2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team

2015 Kennesaw State Owls football
Conference	Big South Conference
Record	6–5 (2–4 Big South)
Head coach	Brian Bohannon (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Grant Chesnut (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Flexbone option
Defensive coordinator	Brian Newberry (1st season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Seasons 2016  →

2015 Big South Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Charleston Southern $^		6	–	0					10	–	3
No. 16 Coastal Carolina ^		4	–	2					9	–	3
Liberty		3	–	3					6	–	5
Monmouth		3	–	3					5	–	6
Kennesaw State		2	–	4					6	–	5
Gardner–Webb *		2	–	4					4	–	7
Presbyterian		1	–	5					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * Gardner–Webb ineligible for postseason due to APR violations Rankings from STATS Poll

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.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:30 pm	at East Tennessee State *	Kermit Tipton Stadium Johnston City, TN		W 56–16	8,217
September 12	4:00 pm	Edward Waters *	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	WUPA	W 58–7	9,506
September 19	1:00 pm	Shorter *	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	BSN	W 18–10	8,664
September 26	6:00 pm	at Dayton *	Welcome Stadium Dayton, OH		L 27–31	2,512
October 10	1:00 pm	Point *	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	BSN	W 56–17	8,300
October 17	1:00 pm	Gardner–Webb	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN3	W 12–7	8,300
October 24	7:00 pm	at Liberty	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	WUPA	L 35–45	20,393
October 31	1:00 pm	Monmouth	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	ESPN3	W 23–13	8,668
November 7	1:00 pm	No. 15 Charleston Southern	Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA	BSN	L 14–28	8,670
November 14	2:00 pm	at No. 4 Coastal Carolina	Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	BSN	L 13–45	8,802
November 21	2:00 pm	at Presbyterian	Bailey Memorial Stadium Clinton, SC	BSN	L 6–14	3,577
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

• Source: Schedule

Personnel

2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Zach Buchan Fr QB 3 Chandler Burks  Fr QB 4 Jake McKenzie  Fr WR 5 Prentice Stone  Sr QB 6 Jantzen Jeffrey  So RB 8 T. J. Reed Fr QB 10 Trey White  Jr RB 13 Ryan Godhigh  Sr RB 14 Chaston Bennett Jr WR 15 Justin Sumpter  Fr WR 16 Xavier Harper  Fr RB 21 Micah Reed Jr RB 22 Trey Chivers  Fr RB 27 Joseph Alexander  Fr RB 29 Steven Johnson  Jr RB 32 Jae Bowen  Fr RB 33 Darnell Holland Fr RB 34 Jonah Huff  Fr RB 34 Myles White Jr RB 36 Che Darious Robinson  Jr RB 37 Michael McIntire  Fr RB 38 Devon Rosser  Fr RB 42 Jonah Doster Fr RB 43 Michael Willis Jr RB 45 Cameron Blackburn  So RB 46 Randy Nails Fr RB 47 Kevin Ficklin Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Chance McNulty Jr LB 7 Johnny Yoder  Jr DB 9 Keon Roman Jr DB 11 Cymeon Burden  Fr DB 12 Derrick Farrow Jr DB 17 Phillip Staples  Jr DB 18 Shawn Reynolds  Fr DB 19 Cole Crenshaw Fr DB 20 Raekwon Chatman Fr DB 23 Dante Blackmon  Jr DB 24 Marcus Thurman  Fr DB 25 Jace White  Fr DB 26 Taylor Henkle  Fr DB 28 Will Cape  Fr DB 30 Terrence Williams  Jr DB 31 Williams Flowers  Fr DB 35 Raymone Jennings  Fr DB 39 Nicolas Snowden  Fr DL 40 Dustyn Moore  So LB 41 Anthony Gore Jr.  Fr LB 42 Peter Rohan  Fr DL 43 Justin Elim  Fr LB 44 Dez Billingslea  Fr LB 45 Keagan Jordan Fr DB 46 Terrance Bulock Jr. So LB 47 Warren McWilliams  Fr LB 48 Zach Taisler Fr LB 49 Izzy Sam  So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 19 Hunter Smith Fr P 30 Mason Gann Fr LS 60 Austin Brown  Fr LS 61 Drew McCracken Fr K 83 Jordan Genovese  Fr K 86 Justin Thompson Fr P 88 Josh Boham Fr	Head coach Brian Bohannon Coordinators/assistant coaches Grant Chestnut Offensive coordinator/offensive line Brian Newberry Defensive coordinator/secondary Chris Bland Cornerbacks Shane Bowen Linebackers Stewart Cook Tight ends/tackles Mike Daniels Wide receivers Kevin Downing Defensive ends Tim Glanton Special teams coordinator/running backs Liam Klein Recruiting coordinator/defensive line Cody Worley Quarterbacks Jim Kiritsy Strength and conditioning Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 6, 2025

Game summaries

At East Tennessee State

See also: 2015 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

Kennesaw State at East Tennessee State

1 2 3 4 Total •Owls 7 14 21 14 56 Buccaneers 3 10 0 3 16 Date: September 3 Location: Kermit Tipton Stadium Johnston City, TN Game start: 7:30 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 8,217 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind SW 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Fair Referee: Bob Johnson

Statistics	KENN	ETSU
First downs	18	19
Total yards	512	328
Rushing yards	416	98
Passing yards	96	230
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	26:31	33:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	2/6, 96 yards, TD
	Rushing	Trey White	16 rushes, 95 yards, TD
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	2 receptions, 96 yards, TD
East Tennessee State	Passing	Austin Herink	14/22, 132 yards
	Rushing	Jajuan Stinson	7 rushes, 34 yards, TD
	Receiving	Demetrius Anthony	5 receptions, 58 yards

Edward Waters

See also: Edward Waters Tigers football

Edward Waters at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 0 0 7 7 •Owls 35 17 6 0 58 Date: September 12 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 4:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:40 Game attendance: 9,506 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Partly Cloudy Referee: Steve Fleming Television network: WUPA

Statistics	EDW	KENN
First downs	5	18
Total yards	201	398
Rushing yards	160	328
Passing yards	41	70
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	30:49	34:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Edward Waters	Passing	Dennis Jackson	4/11, 41 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Ray Dukes	11 rushes, 92 yards
	Receiving	Ray Dukes	2 receptions, 30 yards, TD
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	2/3, 70 yards, TD
	Rushing	Trey White	13 rushes, 85 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	1 reception, 55 yards, TD

Shorter

See also: Shorter Hawks football

Shorter at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Hawks 0 10 0 0 10 •Owls 6 0 3 9 18 Date: September 19 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 1:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:41 Game attendance: 8,664 Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) • Sunny Referee: Jeff Heaser Television network: BSN

Statistics	SHO	KENN
First downs	9	22
Total yards	162	417
Rushing yards	27	231
Passing yards	135	186
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	22:45	37:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Shorter	Passing	Aaron Bryant	8/11, 135 yards, INT
	Rushing	B. J. McCoy	10 rushes, 22 yards
	Receiving	Cody Simpson	3 receptions, 72 yards
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	9/16, 186 yards, INT
	Rushing	Micah Reed	26 rushes, 100 yards
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	5 receptions, 121 yards

At Dayton

See also: 2015 Dayton Flyers football team

Kennesaw State at Dayton

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 13 14 0 0 27 •Flyers 7 14 7 3 31 Date: September 26 Location: Welcome Stadium Dayton, OH Game start: 6:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:45 Game attendance: 2,512 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind ESE 12 mph (19 km/h) • Cloudy Referee: Warren Gillis

Statistics	KENN	DAY
First downs	18	25
Total yards	388	403
Rushing yards	342	287
Passing yards	46	116
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	28:23	31:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	3/10, 46 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Chaston Bennett	8 rushes, 155 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jae Bowen	2 receptions, 37 yards
Dayton	Passing	Alex Jeske	9/16, 116 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Connor Kacsor	44 rushes, 229 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Tyler Tumpane	3 receptions, 42 yards

Point

See also: Point Skyhawks

Point at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 0 10 0 7 17 •Owls 7 28 14 7 56 Date: October 10 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 1:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:52 Game attendance: 8,300 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Breezy • Partly Cloudy/Rainy Referee: Penn Wagers Television network: BSN

Statistics	POINT	KENN
First downs	15	32
Total yards	340	699
Rushing yards	127	391
Passing yards	213	308
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	23:10	36:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Point	Passing	Charles Fortis	14/25, 213 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Christian Williams	9 rushes, 47 yards
	Receiving	Connor Reed	1 reception, 86 yards, TD
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	9/14, 239 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Chaston Bennett	8 rushes, 70 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chaston Bennett	2 receptions, 90 yards, TD

Gardner–Webb

See also: 2015 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

Gardner–Webb at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Runnin' Bulldogs 0 0 0 7 7 •Owls 3 3 0 6 12 Date: October 17 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 1:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:57 Game attendance: 8,300 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Breezy • Sunny Referee: Ron Cherry Television network: ESPN3

Statistics	WEBB	KENN
First downs	11	20
Total yards	200	353
Rushing yards	127	239
Passing yards	73	114
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	21:20	38:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Gardner–Webb	Passing	Tyrell Maxwell	8/21, 73 yards, INT
	Rushing	Tyrell Maxwell	15 rushes, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jacob Henderson	3 receptions, 45 yards
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	9/17, 114 yards
	Rushing	Trey White	34 rushes, 170 yards
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	5 receptions, 70 yards

At Liberty

See also: 2015 Liberty Flames football team

Kennesaw State at Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 7 0 7 21 35 •Flames 7 17 7 14 45 Date: October 24 Location: Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA Game start: 7:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 20,393 Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) • S 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Pleasant/Seasonal Referee: Riley Johnson Television network: WUPA

Statistics	KENN	LIB
First downs	28	19
Total yards	420	406
Rushing yards	292	175
Passing yards	128	231
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	36:42	23:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	5/8, 71 yards, TD
	Rushing	Trey Chivers	14 rushes, 97 yards
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	4 receptions, 61 yards
Liberty	Passing	Josh Woodrum	15/21, 230 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Todd Macon	8 rushes, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Darrin Peterson	4 receptions, 164 yards, 3 TD

Monmouth

See also: 2015 Monmouth Hawks football team

Monmouth at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total Hawks 7 0 0 6 13 •Owls 0 16 7 0 23 Date: October 31 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 1:00 PM EDT Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 8,668 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Breezy • Overcast Referee: Riley Johnson Television network: ESPN3

Statistics	MONM	KENN
First downs	20	23
Total yards	321	455
Rushing yards	187	341
Passing yards	134	114
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	24:09	35:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Monmouth	Passing	Cody Williams	13/25, 134 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Zach Welch	16 rushes, 112 yards
	Receiving	Ugo Ezemma	3 receptions, 52 yards, TD
Kennesaw State	Passing	Trey White	7/14, 114 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Chaston Bennett	6 rushes, 124 yards
	Receiving	Jae Bowen	3 receptions, 41 yards, TD

No. 15 Charleston Southern

See also: 2015 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team

Charleston Southern at Kennesaw State

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 15 Buccaneers 7 14 7 0 28 Owls 6 0 0 8 14 Date: November 7 Location: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Kennesaw, GA Game start: 1:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 8,670 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Breezy • Rainy Referee: Jeff Heaser Television network: BSN

Statistics	CHSO	KENN
First downs	20	13
Total yards	314	302
Rushing yards	181	113
Passing yards	133	189
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	33:36	26:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charleston Southern	Passing	Austin Brown	11/21, 133 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Darius Hammond	10 rushes, 66 yards, TD
	Receiving	Nathan Perera	4 receptions, 42 yards
Kennesaw State	Passing	Jake McKenzie	8/15, 103 yards
	Rushing	Jake McKenzie	10 rushes, 43 yards, TD
	Receiving	Chaston Bennett	2 receptions, 86 yards, TD

At No. 4 Coastal Carolina

See also: 2015 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

Kennesaw State at Coastal Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 6 0 7 0 13 •No. 4 Chanticleers 13 18 7 7 45 Date: November 14 Location: Brooks Stadium Conway, SC Game start: 2:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 8,802 Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind NNW 7–10 miles per hour (11–16 km/h) • Sunny/Clear Referee: Tracey Lynch Television network: BSN

Statistics	KENN	CCAR
First downs	22	24
Total yards	433	451
Rushing yards	259	189
Passing yards	174	262
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	32:58	27:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Jake McKenzie	8/20, 136 yards
	Rushing	Jake McKenzie	23 rushes, 85 yards
	Receiving	Justin Sumpter	3 receptions, 50 yards, TD
Coastal Carolina	Passing	Alex Ross	20/27, 262 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	De'Angelo Henderson	18 rushes, 103 yards, TD
	Receiving	Chris Jones	6 receptions, 131 yards, 2 TD

At Presbyterian

See also: 2015 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team

Kennesaw State at Presbyterian

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 0 3 0 3 6 •Blue Hose 0 7 0 7 14 Date: November 21 Location: Bailey Memorial Stadium Clinton, SC Game start: 2:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 2:47 Game attendance: 3,577 Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind E 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Mostly Cloudy Referee: Gary Patterson Television network: BSN

Statistics	KENN	PRE
First downs	19	7
Total yards	351	187
Rushing yards	271	130
Passing yards	80	57
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	30:34	29:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing	Jake McKenzie	3/11, 43 yards
	Rushing	Trey White	31 rushes, 155 yards
	Receiving	Chaston Bennett	1 reception, 37 yards
Presbyterian	Passing	Ben Cheek	4/7, 57 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Darrell Bridges	19 rushes, 134 yards
	Receiving	Daryl Wilson	1 reception, 46 yards