For the football history of Kennesaw State, the Owls will never win a game against an FBS school but instead had a first-ever try when they stunned Liberty Flames with a thrilling 31-28 win over them. It is one for the books as the Owls prove that by being a member of FCS but transitioning to FBS status, they could indeed play ball with the best in the country.
As the game opened, Kennesaw State was the underdog, but a Liberty team that has dominated its schedule this year would be tough to beat. The Owls showed a performance on both offense and defense that belied expectations. The defense made timely stops against Liberty, but so too did the quarterback Jonathan Murphy- stepping up and tossing two touchdowns and rushing for another, and Liberty’s defense fighting on all fronts.
It was always the Kennesaw State game plan and was easily planned out from the very beginning run out the clock and not let Liberty’s offense, quarterback Kaidon Salter, have a chance to warm up. The Owls did this flawlessly as a result of a combination of power running and some solid plays through the air to extend drives. The defense did their part as well to force two huge turnovers to change the course of momentum in the Owls’ favor.
The game reached a dramatic high point in the fourth quarter when Liberty, down by three, moved deep into Owls’ territory and was held there by the Kennesaw State defense. This prevented Liberty from attempting a game-tying field goal in less than one minute to seal the victory and send Kennesaw State fans into hysteria.
Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon was upbeat after the game and commended his team’s effort and resiliency. “This is a huge moment for our program. To come in here and get a win against a quality opponent like Liberty shows the hard work and belief our players have. We have been building this for a long time, and tonight is a testament to what we’re capable of.”.
To Liberty, it proved a very tough blow on their route toward being undefeated. The head coach of Jamey Chadwell admitted Kennesaw State’s tenacity saying, “They outplayed us tonight. We didn’t execute when it mattered, and they took advantage of their opportunities.”
After this milestone win the remaining FBS should see an example that they won’t be intimidated playing at the top level of college football.
