Nick Perrotta caught the game-saving interception on the 1-yard line Saturday, sealing Kennesaw State’s 12-7 win against Gardner-Webb in their first conference game.
Coach Brian Bohannon said big defensive plays such as Perrotta’s is why he hired defensive coordinator Brian Newberry. Perrotta said Newberry put him in a position to drop into the coverage on the final series of the game.
“Coach Newberry made the same call toward the end of the game a couple times in a row where they put me in a spot to read the quarterback,” Perrotta said. “I feel like I didn’t play as best as I could throughout the rest of the game, but to be able to make a play at the end and help the team win was definitely an exciting moment.”
Perrotta also had a game-ending interception in the Owls’ first game, against East Tennessee State in September.
The Owls’ defense held quarterback Tyrell Maxwell and the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-1) to 200 yards of offense and one touchdown.
Allowing three first downs and 66 yards in the first 45 minutes, Bohannon said his defense skillfully shut down the Bulldogs. However, in the final quarter, Bohannon said the Bulldogs found a way to edge back into scoring position.
Before the Bulldogs’ first conference loss to the Owls on Saturday, Maxwell averaged 97.8 rushing yards per game. On Saturday, Maxwell was 8-of-21 passing for 73 yards and rushed for 67 yards, one week after rushing 173 yards against Liberty.
In the first half, Maxwell rushed for 11 yards on seven carries and was 1-of-5 for seven yards.
Bohannon said many of the Bulldogs were upperclassmen, putting some pressure on a young Owls’ team.
Perrotta said the Owls were able to stay calm in tense, fourth-quarter situations against experienced opponents because of their practice habits during the week.
“Our coaches put us in all kinds of pressure situations,” Perrotta said. “I think them putting us in that situation day in and day out has given us a little bit of an edge to be calm and collected in the moment and be able to play defense well.”
Bohannon said he was proud of his teams’ “resiliency” in difficult situations and making plays when necessary.
Dez Billingslea, who recorded five tackles and one sack against the Bulldogs, said the preparation the Owls receive every week is what made the difference Saturday.
“Coach Newberry did an outstanding job coming up with a game plan to kind of slow them down and take them away from running that read option,” Billingslea said. “All of that goes to the preparation throughout the week.
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