MADISON, Wis.-For the first time in school history, Austin Peay State University will be playing a Football Championship Series (FCS) football when it travels to Madison, Wis., to play Wisconsin in an 11 a.m. contest.
Wisconsin is no ordinary FCS club. A perennial Big Ten power, the Badgers enter the game ranked No. 10 in the nation in the latest USA Today/ Coaches Poll. The Badgers also represent the first Big 10 team the football Govs have played in history. Wisconsin is the Govs' second Football Bowl Subdivision played this season, the first a 56-33 loss at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 11.
The Badgers enter this week's game with a perfect 3-0 record, coming off a 20-19 home win against Arizona State, where a blocked extra-point attempt was the difference.
Wisconsin has started the season 3-0 for the seventh-consecutive year. Dating back to 2009, Wisconsin has won five straight games. That is tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the country. During those five games, the Badgers are averaging 460.4 yards of total offense while allowing just 273.4 yards on defense.
Wisconsin also has captured 27 consecutive non-conference regular-season games dating back to the 2003 season. That is the third-longest active streak in the country, trailing only LSU and USC.
In fact, during Bret Bielema's five seasons as Wisconsin's head coach, the Badgers are 14-0 at home against non-conference opponents, outscoring them by an average of 17.9 points per game.
That being said, the Governors face a daunting task with this Badger club. APSU allowed more than 350 yards rushing to Middle Tennessee and now they are facing a Wisconsin club averaging 228 rushing yards per game, led by All-America candidate John Clay. The 255-pound tailback has nine straight 100-yard rushing games, dating back to last season.
The Governors, meanwhile, are coming off an important 26-23 victory against Tennessee State. Not only was it the Governors first Ohio Valley Conference victory, it was their first road win of 2010 as well. The Gov also fired the first salvo in pursuit of the 2010 Sgt. York Trophy.
Ryan White (112 yards) chalked up his career's eighth 100-yard rushing performance while quarterback Jake Ryan finished 13 of 21 passing for 178 yards. However, Ryan led the Governors 72-yard game-winning drive, hitting Adrian Mines with a seven-yard scoring toss with 40 seconds left. Ryan completed all four his passing attempts in the drive. Mines finished with seven catches for 84 yards on the night.
In addition, sophomore placekicker Stephen Stansell not only was the OVC Specialist of the Week with his four field-goal performance, he earned College Football Performance Award recognition as well in a night that saw him nail a 50-yard field goal just prior to halftime.-
-AP-
