Kennesaw State doubled its 2024 win total Thursday night, defeating Louisiana Tech 35-7 at Fifth Third Stadium.
Redshirt senior quarterback Dexter Williams, II, and defensive lineman Tylon Dunlap, both wearing the number five jersey, gave the visiting Bulldogs fits on both sides of the ball. Williams completed 75% of his passes and racked up four touchdowns to go along with 290 yards. Dunlap wrecked shop in the trenches. The stout defensive tackle finished with eight tackles, two sacks, one pass batted down, and a quarterback hurry.
Kennesaw’s entire front had an impressive night. Three of the top four tacklers (Dunlap, Baron Hopson, and Rod Daniels) play on the defensive line, and the fourth is linebacker Garland Benyard. The Bulldogs were 0-2 in fourth down conversions and 1-3 in the red zone against the Owls.
It was LaTech’s lowest scoring output since their week two loss to LSU (7-23). Defensive back Antonio Stevens picked off a pass in the end zone intended for Devin Gandy and ended the Bulldogs’ second trip to the red zone in the third quarter. It wasn’t until the last minute of the game that the Bulldogs would get another shot. They took seven shots at the Owls’ defense once inside the 20-yard line, including four from the 1. The Owls made their stand, and when the smoke cleared, nothing had changed but the possession.
“We got a standard as a defense, the game was kind of out of reach, but we knew that, but we still don’t want to allow any more points on the board,” said defensive lineman Tylon Dunlap. “They were on the 1-yard line, and we knew they were going to run the ball, so we knew we had to buckle our belts up and give it to them no matter how much time was left in the game. We gotta finish the game strong.”
Williams spread the wealth on offense. Four receivers caught touchdowns, and six caught three or more passes over 10 yards. None was more entertaining than Coleman Bennett’s 50-yard touchdown. Williams flicked a short pass over the outstretched hand of Bulldogs linebacker Mekhi Mason, and Bennett did the most. The redshirt senior hit the Madden hard cut skip juke and left defensive backs Kam Franklin and Amari Butler holding air. At one point during the run, Bennett was surrounded by five defenders, and then he was in the end zone.
The Owls will get a few extra days to prepare for their game against the Florida International Panthers in Miami, FL. It will be the program’s first Tuesday night game to be broadcast on ESPN 2. Preparation will be a bit different for the Owls, according to Head Coach Jerry Mack. “The preparation is different,” said Mack. “We have more days to prepare for this next Tuesday night game we’ve got coming up. Which is good, we can always use that time to take care of our bodies and get ready. You can see we can put more time into the game plan, use that time to put a little more volume on these guys’ plates.”