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Austin Peay State University Athletics

Postgame Notes and Quotes: Govs at Murray State

October 23, 2021

By: Casey Crigger, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

GOVS-RACERS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 47-6 win over Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference action, Saturday, at Roy Stewart Stadium in Calloway County, Kentucky.

FROM THE TOP

  • Austin Peay snapped a three-game losing streak and won its first OVC contest of the season.
  • Austin Peay's 41-point margin of victory is the second-largest win against Murray State in program history – just shy of a 49-0 victory over the Racers in 1966.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

  • Captains Baniko Harley, Kordell Jackson, Shamari Simmons Jack McDonald, Seth Johnson, and Bucky Williams took the coin toss for Austin Peay.
  • Austin Peay lost the toss for the sixth time this season; Murray State deferred to second half and the Govs elected to receive the opening kickoff.
  • Austin Peay is 3-3 this season when losing the coin toss.
  • Weather in Calloway County, Kentucky at kickoff: 59, Overcast, Winds south at 5 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

  • Austin Peay improves to 19-36 all-time against Murray State.
  • The Govs are 6-21 all-time against the Racers in Calloway County, Kentucky.
  • Austin Peay has now won five-straight games against Murray State and has won the last three meetings at Roy Stewart Stadium.
  • The Governors five-straight wins against Murray State is tied with a five-game streak from 1964-68 as its longest winning streak in series history.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

  • The Govs are 3-1 this season and are 5-2 under Scotty Walden when leading at halftime.
  • Austin Peay improves to 3-0 this season and 5-2 under Walden when leading at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

  • The Governors ran for 371 yards, which is tied for the seventh-best rushing performance in program history and is its most since a 518-yard performance against Morehead State in 2018.
  • Ahmaad Tanner recorded his second-career three-touchdown game, joining a three touchdown day – 2 rushing and 1 receiving – against Southeast Missouri (10/12/19) and is his first-career three-rushing touchdown performance.
  • Tanner rushed for a career-high 148 yards, it was also the fourth time he has rushed for multiple touchdowns in a game this season.
  • Brian Snead rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns – his third-career multi-score performance.
  • Tanner and Snead are the first Governors tandem to run for 100-plus yards in the same game since Jeremiah Oatsvall and Kentel Williams both topped the 100-yard mark on the ground against Morehead State (9/15/18).
  • Sheldon Layman made his first career start at quarterback and rushed for 67 yards – the most by an APSU quarterback since JaVaughn Craig ran for 164 yards in the second round of the FCS Playoffs against Sacramento State (12/7/19).
  • Layman also added 126 yards and two touchdowns while going 16-of-25 through the air.
  • On a 35-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter, Baniko Harley became the fifth Governor surpass 2,000-career receiving yards, he also became the third Gov to catch 20 touchdowns in their career on the same play.
  • With 2,024 career receiving yards, Harley ranks fifth all-time in program history.
  • Harley also moves into sole possession of third place on the career receiving touchdown list, he is now 5 touchdown grabs behind DeAngelo Wilson and 11 behind Harold "Red" Roberts.
  • Tanner's three rushing touchdowns moves him into a tie with Kentel Williams for the fourth-best mark in program history with 26 scores on the ground.
  • Tanner's 28 career touchdowns are tied with Austin Peay Hall of Famer John Ogles for the sixth-most in program history, Harley's 24 touchdowns is the eighth most all-time and is one behind DeAngelo Wilson.
  • Austin Peay was 4-for-4 in the redzone and scored touchdowns on all four trips inside Murray State's 20-yard line.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                                        

  • Jack McDonald led the Govs with eight tackles and forced the third fumble of his career in the second quarter.
  • Kory Chapman recorded his first career interception on a tipped pass after it was broken up Johnathon Edwards in the corner of the Murray State endzone in the fourth quarter.   
  • Darryl Rogan made his second career start and led the Governors with two tackles for loss, he also made six total tackles in the contest.
  • Sophomore linebacker Conner Murphy recorded his first career sack in the fourth quarter.
  • The Austin Peay defense held Murray State to just 289 offensive yards, that is the fourth time this season they have held an opponent to less than 300 offensive yards this season.
  • The Govs forced four turnovers (2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries) for the first time since a four-pick performance at Jacksonville State (3/28/21).
  • Austin Peay held Murray State to just six points, that is the Govs best defensive performance since they held Furman (11/30/19) to just six points in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
  • The Govs have held Murray State to just a single score in three-straight trips to Roy Stewart Stadium – they beat the Racers 42-7 in 2019 and 27-7 in 2017.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPRINTS

  • Isaiah Norman recorded his second-career interception on a fake Murray State punt in the first quarter.
  • Murphy forced a fumble for the first time in his career on a Murray State kick return in the fourth quarter – Devin Smith recovered the fumble and Snead capitalized with a three-yard TD run on the ensuing drive.
  • Quarterback Sheldon Layman punted twice for an average of 32.5 yards with one kick downed inside the 20-yard line.
  • Matthew Rigney punted three times for an average of 42.0 yards with no touchbacks and two kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, including one downed on the one-yard line.
  • Riley Stephens kicked off eight times for an average of 57.2 yards and three touchbacks.
  • Freshman kicker Maddux Trujillo was 5-for-6 on point-after attempts – missing (he hit the upright) for the first time in his collegiate career.

GOVS-RACERS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening Statement… "I am really proud of this football team. To win a game like that against a really good football team feels great. Our guys did a great job in their preparation… People can count us out all they want, but we will always believe in ourselves and persevere. This coaching staff and players have more pride than people realize. We all take a lot of pride in this football program and putting together a product on the field where guys are playing hard, fearless, fast and physical. Our bye week came at a great time. We used it to get fresh mentally… and to identify key areas we had to improve in order to come together and win a game and we did that."

On the running game… "Any time you can get the run game going like that, it takes a lot of pressure off your quarterback. I've said this since day one… but I believe that you have to run the football in order to win championships. You have to be a line of scrimmage football team. Just because we are a tempo offense and spread the field does not mean we are going to be soft and just throw the ball every play. We want to run the football and today we were in a scenario where we could. I am proud of Ahmaad Tanner, our tight ends… and our offensive line, Brian Snead and CJ Evans. We have three backs that are ready to go at any time and they all played physically today."

On the Govs' quarterback situation… "We are going to look at everything going forward. I am going to really access the film and practice. I want those two guys to compete. One thing we forget during a season is that competition brings the best out of everyone… if you are competing against someone it will bring the best out of you and that is exactly what those two do with each other. We are going to let them compete and we will make decisions going into the UT Martin game next week."

On the Govs' balanced offense… "What you saw today is how we want to be. We had Murray State on their heels in terms of the run and pass game. We weren't predictable. We want a defense to defend every inch of grass… With our offensive efficiency, we can do that. We have a great running backs room; I think it is as good as anyone in the country so we will continue to get those guys the rock in various ways and let them just play ball."

Austin Peay running back Ahmaad Tanner

On the win… "It was huge for us to come in here and get the win. We play UT Martin next week and they are as tough of a team as it says on paper. So, this win was big."

On the Govs' strong running game… "I have to shoutout to my offensive line for the running game. I didn't really have to do much if you ask me. It felt like I was just running. They really helped Sheldon get a couple of big runs too."

Austin Peay quarterback Sheldon Layman

On the win… "During the week, we were just chopping away and having great practices. I knew we were all going to click and it finally happened this week."

On his first collegiate start… "Coach Walden prepares me and every other quarterback in the room like the starter every week. When he said I was starting, nothing really changed because we bring the same energy to every single practice. I knew I had to be a little more of a leader in the locker room, but coach Walden always does a great job in preparing all of us."

On the offensive line's performance… "Our offensive line was clicking today. We were getting penetration and creating a new line of scrimmage and our backs saw it, hit it, and took it. We like to say 'hit it vertical' in our offense and they did just that today. That took a lot of pressure off my shoulders today. Congrats to those guys. It helped our offense a lot."

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