Kennesaw State’s offense defeated its defense 59-51 in its spring game on Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
The game's scoring didn't follow a traditional format. Instead, the coaches tried to reward each unit for big plays and other key moments (offense could earn one point for a third-down conversion; defense could earn one point for a stop on third down).
The winners on the day may have been backup quarterback Daniel David in his competition with Chandler Burks to be the next man up behind Trey White, and B-back Micah Reed and Jake McKenzie.
“When you look at it there’s a lot of good things on both sides,” coach Brian Bohannon said. “Things we can learn from and build on.”
The biggest smiles may have come at the end of the post-game press conference, when the offense was reminded that on Monday it will get to eat a catered meal of ribs and chicken because it won the scrimmage. The losers, the defense, will eat hot dogs and baked beans.
“It’s fair” defensive lineman Nick Perrotta said. “I’ll give the offense credit.”
There were many things that the coaching staff wanted to see on Saturday because they were areas of focus during the previous 13 practices.
The first was an improved ability run between the tackles.
The second was the play of the quarterbacks.
Chandler Burks started well with a 51-yard touchdown pass to running back Darnell Holland, before he started to struggled with poor decisions and poor throws. He added a 49-yard touchdown pass to running back Steven Johnson, but also threw two interceptions. He completed 6-of-17 passes for 159 yards and had 14 carries for 30 yards.
“Chandler Burks has had a solid spring,” Bohannon said. “What he did today, he made a couple of mistakes trying to make too much happen.”
David did very well considering he’s been practicing with the Owls for less than a month and is coming from a spread offense he learned at Appalachian State to an option offense at Kennesaw. He completed 6-of-14 passes for 128 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Branch. David added nine carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns, including a 19-yard scoring run up the middle.
“My first time playing in the stadium, it was a lot of fun,” David said. “I actually finally knew what I was doing.”
White didn’t play because the coaches are allowing him to rest a shoulder injury he sustained toward the end of last season.
Other areas the coaches were focused on:
An improved ability run between the tackles.
About the Author
