2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team

2015 Kennesaw State Owls football
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

2015 Big South Conference football standings

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
	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

Kennesaw State at East Tennessee State

Team	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

Edward Waters at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Shorter at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Kennesaw State at Dayton

Team	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

Point at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Gardner–Webb at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Kennesaw State at Liberty

Team	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

Monmouth at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Charleston Southern at Kennesaw State

Team	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

Kennesaw State at Coastal Carolina

Team	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

Kennesaw State at Presbyterian

Team	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

Kennesaw State Owls football
Venues	Fifth Third Stadium (2015–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games
Culture & lore	Scrappy the Owl
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
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