CLARKSVILLE—Austin Peay State University football Senior Day started with great promise, as nine seniors donned their uniforms for the final time and the Govs marched down the field to score on the opening possession.
But the Governors were shut out in the second half, while Southeast Missouri scored the game's final 23 points in a 44-15 Redhawk victory.
Austin Peay (0-10, 0-7 OVC) could not find an answer for Tremane McCullough; the Southeast Missouri (4-5, 3-2) back rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries, leading a Redhawk contingent that accounted for 220 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
Austin Peay received the opening kickoff and, with Timarious Mitchell starting for the first time in 2015, marched 65 yards in 14 plays. The junior quarterback did most of the work himself, picking up 12 yards on four carries and going 5-of-8 for 55 yards. His last pass of the drive went for 13 yards and a touchdown to James Coleman, the first touchdown reception of the Chicago native's career.
After trading three-and-outs, it was Southeast Missouri's turn to march. Freshman quarterback Dante Vandeven showed why he's one of the conference's premiere performers, leading the Redhawks on a 14-play, 81-yard drive, taking it the last four yards himself into the end zone.
Austin Peay started the second quarter with another sustained, methodical drive. This time it was Kendall Morris' turn to bear the burden, carrying five times for 38 yards and scoring his season's fourth touchdown on a one-yard plunge.
Southeast Missouri would answer quickly. On the ensuing drive, Vandeven's 25-yard touchdown pass was the capstone to a 3-for-4, 45-yard contribution to the Redhawks eight-play drive, hitting Tyler McLemore for the score. After the Govs went three-and-out on their next possession, Vandeven would pass just twice on the Redhawks 10-play drive, stepping aside for Tay Bender to finish the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Down nine, the Governors mounted a final first-half drive, highlighted by Jared Beard's season-long 66-yard reception before getting chased down inside the Southeast Missouri five-yard line by Jamarl Holloway. But Morris was stopped behind the line on first down and Mitchell missed on two passes to Wesley Thomas, leading to a Logan Birchfield 20-yard field goal.
With less than a minute remaining in the half, Southeast Missouri could have gone into the half with a six-point lead. Instead, the Redhawks opened up the playbook, with Vandeven completing 4-of-5 passes for 51 yards, moving the offense close enough to allow Ryan McCrum to nail a 44-yard field goal as the first-half clock expired, sending the visitors into halftime with a 24-15 advantage.
The visitors would extend the lead early in the third quarter, taking over near midfield and picking up gains of 13, 15, 10 and 11 yards to move down the field quickly. While Austin Peay held Southeast Missouri all-OVC candidate Paul McRoberts to a (relatively) quiet seven catches for 55 yards, the junior from St. Louis got free long enough for a two-yard touchdown reception to extend the Redhawks lead.
Austin Peay's following drive lasted nine plays and 45 yards, including a fourth-down conversion by Justin Roberson. But the drive stalled at the Southeast Missouri 37-yard line after Mitchell was knocked out of the game—too far away for a field-goal attempt—and Austin Peay elected to punt rather than attempt to convert a fourth-and-16 situation.
With Mitchell out of the game, Austin Peay's offense was unable to find the momentum it enjoyed in the first half. In the fourth quarter, Trey Taylor was sacked by Roper Garrett, forcing a fumble that Chad Meredith picked up on the one-yard line and walked into the end zone. Will Young capped the Redhawk scoring with a five-yard touchdown run late in the game.
Despite accruing just 37 yards after Mitchell's departure from the contest, Austin Peay's bright spots included Beard, who finished with four catches for 92 yards, and Morris' 15 carries for 73 yards.
The Difference
The Governors defense could not get off the field in the second half. Southeast Missouri controlled the clock, owning the ball for 19:04 second-half minutes, with Vandeven going 10-for-12 for 60 yards; the Redhawks added another 80 on the ground as a team.
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Coaching Quotables
"He's found a spot. We've had him at a lot of different positions in his career. He's a big kid, runs really well and that nickel spot is a good place for him. He beats himself up sometimes, but at some point, he's going to say, 'I can be a really good player.' Next year, we see him becoming an All-OVC type guy, because he has the physical ability to do that." – Head coach Kirby Cannon on Devon Jones, who finished with 12 tackles (2.5 for loss).
Up next for the Govs
Austin Peay closes out the regular season with a trip to Tennessee Tech, Nov. 14, for the season's final Alvin C. York Trophy contest against the Golden Eagles. Austin Peay seeks its first victory in Cookeville since 2007.
