Five wins. Three road wins. Zero losses. Nine Austin Peay State University graduates.

Since the last time Austin Peay lost to Murray State, the Governors have had four head football coaches, two Athletic Directors, and five Athletics Communications staff members write the winning game recap. However, some things have not changed, like the nine now graduate students who will finish their collegiate career with a perfect 5-0 record against Murray State.

Elijah Brown, Baniko Harley, Kordell Jackson, Seth Johnson, Jack McDonald, Colby McKee, Isaiah Norman, Hunter Scholato, and Ahmaad Tanner have not just beat Murray State five times in their college football careers, they have outscored the Racers 198-74 in 20 quarters of football. This ennead of Govs have been even better when playing at Roy Stewart Stadium in Calloway County, Kentucky, where they have thrashed the Racers 116-20 in three games.

­­Not only have the nine graduate students beat the Racers five times, they have put together some career days when playing Murray State, so let's take a look back, we'll start with running back Ahmaad Tanner. Less than 72 hours ago, Tanner ran wild against the Racers and led the Govs to the seventh-best rushing performance in program history, racking up a career-best 148 yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns on 20 carries.

Then there is linebacker Jack McDonald, he is Austin Peay's leading tackler in each of the last two meetings with Murray State and forced a fumble in Saturday's game. Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Kordell Jackson has wreaked havoc against the Racers to the tune of 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass break ups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery that he returned two yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 42-7 rout in 2019.

Let's not forget about Isaiah Norman, the Memphis, Tennessee native has two career interceptions and both are against Murray State. Not only did Norman intercept a pass on a fake Murray State punt Saturday, he also made five tackles and had two quarterback hurries in his final outing against the Racers.

Wide receiver Baniko Harley hauled in 4 catches for 48 yards and a touchdown in his final game against Murray State. From a historical perspective, Harley's 35-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter was his first-ever score against the Racers and made him the fifth Austin Peay receiver to top the 2,000-yard mark and the third to catch 20 touchdowns in their career.

And then there are the guys you might have missed, like offensive line stalwarts Colby McKee and Seth Johnson, who have six career starts against the Racers between them. Tight end Elijah Brown has also a made a start against Murray State and hauled in 2 catches for 15 yards way back in the 2017 game. Finally, there's Hunter Scholato, who spent the early part of his career as a special teams stalwart, before picking up two tackles and his first career tackle for a loss against Murray State at Fortera Stadium in the spring 2021 matchup.

When you look at the 68-year history of the Austin Peay-Murray State football series, the Govs have only had two winning streaks of more than two games – five-straight from 1964-68 and the active five-game winning streak that started in 2017. This means that the nine men still playing from the 2017 class are now one of two classes of Austin Peay football that can claim they never lost to Murray State in their career.

To take things a step further, this group of nine is the only collection of Governors that can claim three wins on the Racers' home turf, because the 1964-68 streak only included two road wins.

But that's enough of me telling you about what this winning streak means, let's hear from all nine of the Austin Peay graduates that will finish their college football careers with a perfect 5-0 record against Murray State…

Elijah Brown… "It has been instilled in our culture from the moment that I stepped on campus that losing to Murray State is unacceptable."

Baniko Harley… "It's a great feeling knowing I will finish my college career never losing to Mu**ay State because of the rivalry that we have with them. As for what it meant for the team, it was a great feeling to pull off that win. We just needed that reminder that we are a team that works hard and continue to work hard on and off the field."

Kordell Jackson… "It means a lot especially with them being our rivals. It is also a sign that the program is trending in the right direction."

Seth Johnson… "It has been a blessing being a part of a program that has built a culture that so many people want to be apart now, when just a few years ago no one would have thought twice about us. There is no better way to finish wrapping up my career here than being 5-0 against Mu***y, our across state-line rivals! Couldn't have accomplished that without my brothers in the 2017 class." 

Jack McDonald… "To never lose to 'that team up north' is something that I will always wear with pride. Those games mean a lot to this university and because of that our class has taken playing in those games to heart. I'm thankful for the guys around me in my class and the classes in front of me who helped paved the way so we didn't have to ever lose to 'that team.'"

Colby McKee… "I believe our record against Murray State is a good visual for the level of play we have established here at Austin Peay. Refusing to lose to our school's rival shows our grit and determination to make a difference here."

Isaiah Norman… "To dominate our rivals our whole time here is an unexplainable feeling. It's like your little brother getting bigger and bigger every year but he still can't seem to beat big brother no matter how big he gets. It's something we take a lot of pride in because the one thing at Austin Peay that we made sure to do was to beat 'that team to the north," and we did it 5 times in a row. It's even sweeter when you go to their place and dominate them in their home. It's pretty safe to say that we have bragging rights for life now when it comes to our college rivals."

Hunter Scholato… "It means a lot to me and this team and to beat 'that team up north' 5 times in a row is a great feeling."

Ahmaad Tanner… "It means a lot to me because when I came in, it was known that this was a big rival. We talked before the game this past week about how we have never lost to them. We wanted to keep that streak alive."