CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Austin Peay State University football team will travel to Southeastern Missouri State Saturday for the Govs' final road Ohio Valley Conference game of the season with kickoff in Houck Stadium set for 1 p.m.
Austin Peay is 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the OVC after a 41-34 loss to Mercer in nonconference action.
SEMO comes into the contest at 2-5 overall and 2-2 in the OVC after 21-20 road loss at Tennessee Tech in their last game. The Redhawks are 1-1 at home this season.
The Opening Drive
The Govs defense held Mercer to 0-of-12 on third down. Over the last two games, APSU has held opponents to 1-of-22 on 3rd down.
APSU racked up 500 yards of total offense (186 rushing, 314 passing) against Mercer. It's the first 500 yard game since the 2006 season when the Govs were in the Pioneer Football League.
Two APSU freshman saw their significant action against Mercer. QB Javaughn Craig accounted for 137 yards (84 rushing, 53 passing), while RB Kentel Williams picked up 55 yards on the ground and scored three TDs, tying an APSU freshman record.
Running back Kendall Morris became the 26th Gov to reach 1,000 career rushing yards with his 1,001 yards.
Return man Kyran Moore was honored as the Ohio Valley Specialist of the Week after his 98 yard kickoff return against EIU. Moore is the first Gov to earn weekly league recognition since 2012 and the first APSU specialist since 2011.
Wide receiver Jared Beard leads the OVC in the receptions per game, 7.0, yards per game, 99.0, and total receiving yards 693.
Beard hauled in 11 catches for 181 yards against Mercer. He's had over 100 receiving yards in three games and caught double-digit passes in two games in 2016.
Beard has caught 116 passes for 1,444 yards and 13 TDs in his career. He ranks seventh in receiving yards, seventh in receptions and sixth in touchdown receptions in the APSU record books.
Linebacker Gunnar Scholato holds at second in the NCAA and leads the OVC in tackles per game at 12.3.
Through six games Scholato has amassed 86 tackles. His 12.3 tackles per game average over the next four games would vault him into the APSU records for tackles in the single season. The current record is 207 set by Bobby Byrd in 1963.
Fans can also follow all the action from the 2016-17 season on www.LetsGoPeay.com, on Twitter @LetsGoPeay & @AustinPeayFB and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LetsGoPeay.
