KENNESAW, Ga. – For the second consecutive year, Alabama State and eighth-ranked Kennesaw State had to wait out a 90-minute lightning delay – this on at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
Alabama State (1-2) was unable to get on track after the delay, falling behind big before scoring late and falling to the Owls 62-13 on the road Saturday night in a game that ended nearly five hours after it’s anticipated start time.
The Hornets scored for the first time this season in the opening quarter after giving up a short field to Kennesaw State (2-1) on their opening drive. After the Owls scored to go ahead 7-0, Hunter Hanson connected on a 29-yard field goal with 5:17 to play in the opening quarter to trim the deficit to 7-3.
The Owls were able to get on the board with two more touchdowns to push their lead to 21-3 with 12:46 to play in the opening half before Hanson put the Hornets on the board again – this time with a 35-yard field goal and trimmed the lead to 21-6.
From there, it was all Owls as they scored 31 unanswered points before Darryl Pearson, Jr. hit Tyrek Allen for a 78-yard touchdown pass. Allen caught the pass racing down the right side and beat two defenders to the end zone with 9:31 to play in the game. The Hornets had another chance late, getting inside the 10-yard line but were unable to convert for the first time in the red zone this season.
Alabama State put up a season-high 314 yards of total offense but had no answer for Kennesaw State who finished with 563 yards of offense. Darryl Pearson, Jr. finished the night with 195 yards passing on 11-of-24 passing, while Talesin Farmer led the ground attack with 36 carries on six carries.
Eight different players caught a pass on the night with Marquez Spencer catching four passes for 84 yards, while Allen added a pair of catches for 86 yards. Kurron Ramsey led the Hornets with six tackles defensively, while four other players posted four tackles each.
Alabama State opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play next weekend on the road against defending conference champion Grambling State. Kick is set for 6 pm, with the game carried by the Hornet Sports Network. It can also be seen on ESPN3.
Courtesy: ASU Athletics
