Last season, Jeremiah Mitchell could tell. As improved as the Govs were, as much better as he and his teammates and coaches knew they had gotten, the refrain was the same.

Same old Austin Peay.

"Last year, we would hear (from opponents) about how we'd gotten better, but you could tell they kind of took off that week, like 'Oh, it's just Austin Peay,'" he said. "Now, we're getting respect. They're watching us in film, and it's showing on the field by how they're playing us."

Winning three games in a row, knocking off a ranked opponent and shining a national spotlight on Clarksville has a way of engendering that kind of respect. 

Mitchell's done more than his fair share to make sure the Governors defense is taken seriously. After finally winning a consistent spot in the starting lineup after closing out strong last season and making significant strides during the spring and summer, Mitchell has emerged as a force alongside 2016 All-Ohio Valley Conference choice Gunnar Scholato. Through six games, he's already over 50 tackles after entering the season with 72 career stops. He enjoyed a career-best 14 tackle performance in the Governors upset of nationally-ranked UT Martin and like many of his teammates, he's enjoying this run.

"We were everybody's homecoming," he said. "Now, we've still got that chip on our shoulder, no matter what our record is. We're not taking it lightly on anybody."

Like many other seniors, Mitchell participated in a pair of zero-win seasons. He experienced a coaching change and after two seasons of mostly sporadic playing time under the previous regime, he had to prove himself all over again. Forgive him if he revels in the simple pleasure of being an opponent teams have to gameplan for.

"Teams are keying on us," he said with the air of one who was just informed Christmas had been moved up two months. "Teams aren't running up the middle on us anymore, and if they do they're keying on me and Gunnar. They're trying to keep us out of the play as much as possible."

In his first two seasons, Mitchell was shuttled back and forth, playing as much safety and nickel as he was at linebacker. When Will Healy and Co. took over, Mitchell suddenly found himself a man without a position but with a whole new staff to win over.

It took time.

"I was starting to establish myself and then a new staff came in and you have to establish yourself again," he said. "You can't try to do too much. You want to be noticed, but if you do too much you'll start doing the wrong thing. I made sure to do the right thing and gradually I got more confidence and started performing better.

"The coaching staff believes in us. The first two years were really hard on me, because I felt like I was such a huge disappointment to my coaching staff. It was hard to build confidence in that system. I knew if I could build confidence in any position, I could shine. Coach (Maxwell) Thurmond believes in me and my potential."

Mitchell credits Thurmond with helping him reach his full potential and to treat practice like a game, but make no mistake: coaching is only half the battle. Wanting to be coached is just as important, and Mitchell has proven himself a dedicated worker in the weight room and in the film room—an often-overlooked component of football.

With a player as cerebral as Mitchell both on and off the field (he's earned Athletics Director Honor Roll standing the last two springs), the mental game is just as important to success.

"Coming into college, I was told I could start as a freshman if I did everything right, so I thought it would be given to me," he said. "But if you don't watch film and understand your keys and what you're doing on the field, you'll be playing a step behind and you won't be able to play with aggression and confidence."

Mitchell and the Govs are up to speed and as aggressive and confident a defense that exists in the OVC. The influx of talent Healy has brought in the last two seasons also has forced the old guard to step their games up to ward off the talent on the sideline, itching for a chance to prove themselves.

For Mitchell, iron sharpens iron.

"New players are always coming to take your spot," he said. "With me, I feel confident in my position, but also I understood that if the younger guys aren't pushing you, you can't reach your full potential. So I'm always helping the younger guys, because as they get better, they push me to get better."

And better.

And better.

That's how Mitchell plans to leave the program: better than he found it. He and his class won't just be paying lip service to that idea come November. The proof will be in the standings and in the win/loss column.

"When I'm gone, I feel confident in how the program will perform," he said. "My class always talked since freshman year about being great and leaving a foundation. We were recruited here to flip a program and we're finally seeing it happen and it's really rewarding."