It’s been a long, long wait, but Kennesaw State finally will see the first game circled on the calendar without having to turn the page.
First, they have to get through preseason camp, which starts Saturday. Ninety-five players are expected to report and begin to prepare for the opener at East Tennessee State on Sept. 3.
“For the first time our kids can feel the game, taste the game,” coach Brian Bohannon said. “I’m hoping that will motivate them to play every play like it’s their last.”
To improve their chances of winning that opener, Bohannon said he will be extremely focused on three position groups during camp: quarterbacks, slotbacks and interior defensive line.
Bohannon naturally is focused on the quarterbacks because that’s who he coached at Georgia Tech before coming to Kennesaw State, and it’s the most important position on the field.
“We will go as that guy goes,” Bohannon said.
That guy, right now, is Trey White. He led St. Pius to a 33-5 record before enrolling in The Citadel. He then transferred to Kennesaw State. He won the starting job during the spring, rushing for 128 yards on 30 carries in the spring game.
White said he wants the option-based offense to improve its execution and chemistry. He said they looked good when reviewing film, but he knows they can be better.
“In our offense, everybody has to be in the exact spot they need to be in for it to work,” White said.
White and Bohannon said they need to work with the slot backs, or A-backs in the Tech parlance for the position. The A-backs, headlined by Steven Johnson and Michael McIntire, rotate often because they usually bring in the play calls. They also are responsible for downfield blocks on some running plays, stretching the field horizontally on other running plays and becoming receivers on pass plays.
Bohannon said there hasn’t been enough stability at the position for different reasons. Of the 45-47 scholarships the team will use this season, Bohannon said many were used for players on the offensive and defensive lines. The coaches hoped to secure at least one transfer, but it didn’t work out.
“We have some kids that we think will help us,” Bohannon said.
Bohannon also is concerned about the middle of the defensive line. Each of the players are redshirt freshmen, which means they won’t be as old, strong or as experienced as most of the centers and guards they will be trying to beat. When an offense can consistently run up the middle, it opens up the playbook for almost anything.
Bohannon said the players are talented, and the coaches will try to help them with the schemes so that they can play fast.
“We’ve got to give your kids a chance to be successful,” he said.
After two weeks of camp, Bohannon said the scout team will be established so that the first- and second-teams can work on the game plan for the opener.
“That will be an eye opener for a lot of kids,” Bohannon said.
Bohannon also hopes to use camp to improve his player’s mental toughness. Unlike other start-up programs that get to handpick their first schedule, the Owls already are playing conference games and will face two teams that made it into the FCS playoffs.
It won’t be easy, so the players need to learn how to positively handle adversity in August, rather than let it negatively affect them in October and November, when the conference schedule is played.
“My hope is for our football team is those games can be learning moments for what we want to be and who we want to be in the future,” he said. “Some of these programs are already there. This is what it looks like.”
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