Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team had its seven-game winning streak at Joe Walton Stadium snapped Saturday as No. 8/12 Kennesaw State earned a 45-21 victory. The Colonials slipped to 3-5 (.375) overall during the 2021 season, including 2-4 (.333) in the Big South.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Owls took advantage of a pair of RMU turnovers in the first quarter to grab a 14-0 advantage. The Colonials won the coin toss and elected to receive, moving into Kennesaw State (8-1 / 5-0 Big South) territory after a four-yard rush from running back
Alijah Jackson set up shop at the 47-yard line. Quarterback
George Martin dropped back to pass, but Tyler Moore came around the edge and got a hand on Martin as he was throwing the ball, forcing a fumble. The ball was almost intercepted, with Moore eventually pouncing on the loose ball at the KSU 44-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage for the Owls, quarterback Xavier Shepherd hit Caleb O'Neal for 48 yards down to the eight-yard line of the Colonials, and two plays later Nykeem Farrow scored from nine yards out to give Kennesaw State a 7-0 lead.
QUICK STRIKE PART TWO
RMU again moved the ball on its second possession of the game, getting into the red zone after Jackson scampered 19 yards down to the seven-yard line of the Owls. On the next play, however, Martin was flushed from the backfield and was stripped by Moore, causing another fumble. Xavier Reddick posted the fumble recovery this time for KSU, setting up the offense at the 16-yard line of the Owls. Shepherd then went to work for Kennesaw State, rushing for 29 yards before capping the drive with a 29-yard scoring strike to O'Neal to give the Owls a 14-0 lead with 2:09 to go in the first quarter.
QUOTABLE
"Kennesaw State is a disciplined team," head coach
Bernard Clark, Jr., said. "They get after it and do a great job of playing hard. We had two early mistakes, and they took advantage of them by scoring, which is what you're supposed to do as a football team. I just told our guys let's try to get back on track. We did a better job moving the ball as the game went on, but those two early mistakes really set us back."
CLOSING
The Colonials got on the board in the second quarter, with Martin engineering an eight-play, 75-yard drive. Jackson provided a pair of bursts, including scampers of 10 and nine yards, while running back
Anthony Purge pushed RMU deep into Kennesaw State territory with an 11-yard rush. Martin was able to capitalize, hitting wide receiver
Jaylon Brown in stride for a 28-yard touchdown pass to help the Colonials trim their deficit to 14-7. For Brown, it marked the first touchdown reception of his career.
ANSWERING
Kennesaw State was able to answer the score by the Colonials on its next possession, with Shepherd marching the Owls 75 yards on 10 plays and connecting with O'Neal for the second time, this time for a 19-yard scoring strike. It was part of a complete afternoon for the signal caller, who finished 8-for-12 passing for 185 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 44 yards on 14 attempts. In addition to his pair of touchdown passes to O'Neal, who caught five balls for 119 yards, Shepherd also connected with Adeolu Adeleke for a 42-yard touchdown pass and a four-yard scoring strike to Xavier Hill, the latter of which gave KSU a 35-7 cushion at the 3:29 mark of the third quarter.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Martin finished 25-for-35 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns against Kennesaw State, spreading the ball around by connecting with 10 different receivers. His favorite target was wide receiver
Demonte Martin, who finished with six receptions for 64 yards. Also recording his first career touchdown reception Saturday was tight end
Jake Kupchella, who caught three balls for 52 yards, including a three-yard touchdown catch that completed the scoring for the afternoon. Jackson, meanwhile, rushed for 91 yards on 20 attempts, including a two-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
RMU travels to West Long Branch, N.J., for its final road game of the 2021 season Saturday, Nov. 13, with a Noon kickoff against Monmouth at Kessler Stadium. The Colonials final home game is set for Saturday, Nov. 20, at Noon against Campbell at the Joe.
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