Khadrice Rollins
krollins@ajc.com
Kennesaw State coach Brian Bohannon was named a finalist for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award Tuesday.
Bohannon is one of 15 coaches who was named a finalist, and is the only one from the Big South. He has led the No. 22 Owls to an 8-2 record in his second season at the helm of the second-year program, and with a win Saturday against No. 13 Charleston Southern, they will clinch a share of the conference championship.
The No. 22 ranking KSU earned in the FCS Coaches Poll this week marks the first time in its history the team was ranked in one of the two national polls, and although the team is still unranked in the FCS Poll, it is receiving votes.
Last year the Owls went 6-5, but had rough end to the season, losing their final three games. With a win Saturday, KSU will close out its season on a program record five-game winning streak and also open the door for an opportunity to earn an at large bid to the playoffs.
The Owls joined Old Dominion as just the second team since 2008 to have a winning record in each of their first two seasons, and the 14 wins over that span are the third most for a start-up Division 1 program since 2008.
