Kennesaw State was picked to finish last by the Big South Conference’s coaches and select media in the preseason poll.
It wasn't close. The Owls picked up only 32 points, 21 less than the next team, sixth-place Monmouth.
With a win at Presbyterian on Saturday, the Owls can lock up at least a tie for third place in the conference with a 3-3 record and a 7-4 record overall in its inaugural season of football.
“We want to finish strong,” coach Brian Bohannon said. “We want to finish on a good note, and 7-4 looks a lot better than 6-5.”
A win not only would break a two-game losing streak to the best two teams in the conference, but a seventh victory would result in the third-best mark by a first-season FCS program since 2008. Of the 11 programs that started football in that period, only Mercer (10-2) and Old Dominion (9-2) got off to better starts, according to Kennesaw State.
“I hope we can get this won so in the offseason we can build off that and shock some people some next year,” quarterback Trey White said.
It has been an interesting season.
Bohannon said he has never discussed winning a certain number of games with the team. Nor did he discuss winning the conference championship, nor the playoffs.
Until the loss to Charleston Southern two weeks ago, the Owls had chances to at least tie for the conference lead and make the playoffs.
By then, they had clinched a winning record.
“Who would have ever thought that?” Bohannon asked. “These guys believed it.”
To defeat the Blue Hose, Bohannon said it will take a much better effort than the team put forth in Saturday’s 45-13 loss at Coastal Carolina.
Bohannon said the team was emotionally spent after the loss to Charleston Southern. He said the energy from the players in the pregame warm-ups for Coastal Carolina was the worst he has seen. Their play reflected their lack of focus. Bohannon said the team committed too many penalties (10) and missed too many assignments to give itself a chance to knock off a nationally ranked opponent.
After falling behind 31-6 at halftime to the Chanticleers, Bohannon said he saw some players moping.
He chewed on the team for five minutes at halftime, telling them to forget the score and come back and fight. They did, holding Coastal Carolina to 14 points in the final two quarters while they scored a touchdown.
This week he continued to stress to the team to call on its reserves and for every player to give everything they have.
School is out next week for the holiday. The season is over. There is no more getting up at 5 a.m.
It’s the energy that Bohannon wants to continue to see from the team as they build the program on a foundation of effort, attitude and toughness.
“We may not be picked last gain, but that doesn’t mean we don’t change what we do,” Bohannon said.
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