Kennesaw State Owls football

Last updated
Kennesaw State Owls football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Kennesaw State Owls football team
Kennesaw State Owls logo.svg
First season2015
Athletic director Milton Overton
Head coach Brian Bohannon
9th season, 71–30 (.703)
Stadium Fifth Third Stadium
(capacity: 8,318)
Location Kennesaw, Georgia
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference Independent
All-time record71–30 (.703)
Playoff appearances4
Playoff record5–4
Conference titles3 (2017, 2018, 2021)
ColorsBlack and gold [1]
   
Fight songThe KSU Fight Song
MascotScrappy the Owl
Website ksuowls.com

The Kennesaw State Owls football represents Kennesaw State University in college football. The team began play in 2015 as a member of the Big South Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. In 2022, KSU's full-time home of the ASUN Conference launched an FCS football league, with KSU as one of its initial six members. After the 2022 season, KSU started the transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision [2] in advance of the school's 2024 move to Conference USA. [3]

Contents

The head coach of the Owls is Brian Bohannon, and the Owls play at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.

History

Planning stages (2007–2009)

Kennesaw State had considered adding a football team at various points in its history. The school had concluded a feasibility survey which affirmed it would be possible to have Division I football. On November 9, 2007, a survey was administered by the Student Government with 77.6 percent of respondents voting in favor of starting a football program. Participation in the survey was supposed to be restricted to enrolled students only; however, due to a design flaw, anyone could take the survey an unlimited number of times. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Building stages (2009–2013)

In December 2009, KSU President Daniel S. Papp appointed a football exploratory committee headed by legendary University of Georgia coach, Vince Dooley. The committee announced a highly favorable recommendation for the creation of a football program at KSU in a 137-page report [9] on September 15, 2010, in a press conference at the KSU Convocation Center.

KSU athletic director Vaughn Williams stated that KSU was targeting fielding a team for the 2014 season playing at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level formerly known as I-AA. [10] KSU presented its plans for the football program to the State Board of Regents on February 13, 2013, and on February 14, KSU officially announced that the State Board of Regents had accepted their proposal for the football team. The school started the football program with the 2015 season. [11]

KSU is currently affiliated with the ASUN Conference for sports but since that conference does not sponsor football, the school would have to either play as an independent or find a new conference to join, either for all sports or as a football associate. [12] On September 3, 2013, KSU announced that it will be joining the Big South Conference as a football-only member to begin play in the 2015 season. [13] In 2016, the Atlantic Sun and Big South agreed to an alliance between the two conferences where football-playing schools in both conferences will be part of one Big South conference for the sport. North Alabama, which will join the Atlantic Sun, will become the second such school in the Atlantic Sun under this alliance.

Brian Bohannon is the first football coach at Kennesaw State. [14]

The start – 2015 season

The program began playing games in the fall of 2015, with a 56–16 win against East Tennessee State University. The Owls finished the season 6–5 (2–4 in the Big South).

Early success – 2017 and 2018

In the program's fourth year of existence (third season played, as the 2014 season was practice only and every player took a red shirt) the Owls won the 2017 Big South Championship, going 5–0 in conference play. Kennesaw State received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs in both those seasons, in 2017 as an unseeded team the Owls hosted Samford in a rematch of the season opener, Kennesaw avenged the early season loss and went on the next week to upset the third-ranked Jacksonville State Gamecocks. At the time that was the best win in program history. After the huge win the Owls traveled to sixth-ranked Sam Houston State for the quarterfinals, the Owls lost the game 34–27, but had a huge swing of momentum heading into the 2018 season. Kennesaw State finished the season ranked eighth in the FCS STATS Poll (the highest media poll in the FCS) and ninth in the coaches' poll. [15]

In the 2018 season the Owls opened at fifth in both polls, the highest in program history. Kennesaw lost its third-straight season opener, a road loss to nearby Georgia State University. It was the program's first game against an FBS team and ended with a 24–20 loss at GA State Stadium (formally Turner Field). After the setback the Owls did not lose again, winning 11 games in a row. After a 56–17 road win against Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw was voted to the number two spot in both the FCS STATS and coaches' polls, behind only North Dakota State. Just like in 2017, Kennesaw finished 5–0 in the Big South, winning a second consecutive conference championship. That made the Owls the first team to win the conference outright in back to back seasons since former member Liberty did so in 2007 and 2008. The regular season was completed with a win against Jacksonville State at SunTrust Park. A five-overtime shootout ended in a 60–52 Owl victory that is now regarded as the most exciting in school history. Holding a 10–1 regular season record, Kennesaw received a first-round bye as the fourth seed in the FCS playoffs. In the second round the Owls hosted the Wofford College Terriers, winning 13–10. The Owls lost in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row the following week at home against South Dakota State. Kennesaw finished the season ranked fifth in the FCS STATS poll and fourth in the coaches' poll, the best in their short history. [16]

At the conclusion of the 2019 season, in which Kennesaw was 11–3, the Owls tallied a 48–15 total record from the start of the program. That put the Owls as the winningest startup football program through the first five years of playing football.

Conference championships

YearCoachConferenceOverall recordConference record
2017 Brian Bohannon Big South Conference 12–25–0
2018 11–25–0
2021 11–27–0
Conference Championships3

Year-by-year results

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2019–20 college football season
NCAA Division I FCS champions Conference champions
YearNCAA divisionConference divisionOverallConferenceCoachFinal regular season ranking
GamesWinLossPct.GamesWinLossPct.StandingSTATSCoaches'
2015 FCS Big South Conference 1165.545624.333T–5th Brian Bohannon ––
2016 FCSBig South Conference1183.727532.600T–3rd Brian Bohannon ––
2017 FCS Big South Conference 14122.8575501.0001st Brian Bohannon 89
2018 FCSBig South Conference13112.8465501.0001stBrian Bohannon54
2019 FCSBig South Conference14113.786651.8332ndBrian Bohannon159
2020* FCSBig South Conference541.800321.6672ndBrian Bohannon1715
2021 FCSBig South Conference13112.8467701.0001stBrian Bohannon1110
2022 FCS ASUN Conference 1156.455514.2005th Brian Bohannon --
2023 FCSIndependent936.3330000Brian Bohannon--

*The 2020 FCS season was played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [17]

Playoff results

The Owls have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs four times. Their record is 5–4.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2017 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals		 Samford
Jacksonville State
Sam Houston State 		W 28–17
W 17–7
L 27–34
2018 Second round
Quarterfinals		 Wofford
South Dakota State 		W 13–10
L 17–27
2019 First round
Second round		 Wofford
Weber State 		W 28–21
L 20–26
2021 First round
Second round		 Davidson
East Tennessee State 		W 48–21
L 31–32

Notable former players

Travis Bell became the first Kennesaw State player to be selected in the NFL draft when he was selected in the seventh round, 218th overall, in the 2023 NFL draft. [18]

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of April 9, 2024. [19]

202520262027202820292030203120322033
at Wake Forest at Kent State at Louisiana Towson at North Carolina at Georgia Southern Georgia Southern
at Indiana at Arkansas State at North Carolina
Arkansas State
Chattanooga

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. They were first year members of the Big South Conference. This was the Owls inaugural season of intercollegiate football. They finished the season 6–5, 2–4 in Big South play to finish in a tie for fifth place.

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The 2017 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as third-year members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 12–2, 5–0 in Big South play to win the Big South conference championship. The Owls received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, their first trip to the playoffs in school history. 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. In the second round, the Owls upset No. 3 seed Jacksonville State to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, despite a furious second half comeback, they lost to Sam Houston State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as sixth-year members of the Big South Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2021 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented the Kennesaw State University as a member of the Big South Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Brian Bohannon, the Owls played their home games at the Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented the Kennesaw State University as a new member of the ASUN Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Brian Bohannon, the Owls played their home games at the Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2022–23 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season with 26–9, 15–3 in ASUN play to earn a share of the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, the Owls defeated Queens, Lipscomb, and Liberty to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first-ever trip to the tournament. As the No. 14 seed in the Midwest region, they lost in the first round to Xavier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023–24 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2023–24 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by first-year head coach Antoine Pettway, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 6–10 in ASUN play to finish in ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the ASUN tournament, they lost to Jacksonville in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Kennesaw State Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2024 Kennesaw State Owls football team will represent Kennesaw State University in Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls are led by Brian Bohannon in his tenth year as the head coach. The Owls will play home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, located in Kennesaw, Georgia.

References

  1. ↑ Kennesaw State University Athletics Style Guide (PDF). December 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Kennesaw State to Join Conference USA in 2024-25" (Press release). Kennesaw State Owls. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ "C-USA Adds Kennesaw State, Owls to Join in 2024" (Press release). Conference USA. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "SGA survey goes live". KSU Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  5. ↑ "News at KSU - Kennesaw State Eyeing Football Program". kennesaw.edu.
  6. ↑ "News at KSU - Kennesaw State launches Football Exploratory Committee". kennesaw.edu.
  7. ↑ "Dooley leading Kennesaw State football quest". ajc.com.
  8. ↑ "Vince Dooley to help start Kennesaw State football". The Augusta Chronicle.
  9. ↑ "News at KSU". kennesaw.edu.
  10. ↑ "News at KSU - Kennesaw State football would be about 'branding'". kennesaw.edu.
  11. ↑ "Kennesaw State says it's ready for some football". ajc.com.
  12. ↑ "News at KSU - Commentary: KSU football may be coming, but when?". kennesaw.edu.
  13. ↑ "Kennesaw State joining Big South for football". ajc.com.
  14. ↑ The Washington Post [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "2017 Football Schedule". Kennesaw State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  16. ↑ "Kennesaw State Football Top 25 History". Kennesaw State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  17. ↑ "How the 2020-21 FCS football season will work | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  18. ↑ Sugrue, Brendan (April 29, 2023). "New Bears DT Travis Bell is first player ever drafted from Kennesaw State". USA Today .
  19. ↑ "Kennesaw State Owls Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
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