The Skyhawks tallied the program’s second-ever Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) victory this weekend with a 24-13 win over the Kennesaw State Owls.
The Skyhawks executed their brand of football to a tee and the results showed on the scoreboard. Dominating defense and a relentless effort on the ground separated the Skyhawks from the Owls.
A road victory against an FBS opponent is never an easy task, but the Skyhawks made it look as such. The last time the Skyhawks toppled an FBS team was in 2012 when the Skyhawks went into Memphis and beat the Tigers 20-17.
In his return to the starting lineup, quarterback Kinkead Dent completed 13 of 23 passes for 132 yards and a pick-six. That pick-six would be the only time the Owls stepped foot into the end zone.
On the ground, running back Patrick Smith continued his dominant 2024 campaign with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. One of those carries was a 58-yard sprint at the end of the second quarter to get the Skyhawks within scoring distance. Being without one of their best weapons, receiver DeVonte Tanksley, the Skyhawks had to lean even more on their run game than usual, and the Vanderbilt transfer took full advantage. Smith’s gone for over 100 yards three times this season and has six touchdowns in the last four games.
Through the air, sophomore tight end Tyler Dostin led the team in receiving with 41 yards on three catches. This is the first time this season that the Skyhawk’s leading receiver was a tight end.
Defensively, the Skyhawks only allowed six points to the Owls with the rest of their points coming from the pick-six mentioned previously. The Skyhawks defenders were playmakers this weekend with big plays coming from the team’s star players.
Preseason All-American Oshae Baker made his presence felt with a game changing 63-yard pick-six in the third quarter to put the Skyhawks up seven. Then, with just under two minutes left in the game, linebacker Chris Hunter put the nail in the coffin with an interception on Kennesaw State’s own 23-yard line. This allowed the Skyhawks to get into victory formation and seal the game.
Other standout Skyhawk defenders included linebacker Tevin Shipp with a career-high 12 tackles and linebacker Jaylon Sharpe with six tackles and two tackles for loss.
This weekend’s win over the Owls puts the teams back even historically with a 1-1 record between the two.
The Skyhawk’s next game will be back in Martin with the Gardner Webb Bulldogs coming into town for homecoming on Oct. 5, at 2 p.m.
