KENNESAW, Ga. --- Jonathan Murphy threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, all over 50 yards, as Kennesaw State University scored 38 unanswered points to defeat Tusculum University 38-7 in the 2023 season opener Thursday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
Murphy connected with Tykeem Wallace on a 54-yard touchdown and Blake Bohannon on a 55-yard score, and ran for a 55-yard touchdown as the Owls (1-0) broke open a close game with four touchdowns in the final 19 minutes. Tusculum held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, but was outgained 411-257 over the final three periods by Kennesaw State, which is playing as an FCS independent before moving to FBS and Conference USA in 2024.
Preston Roberts passed for 179 yards and a touchdown to Ethan Stinnett in his first career start for the Pioneers (0-1), but was picked off four times as Tusculum turned the ball over five times in the game. The Pioneers drove five times into Owls territory in the game but came away with just one score. Murphy completed 12-of-18 passes for 219 yards and two scores without a turnover for the Owls, with 167 of his 219 yards coming on four completions.
Kennesaw State tallied 446 yards of total offense in the game, including 197 on the ground. Murphy carried 13 times for 90 yards to lead the Owls, while Lanadrick Bradley ran nine times for a team-high 51 yards for the Pioneers. Tusculum had 40 carries as a team for 136 yards and finished with 315 yards of total offense.
Stinnett had three catches for 40 yards for the Pioneers with Joe Robustelli making three grabs for 46 yards and Tyler Burke three receptions for 19 yards. Carson Kent and Preston Daniels shared the team lead with three catches apiece for the Owls.
Kennesaw State caught a break when Tusculum fumbled on its opening play and Donelius Johnson recovered at the Pioneer 22. After three rushing attempts failed to gain the first down, the Owls settled for a 33-yard field goal attempt from Conor Cummins that hit the right upright with 13:02 left in the opening quarter.
After a three-and-out for the Pioneers, the Owls drove to the Tusculum 24 but a third-down sack by Gavin Rowell forced a 51-yard field goal attempt from Cummins that was wide with 8:37 to go in the quarter.
Following the miss, the Pioneers drove 66 yards on 10 plays which included completions of 14 and 11 yards from Roberts to Stinnett. On third-and-4, Roberts threaded a pass to Stinnett in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Tusculum lead with 4:27 left in the first quarter.
Tusculum's defense held Kennesaw State to 35 total yards on 14 plays in the first quarter, but a 23-yard pass from Murphy to Kent on the first play of the second quarter set up the Owls at their own 46. On the next play, Murphy hit Wallace on a post route down the middle and he ran untouched to the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 on the 54-yard strike with 14:03 left in the first half.
The Pioneers' next drive would stall out just across midfield, but a 46-yard punt from Nicholas Pope was downed just outside the goal line by Marquel Pittman to force the Owls to travel the length of the field. Tusculum nearly forced a three-and-out, but a 14-yard gain on third-and-8 by Michael Benefield and a 12-yard run by Murphy were followed by a 35-yard catch-and-run by Kent that moved Kennesaw State to the Tusculum 22. Once again, the Pioneer defense would force the Owls to attempt a field goal, which Cummins made from 33 yards to give the Owls a 10-7 lead with 7:31 left in the first half.
An interception by the Owls' Sidney Porter on a deep pass from Roberts to Robustelli gave Kennesaw State the ball back at its 16, but a sack by Joslyn Mira on second down led to a punt. Starting from its own 17, the Pioneers moved the ball into Owls territory on a 19-yard pass from Roberts to Watson, a 17-yard run by Anfreenee Williams and an 18-yard catch by Zaron Collins. However, JeRico Washington stepped in front a short pass by Roberts and came up with an interception at the Owls 24 to end the drive with 1:04 left in the half.
Neither team showed much in terms of offense for most of the third quarter, as both sides punted twice. On Kennesaw State's third possession, Murphy escaped a tackle in the backfield on a keeper and broke several more tackles downfield on his way to a 55-yard touchdown and a 17-7 Owls lead with 3:25 left in the third quarter.
The Pioneers responded with a drive inside the Owls 40, but a deep pass from Roberts was picked off by Washington for his second interception of the evening. Tusculum would move to the Kennesaw State 35 on its next possession, but a pass from Roberts was incomplete on fourth-and-4 with 12:25 remaining. The Owls would stretch their lead to 24-7 just 13 seconds after regaining possession as Murphy hit an open Bohannon down the right side on play action for 55 yards with 12:12 left.
Tusculum would again move the ball into Kennesaw State territory, but Roberts was picked off by Deontre Morris at the Owls 21 and Morris ran untouched 78 yards to the Pioneer 1, where he dropped the ball in a premature celebration but teammate Jordan Miles picked it up to earn credit for the touchdown. The Owls would tack on another touchdown with 2:28 left on a 21-yard keeper by backup quarterback Davis Bryson.
Earnest Johnson III led the Pioneers with 11 tackles while Rowell had seven stops and Wesley Scott added six. Jalen Barnum paced the Owls with nine tackles in the contest.
Tusculum was 8-for-17 on third downs while Kennesaw State was 4-for-12 on third-down conversions. Tusculum was flagged six times for 50 yards, and Kennesaw State was called for six penalties for 74 yards. The Owls won the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 33:05 compared to 26:55 for the Pioneers.
Pope punted seven times for the Pioneers with an average of 36.6 yards per punt, while Joshua Huiet averaged 45.0 yards on five punts for the Owls. All extra-point attempts were successful, with one from John Aiden Pittman for the Pioneers and five for the Owls' Cummins.
Tusculum will be back on the road on Saturday, Sept. 9 to face Virginia State in a non-conference game beginning at 2 p.m. The Trojans have won the previous two meetings with the Pioneers, including a 24-10 victory in the last matchup in 2016.
