Gap Down Backer.

[Soapy]

time to get it

About damn time

https://youtube.com/shorts/H_BdCFtNH1s

[Soapy]

(0-1, 0-0 C-USA) (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

---

KENN | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28
WAKE | 13 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 33

‣ Donelius Johnson had a standout performance, recording six tackles along with a tackle for loss and an interception.

---

(Q1, 10:43) Harry Lodge 9 Yd pass from Robby Ashford -- missed kick
(Q1, 5:19) Demond Claiborne, 24 Yd run

(Q2, 12:43) Matthew Dennis, 45 Yd FG
(Q2, 9:14) Coleman Bennett, 11 Yd run
(Q2, 1:44) Carlos Hernandez 28 Yd pass from Robby Ashford
(Q2, 0:34) Gerard Bullock Jr. 3 Yd pass from Dexter Williams II

(Q3, 7:04) Matthew Dennis, 39 Yd FG
(Q3, 1:11) Coleman Bennett, 1 Yd run

(Q4, 12:09) Demond Claiborne, 6 Yd run
(Q4, 0:04) Javon Rogers 20 Yd pass from Dexter Williams II

---

QB Dexter Williams II: 27-46, 273 yards, 2 TD, INT
QB Robby Ashford: 16-31, 215 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

HB Coleman Bennett: 34 carries, 144 yards, 2 TD, fumble (lost)
HB Demond Claiborne: 20 carries, 78 yards, 2 TD

WR Tykeem Wallace: 11 receptions, 122 yards
TE Gerard Bullock Jr: 5 receptions, 44 yards, TD
WR Carlos Hernandez: 4 receptions, 59 yards, TD
WR Micah Mays: 3 receptions, 70 yards

LB Donelius Johnson: 6 tackles, TFL, INT
DT Adam Watkins: 4 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
S Davaughn Patterson: 12 tackles, TFL, INT, FF
S Nick Andersen: 12 tackles, FR

---

Kennesaw State head coach Bubba Mack's post-game appearance on 107.5 The Fan is sponsored by ACME Co.

The Good
After winning just two games last season, the Owls just went toe to toe with a P4 team that actually beat Coach Mack's UConn squad last season. Despite the early 13-0 deficit, the Owls kept fighting and put up quite a battle against Wake Forest and was an onside kick away from having at least a Hail Mary chance at winning the game.

Kennesaw State's best players were at their best with Coleman Bennett rushing for 144 yards and linebacker Donelius Johnson had an interception in what was an all around team effort to keep Kennesaw State in the game until the very last play.

"Our guys showed up ready to play," said Coach Mack after the game, "The first step towards winning is competing and I felt like we did that. We'll need to clean a lot of things up because ultimately we're here to win but this was a great step towards that."

The Bad
Wake Forest converted on fifty percent of their third downs and both redzone trips resulted in touchdowns for the Demon Deacons. It was just back breaking conversion after another for the Owls defense that stiffened at times but had too many moments where they were unable to get off the field.

"We have to finish drives as a defense," Coach Mack added, "The drive doesn't end on third down and sometimes not even fourth down. Your job as a defense ends when you're off the field and we need to work on that."

Conversely, the Owls offense converted 42 percent on third downs, an improvement from last year's 36 percent mark but not enough when trying to get an upset win over a P4 opponent. The Owls also came away with points on just half of their red zone trips, a number that needs to improve.

The Bleep That Gets You Beat
Part of the reason for the early deficit was an interception by Dexter Williams on the third play of the opening drive, which led to Wake Forest's first touchdown when the defense was unable to sack Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford in the backfield and he broke away for the touchdown pass. The next Owls possession was a three-and-out and before you could get your hot dog and a beer, they were down two possessions.

Even in the midst of the comeback effort, making it 26-21 at the beginning of the fourth, Bennett would fumble the ball at the Wake Forest five-yard line, ending a promising drive that could have given Kennesaw State their first lead of the season.

For a team that was punching above it's weight class, there were too many avoidable mistakes that the Owls committed, squandering the chance at an upset.

[Caesar]

Slow start killed you

[redsox907]

dem turnovers will get you every time. My season with Coastal turned around when my QB stopped throwing interceptions - all his fault not mine

Still - Wake is still a P4 school and you kept it close. Bodes well for conference play.

[Soapy]

Slow start killed you

dem turnovers will get you every time. My season with Coastal turned around when my QB stopped throwing interceptions - all his fault not mine

Still - Wake is still a P4 school and you kept it close. Bodes well for conference play.

As much confident as I want to gleam from this close loss, Wake Forest is rated like 74 and won 4 games last year

basically a G6 school with a shinier logo. Indiana is the real test

[Agent]

& we’re off

[Soapy]

(1-0, 1-0 Big Ten, No. 25 AP) (0-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Indiana Hoosiers vs Kennesaw State Owls
Indiana University Memorial Stadium - Sat 9/6/25, 3:30

---

Indiana Team Schedule

DATE	OPP	RESULT
8/30/2025		W 49-28

	2025 Team Stats
28	Pts/G	49
273	Pass Yds	337
169	Rush Yds	212
33	Opp Pts/G	28
215	Opp Pass Yds	347
110	Opp Rush Yds	74

	2025 Team Leaders
Dexter Williams II 58 cmp%, 273 Yds, 2 TD, INT	Passing	Fernando Mendoza 57 cmp%, 337 Yds, 3 TD, INT
Coleman Bennett 34 car, 144 Yds, 2 TD	Rushing	Roman Hemby 17 car, 142 Yds, 2 TD
Tykeem Wallace 11 rec, 122 Yds	Receiving	Elijah Sarratt 7 rec, 138 Yds, TD
Adam Watkins 5 tkl, 2 TFL, 2 sacks	Defense	Mikail Kamara 4 tackles, TFL, sack

Last Meeting
First program matchup

Key Matchups
QB Fernando Mendoza, Rs Junior vs. Secondary
‣ Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza will almost certainly be the best quarterback that the Owls face this season. Mendoza had an up-and-down performance in his Hoosier debut with an interception and completing just 57 percent of his passes but he did throw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Mendoza is big (6'5", 225 pounds) and athletic enough to extend plays which should put some pressure on a Owls secondary that was shaky at times against the Demon Deacons, allowing some wide open receivers.

HB Coleman Bennett, Rs Senior vs. LB Jellan Wyatt, Senior
‣ The Hoosiers were able to shut down Old Dominion's rushing attack despite having a lighter defensive front with 195-pound Devan Boykin and 225-pounder Rolijah Hardy getting plenty of snaps at linebacker. The Hoosiers' thumper in the box is 262-pound senior Kellan Wyatt who had had five tackles in the season opener. Kennesaw State's Coleman Bennett had a heavy workload against Wake Forest and should be in for a busy workday this week against Indiana, pitting these two against each other early and often.

HB Roman Hemby, Rs Senior vs. LB Donelius Johnson, Rs Junior
‣ Another transfer portal addition, Roman Hemby had a big time debut with 142 yards and two touchdowns in his first game in Indiana. The former Maryland running back was trending in the wrong direction after rushing for nearly 1,000-yards as a true freshman with ten touchdowns but saw that production dip from 5.3 yards per carry to 4.5 in his finals season with the Terps. The 208-pound running back has plenty of long speed to break off long runs so top linebacker Donelius Johnson will need to keep him bottled up. In this era of the the transfer portal, Johnson could very well be putting on a showcase performance for potential suitors if he's able to have a breakout performance against a playoff team in the Hoosiers.

[djp73]

Kept it close in the opener at least

[Agent]

IU by massacre

[The JZA]

Let the good times roll, time to build!

Kept game 1 close, there's positives in that.