CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Season-opening trips to a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents highlight Austin Peay State University's 2011 football schedule.
The Governors will open the season, Sept. 3 at Big East member Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who finished 4-8 a year ago, appeared in back-to-back Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games in 2008 (FedEx Orange Bowl) and in 2009 (Allstate Sugar Bowl). This is the fifth meeting between the two teams, but their first meeting since 1993.
After a week off, the Governors then will head southwest to face Memphis, a Conference-USA member which went just 1-11 a year ago. This is the series' sixth meeting, but the first since 1957, between the two clubs, with Austin Peay still seeking their first win against the Tigers.
"It's an aggressive schedule," APSU coach Rick Christophel said. "I am proud of it in that way. We have to get through the first part of it because of who we are playing. Cincinnati is a very, very physical football team. Hopefully, we can get out of there not too banged up.
"Then we have an open week before we play Memphis. "
As a result, the Governors will be playing both guarantee games in the first two games after playing one (Middle Tennessee) in Week 2 a year ago and the second one (Wisconsin) in Week 4.
"This is only our second year of doing this (playing FBS guarantee games) so I don't know if it is advantage or not playing them in our first two weeks," Christophel said. "I know this, I made a huge mistake in trying to regroup our football team after a (70-3) loss like we had at Wisconsin."
After the Memphis contest, the Govs will play 10 straight weeks without a break. In fact, APSU will jump right into Ohio Valley Conference play, Sept. 24, when the Govs play host to Eastern Kentucky, which tied for second in the league race a year ago. A week later (Oct. 1), the Govs also will be at home, facing Tennessee State.
After traveling to UT Martin, Oct. 8, the Govs will play host to Jacksonville State, which also tied for second last season, before traveling to OVC champion Southeast Missouri, Oct. 22.
The Governors then will have another pair of back-to-back home games, facing Eastern Illinois, Oct. 29, for homecoming.
A week later, the Govs will go out of conference to play Central State, of Wilberforce, Ohio, to open November. The Governors then will close the regular season with back-to-back road games at Murray State, Nov. 12, and Tennessee Tech, Nov. 19.
-AP-
