Four-game winning streak sparks bowl dreams for Kennesaw State
They haven’t reached the magic number quite yet, but there are plenty of reasons why Kennesaw State is bullish about the opportunity to qualify for a bowl game in its second season playing at the FBS level.
The Owls have won four straight games -- its longest winning streak since 2021 -- and improved to 4-2 with a decisive 35-7 win over Louisiana Tech. Even though KSU won only two games last year and was picked to finish last in Conference USA, the climate has definitely changed.
“I see a team that constantly keeps getting better each week,” first-year Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack said. “Good teams, teams that have a chance to play in bowl games and postseason play, they find a way each week, every week, try to get better, and that’s what you see in this team right now.”
Kennesaw State plays its first CUSA road game on Tuesday at Florida International (2-3) and returns to play UTEP (1-5). Both games are certainly winnable. The remaining games are at New Mexico State (3-2), at Jacksonville State (3-3), Missouri State (3-3) and at Liberty (2-4). The Owls need to win two of those to become bowl eligible.
“We’re growing in every single phase right now, every single week, and that’s what you want at this kind of midpoint of the season,” Mack said.
There’s plenty to be happy about. The Owls had two players honored by CUSA this week – defensive tackle Tylon Dunlap was named Defensive Player of the Week, and right guard J.T. Pennington was named Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Dunlap, a redshirt senior from Charlotte, had eight tackles and a career-high two sacks. He totaled the top defensive grade (90.4) in the nation among defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus and had the week’s top pass rush grade (90.3) for Conference USA. Dunlap helped the Owls force three three-and-outs and force six punts.
Pennington, a redshirt senior from Wilsonville, Ala., anchored a line that produced 400 yards of offense and averaged 4.1 yards per rush attempt. Pennington played 65 snaps, 40 of them passes, and allowed no sacks, no pressures and did not incur a penalty.
Pennington and his linemates made life better for quarterback Dexter Williams II. The redshirt senior from Macon had been sidelined by an injury but played the entire game and threw for 290 yards, completing 27 of 36 passes, with four touchdowns, which tied a school record. The 27 completions set a school record.
Williams was named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s weekly “Great Eight” and was named as one of the Manning Award’s “Stars of the Week.”
“It always feels good to win,” Williams said. “I’m just attracted to winning, so we’ll try to keep this thing going. I’m just excited that we were able to get it done against a very good team.”
Dunlap, who played for Georgia State when the Panthers played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, is eager to continue the turnaround.
“Last year was a rough year for us, only winning two games,” he said. “Now we’ve doubled it so far and we know as a defense we still have room to improve. We know we can still be better, fixing up some missed assignments and just continuing to grind it out every day. That’s what it takes to win, so we know we have to do it.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
