CLARKSVILLE – With two full weeks of practice under its belt, Austin Peay State University football team will take the field for its first full-scale scrimmage of the preseason, 9 a.m., Saturday, at Governors Stadium.
The Govs will have been in full pads for just over a week, during which time head coach Kirby Cannon has learned a lot about his 2015 squad and enjoyed the continued passion exhibited by his team.
"I'm happy with intensity," Cannon said following Thursday's practice. "They came out today and I thought both sides had emotion and intensity."
The Governors top three units had short 11-on-11 drives during Tuesday morning's session, but this will be the first extended action for each unit. Austin Peay's one's and two's will get around 36 plays on Saturday, with the third units scheduled for 24 plays—invaluable considering that a depleted offensive line limited the Governors in scrimmage scenarios during spring ball and that the coaching staff is still getting more than 40 newcomers acclimated to Division I college football.
A veteran defense has made its presence known during the first two weeks, with both the defensive line and linebacking corps returning a host of capable veterans to ease the pressure off a secondary that will feature three new starters.
Cannon, still serving as his own defensive coordinator and working extensively with the defensive backs during practice, is cautiously optimistic about what he's seen from his defense.
"I think the secondary is stepping up," Cannon said. "We've got a couple of new faces back there that are giving everybody confidence. Our d-line and linebacker group are very experienced and right now they're hard to surprise or fool; they're going to be very consistent groups."
Still unsettled at quarterback, the offense will rely on a stable of running backs in the early going. Sophomore Otis Gerron, the Govs leading rusher in 2014, returns along with junior Julian Franklin, although redshirt freshman Kendall Morris has seen a lot of time with the No. 1 offensive unit and could snag a number of carries in 2015. Taye Davis, a freshman from Lebanon, has turned some heads as a punishing runner, using his 6-3, 237-pound frame to his advantage in the trenches.
Even without sophomore Malik Boynton following his move into the secondary, the Governor receiving corps remains poised for a breakout campaign. Junior Rashaan Coleman and sophomores Jared Beard and Wesley Thomas have have each shown flashes of brilliance during camp, while sophomore Jermer Braswell has been targeted more in the passing game and done well with his extended looks.
Tight end could be a position of strength for the Governors this season as well, with junior Trey Salisbury and sophomore James Coleman providing size and speed from that spot. Redshirt freshman Malik Harris, who transferred to APSU last spring, has been slowed by a nagging lower-body injury but possesses the unique blend of size (6-5, 272 pounds) and soft hands to potentially give Austin Peay three top targets from the end of the line.
"The thing we always look for on offense is 'Do we know what we're doing?'" Cannon said. "If you know who to block, the fact that you missed the block can be fixed. I'm very happy; I think we've gotten a lot of the offense in and they know how to execute it."
The scrimmage will be open to the public and will usher the Governors into classes, which begin Aug. 24.
