By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Kennesaw State Owls kick off the 2021 football season Thursday, September 2 against Reinhardt.

The Owls are ranked 20^th nationally in the preseason poll. They look to have another successful season and possibly a playoff appearance.

The program started playing football in 2015 and they have had a winning record every season. Head coach Brian Bohannon has been there from the beginning and has a record of 52 – 16. The team plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level, formerly called 1-AA.

The 2020 FCS season was played in the spring due to the pandemic. The Owls were 4 – 1 and had one game cancelled. They look to build on that and win the Big South Conference for the first time since 2018.

Senior running back Isaac Foster was named to the Big South’s Preseason Special Teams First-Team, and honorable mention offense. He was second on the team in rushing in 2020 with 229 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry on 30 attempts. He was All-Big South Offense Second-Team for the Spring 2021 season.

Junior quarterback Jonathan Murphy is the starter going into the season. He led the team in passing yards and attempts in the Spring season. He played in three games and made two starts. He threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 174 yards and 2 TD’s.

Week 1 is home against Reinhardt. The Eagles are an NAIA team and they are completely outmatched. This will be an easy win for KSU.

Week 2 is at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are an FBS team so they have more players on scholarship. They are also bigger, stronger and faster at every position. I think the Owls will put up a good fight but lose.

The next game is at Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Terriers were 1 -4 last season. Three of those loses were by six points or less so they are a competitive team. I give the edge to Kennesaw State to get the W.

After a bye week, October begins with a home game against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks are always a contender in FCS. They were 10 – 3 last season, playing games in the Fall and Spring. I think JSU will win this game.

KSU travels to Virginia to face Hampton. This is the first conference game of the season. Kennesaw State should have a blowout win against the Pirates.

They return home to Fifth Third Bank Stadium to take on North Carolina A&T State. The Owls will win another Big South conference game by 20-plus points.

The following week they go on the road to North Carolina to play Campbell. They have my favorite mascot in college sports, the Fighting Camels. The Camels were 0 -4 in 2020 and they played during the Fall. They are not very good so KSU will win big.

Gardner-Webb travels to Kennesaw for the eighth game. This game was postponed during the Spring season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were 2 – 2 last season. They are a solid team but I expect KSU to win a close game.

The Owls travel to Pennsylvania to face Robert Morris. They beat the Colonials 35 – 0 in the Spring and this will be a similar game.

KSU goes on the road again to face North Alabama. They are not good so this will be another easy win.

The season finale is against Monmouth. They won the last meeting 42 – 17 and won the conference title. This game will determine the Big South champion again and I think the Hawks will win.