MURRAY, Ky.—Youth has its disadvantages, and those were on display in Saturday's 34-18 loss at Murray State, Saturday, as the Govs allowed 526 total yards to one of the Ohio Valley Conference's elite offenses at Roy Stewart Stadium, despite another 100-yard performance from redshirt freshman Kendall Morris.
Austin Peay (0-6, 0-3 OVC)—starting 12 and playing 37 total freshmen and sophomores—saw its nation-long road losing streak hit 35 games, while the Racers (2-4, 1-2) won their first conference game in 2015 and snapped a nine-game losing streak to Division I opponents--a streak started by Austin Peay last season.
The Racers came out firing, with Pokey Harris returning the opening kickoff to the Austin Peay 36-yard line. Eight plays later, KD Humphries dove in from the one-yard line to open the scoring for the Racers.
Following a Governors punt, Humphries again led the Racers down the field. The junior quarterback accounted for 44 yards on the drive (33 passing, 11 rushing), but handed the ball off to Roman Clay for the two-yard touchdown plunge.
Staggered, the Governors fought back. After forcing a three-and-out on the Racers next possession, the Governors mixed the run and pass together well, with freshman Taye Davis finishing the drive with a six-yard touchdown run—his career's first—as part of a 13-carry, 63-yard day for the Lebanon native.
Clay punched another nine-yard run in early in the second quarter, but it was again the last four minutes of the first half that saw the opponent grab all the momentum. Connor Mitchell hit a 23-yard field goal following a quick eight-play, 39-yard drive with 3:40 remaining, then the disaster struck on the second play of the Governors next series when Trey Taylor's pass to Jared Beard was picked off by DeAndre Cooper at the Murray State 35-yard line.
Emboldened by the gift, the Racers quickly marched into Governors territory thanks largely to a 24-yard scamper by Nick Taylor and three Humphries-to-Paul Rice hook ups that netted 27 yards. On the drive's ninth play, Humphries punched it in again, his second of the day, to take the Racers into halftime with a 31-6 lead.
After carrying the ball six times for just 10 yards, including a fumble, in the first half, Morris got the second half started right with runs for 26 and 30 yards on his first two carries. Timarious Mitchell, seeing his season's first action under center, completed the drive with a 10-yard strike to Jared Beard to make it 31-12 after the two-point attempt failed.
After having a break-out performance (seven catches, 85 yards, three touchdowns) against the Racers last season, Beard continued to terrorize the Murray State secondary in this one, finishing with seven catches for 97 yards. Four of his six career touchdowns have now come against the Racers.
Connor Mitchell's 31-yard field goal on the ensuing drive would be Murray State's lone second-half points, but the Racers were able to control the clock for nearly 10 minutes in the fourth quarter to eliminate any comeback ideas for Austin Peay. However, the final period would have a bright spot as Morris broke bad for the second week in a row, taking the option pitch from Mitchell, hitting the corner and breaking a pair of arm tackles on his 62-yard run for the end zone. He finished with 138 yards on 15 carries (9.1 ypc).
Although the Governors were able to force five turnovers in last season's contest, the Governors defense was unable to generate any takeaways on Saturday, while the Racers came away with three turnovers (two fumble recoveries and an interception).
The Difference
Field position hurt Austin Peay's defense early and often in this one, as Murray State had three drives start in APSU territory—leading to 17 points—and an average drive starting position of its own 35-yard line. Meanwhile, the Governors average starting spot was the 23-yard line and faced three starting spots inside their own 10-yard line.
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Coaching Quotables
"Their quarterback is a lot better this year. He's used his playing time to understand that the ball is precious, and you saw him today, he threw a couple away. He knows his patterns better; he didn't throw any up for grabs and two (interceptions) last year were desperation plays by him and I didn't see any of that. He's one of the better ones in the league." – Head coach Kirby Cannon on Murray State quarterback KD Humphries
Up Next for the Govs
The Governors will spend back-to-back weekends at home for the first time since 2013, beginning with an Oct. 17 contest against UT Martin. Austin Peay seeks its first win against the Skyhawks since 2007.
