44°F • Sunny Referee: David Epperley TV announcers (ESPN3): Matt Harmon, Eddy Occhipinti, Suzi Mellano

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
3–0	2017	KSU, 52–21

vs. Jacksonville State

See also: 2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 OT Total No. 6 Gamecocks 7 7 10 0 28 52 • No. 2 Owls 0 10 7 7 36 60 Date: November 17 Location: SunTrust Park Atlanta, GA Game start: 3:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4:12 Game attendance: 16,949 Game weather: 64°F • WNW 3 • Partly Cloudy Referee: Larry Adcock TV announcers (FSS): Brian Katrek, Tutan Reyes, Chris Mooneyham

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2017 FCS Playoffs	KSU, 17–3

FCS Playoffs

Wofford–Second Round

See also: 2018 Wofford Terriers football team

Wofford vs Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 13 Terriers 0 10 0 0 10 • No. 2 Owls 0 10 0 3 13 Date: December 1 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 2:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 3,515 Game weather: 54°F • E 9 • Light Rain/Fog/Mist Referee: Bruce Bondi TV announcers (ESPN3): Jim Barbar, John Gregory

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

South Dakota State–Quarterfinals

See also: 2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team

South Dakota State vs Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 5 Jackrabbits 3 14 3 7 27 No. 2 Owls 3 0 0 14 17 Date: December 8 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 2:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2:47 Game attendance: 3,242 Game weather: 40°F • E 7 • Light/Heavy Rain Referee: Todd Boyd TV announcers (ESPN3): Robert Lee, Matt Chatham

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	5	7	7	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	2	2
Coaches	5	8	8	5	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

References

1. Bednarowski, John. "Kennesaw State romps Monmouth for Big South title". MDJOnline.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
2. "Big South Conference - Kennesaw State Draws Samford in FCS Playoffs". bigsouthsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
3. Bednarowski, John. "Kennesaw State making playoff debut with chance at revenge". MDJOnline.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
4. "Samford vs. Kennesaw State - Game Recap - November 25, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
5. "Kennesaw State stuns No. 3 seed Jacksonville State in FCS second round". FOX Sports. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
6. "Kennesaw State vs. Sam Houston State - Game Recap - December 9, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
7. Bednarowski, John. "Kennesaw State's Brian Bohannon voted FCS Coach of the Year by AFCA". MDJOnline.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
8. "FB: Bohannon Named 2017 AFCA FCS Coach of the Year - Kennesaw State University". Kennesaw State University. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
9. "Kennesaw State Voted 2018 Preseason Football Favorite". bigsouthsports.com. Big South Conference.
10. "Burks, Armstrong Headline 2018 Preseason All-Conference Team". bigsouthsports.com. Big South Conference.
11. "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
12. "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
13. "2018 Football Schedule". ksuowls.com. Kennesaw State University. Retrieved April 16, 2018.