KENNESAW, Ga — Large and Fierce, the Great Horned Owl is among the most majestic of animals. Gliding gracefully among treetops and hilly fields, this owl relies on its cunning and camouflage to hunt its prey. Even when faced with insurmountable defenses these owls can out-think their opponents: they are the only winged predators intelligent enough to enter chicken coops on foot in search of a delicious meal. Though often solitary, when several of these owls get together it can be a terrifying sight for the snakes, wildcats, and camels of the underbrush. The largest flock of these indomitable Great Horned Owls reside in Kennesaw, Georgia and the FCS title is their prey.

Kennesaw Hall on the KSU campus

On this expansive campus, a student body of 33,000 is abuzz about this years’ Kennesaw State football team. It’s a program who battled early adversity after a 2-6 Season 1 and a 0-3 start to Season 2. At one point they had an elo rating of 1387, the lowest in the country. With new coach Judge already on the hot seat, a date with the #8 ranked team in the nation seemed destined for disaster. Instead it led to one of the best runs FFCS has ever seen. With those trying times behind them, they’ve won 11 of the last 13 games including last week’s 66-point thrashing of South Dakota State.

Kickin’ it with Kennesaw

Quick Facts

Chickening Out : Has never had KFC and “[he’s] not sure [he] wants to”

: Has never had KFC and “[he’s] not sure [he] wants to” “I’m a bit of a snob” : Judge is a coffee enthusiast and enjoys a good brew

: Judge is a coffee enthusiast and enjoys a good brew Green Thumb: Attempting (and failing) to grow an herb garden

Walking down the corridors at Fifth Third Bank Stadium the conspicuous past records line the halls. I can see the great coaches of the late 80s and the juggernaut teams from the early ASUN days, but I also note the conspicuous gaps the closer to the present day. Before Coach Judge, Kennesaw State had not raised the ASUN trophy for a decade. Furthermore, KSU has only successfully defended a title once. But it would be a fool’s errand to discount these Owls as they’ve already shown they mean business with a hot start to the year.

Photos from the spring inter-squad

As someone who experienced a great deal of adversity early, I asked Coach Judge about his favorite moment in FFCS. Surprisingly it was not the CCG or the Playoff Appearance, but rather his first ever win. It came to the shock of undefeated and 8th ranked FAMU 48-41:

“My very first win in week 4 of last season… It was a stressful shootout, going back and forth… It was a release of much pent-up frustration, and validation after many close losses before. That may have been the most joy I have received from fake football”

Though Judge would go on to lose the following week, he returned to form with 6 straight wins over ASUN competition before rolling into the Championship Game. In a special event partnership with Twitch (whether they knew it or not) the ASUN playoff game unfolded before the FFCS fans. In a battle with playoff and conference implications at hand, it would be KSU who prevailed 36-33 in a rousing comeback.

“The CCG was wild. [Alabama A&M] lives 2 miles from me, so he came over and we streamed the first half over Twitch. AAMU had a big lead at the half, but little by little, I chipped away and made the improbable comeback. Once I got to that point, I started to realize, ‘Hey, I might not suck at this game.’”

Judge would fall in the first round to Texas Southern, just running out of time before he completed another comeback. With the offseason to reflect on a wonderful campaign, then-ASUN commissioner Camel stepped down after a banner year for the Atlantic Sun. With a void now at the top of the command chain, the ASUN cult family got together and promoted two joint co-commissioners.

“We thought we could be self- sufficient, and whoever was elected, we knew we could trust them. Samford reached out to me with the prospect of splitting the duties and running. I thought that was a good idea, and that idea ended up being elected by the conference”

There is little to suggest that it hasn’t been a success. The multi-dollar Cookout deal was reupped for a second year and the ASUN graphics have never looked sharper. They had a full conference coming into the season and have a 21-7 record rolling into week 3. Not to mention the record amount of activity within the #ASUN channel itself. Wanting to know what made the ASUN so special, I asked and received the most effective conference pitch I’ve ever seen:

“ASUN chat is a really special place. The cult jokes are funny and may be accurate, but we are a pretty tight knit group of folks. You have a couple of people who were there at the dawn of FCS (Camel, Matt at JSU, Baba was at Savannah State for a time), and then at the beginning of last season, a lot of new coaches joined and we all found a home in the ASUN (Myself, Pelo, Samford, Chatty, &, Slowlow). Camel did a great job of engaging all of us early on, and I’d like to think we’ve all become good friends. New coaches have joined since and have fit right in. We talk about everything. Work, school, relationships, random nonsense, and fake football. I’ve learned a lot from each member we have and it’s a great dynamic. We have such a great roster of active people that love to just shoot the breeze”

Judgement Day

The confusingly named Fifth Third Bank Stadium is filled to the brim with Owl fans from around the area. By far it’s the most attended game I’ve seen this year and with an already festive crowd I can only assume the students get louder. After the coin toss, Kennesaw will be set to receive and the fans even boo the Harvard punter who’s taking his time to set up the opening kick. With a low line drive kick, return man James Carter lets the ball go through the back of the endzone and the KSU offense saunters onto the field.

Defensive Captain and Right End Rutherford Roosevelt

Led by running back Richard Kennedy, they put up 572 yards against SDSU, but against a tougher Ivy defense they’ll be setting their sights a little lower. It’s a simple gameplan, swoop into the lead with a high flying passing attack before going to the ground to finish off the Crimson. Seven plays later the Owls have their dream start, tight end Ulysses Coolidge finds himself open in the corner of the endzone and the PAT makes it 7.

Now things will flip over to a stout defense helmed by right end Rutherford Roosevelt and free safety Jimmy Hayes. This unit may surrender a few yards, but they keep scores low due to their ballhawking linebackers and fearsome front four. Most noticeably the KSU 4-3 is a physically impressive unit with only one starter smaller than 6’. After the return, I wonder if the smaller Harvard team even stands a chance against such an imposing front. Almost on cue, Harvard’s quarterback and potential draft pick Allan McMorris throws a gorgeous post to the double covered Jeremy Reinhardt. As the commotion in the stadium dies down, Reinhardt shakes both corners and races Hayes towards the end zone. A late dive appears to tie the game, but the pursuing line judge declares him out at the 5. After revealing their weakness, big plays, the Kennesaw defense shows their strength, turnovers. When McMorris tries a quarterback draw, Roosevelt punches it loose at the goaline and the Turnover Plank makes its much-delighted appearance.

Jimmy Hayes (#33) and Jorge Washington (#57) were involved in two huge turnovers in the 1st

After Harvard’s defense forces a quick stop, their drive is halted by a loose snap. McMorris recovers his own fumble though it seems the physicality of KSU is in his head. As McMorris dejectedly sulks off the field, the same punter who was booed at the beginning of the game will now hear cheers from the KSU fans. When the beleaguered freshman fumbles the low snap, he practically hands a touchdown to second string linebacker Jorge Washington. It causes a frenzy in the Owl stands and I can only imagine how small the Harvard sideline feels right now. The disaster start has 0-1 Harvard in a 14 point hole and Coach Bofa Jones looking for answers.

After a short TV timeout, Harvard is a little calmer and gains their second first down of the night despite McMorris mishandling his second snap. The next play results in a coverage breakdown for KSU; eager for his first interception of the year senior Benjamin Arthur bites on a pump fake, but the lone safety has already committed to defending another receiver. It’s an easy score for Harvard and it’ll give their fans some hope. As KSU drives to go back up two scores, a usually sharp Andrew Van Buren throws his first interception of the day in Harvard territory. This unease is compounded a minute later when McMorris shrugs off multiple tacklers to drive a ball down to the KSU 24. Just when Harvard can do no wrong, a miscommunication on the offensive line leads to a free Roosevelt charging into the backfield. A surprised McMorris just gets the pass off in time, but it’s hurled right at Owl freshman John Monroe effectively ending Harvard’s surge and bringing the Turnover Plank back out for the third time.

Coach Judge follows the Plank with a will-breaking drive down to the Harvard 1 where Van Buren atones for earlier miscues with his second touchdown of the day to Barack Johnson. There will be no such redemption for McMorris who throws two incompletions and is sacked for the fourth time by sophomore Harry Wilson. The KSU fans own the Crimson punter as he shanks a punt for a mere 5 yards. It’ll be the last time we see him on the field tonight. A second straight score for KSU comes by virtue of running back Richard Kennedy’s 13 yard scamper. When halftime comes it’s not soon enough for this struggling Harvard team as they narrowly avoid a fourth turnover before the 26-7 affair is halted. Judge had this to say about his halftime gameplan,

“I was up 26-7 at the half. That felt comfortable, but Harvard was getting the ball to start the second half. If they had scored a touchdown in that drive, I knew the snowball could start rolling and a comeback might be brewing. After that, I felt that the clock would be in my favor, so that became my focus”

Though the first half hasn’t been perfect that’s a testament to the dominance of this Owl squad. Harvard is unable to move the ball too far and is forced to punt for the fourth time. Kennesaw controls the ball on a 14-play drive which effectively ends the quarter, wrapping it up with Van Buren’s third score. After a fifth Crimson punt, Van Buren fumbles it and Harvard will score a second touchdown, but it’s too little too late. Kennesaw rolls into a dominating 33-14 victory.

While the margin of victory is impressive, the more striking fact is the yardage advantage and overall dominance despite not looking as great as they could be. In week 1 the Owls proved they could win big and now they showed they can win when things are messy.

Final: Kennesaw State 33, Harvard 14

edit: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the ASUN record as 20-8 instead of 21-7