GOVS-TIGERS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's nonconference contest against Tennessee State, Saturday, at Fortera Stadium.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay dropped back-to-back games for the first time under head coach Scotty Walden.
• The Govs have fallen to back-to-back FCS opponents for the first time since losing to No. 11 Central Arkansas in the 2020 season opener and then Tennessee Tech in the 2021 spring Ohio Valley Conference opener.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Trey Goodman, Baniko Harley, Jau'von Young, Kordell Jackson, Jack McDonald, and Bucky Williams took the coin toss for Austin Peay.
• Tennessee State won the toss and elected to receive the kickoff. The Govs, who have not won the coin toss this season, are 2-3 when losing the toss this season.
• Weather in Clarksville at kickoff: 71, Overcast, Winds southeast at 6 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

• Austin Peay falls to 14-10 all-time against Tennessee State.
• The Governors are now 7-6 all-time against the Tigers in Clarksville.
• Austin Peay lost to Tennessee State in Clarksville for the first time since the 2016 season.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• The Govs are 0-2 this season and 1-2 under Walden when trailing at the half.
• Austin Peay is 0-3 this season and 1-3 with Walden at the helm when trailing at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay's offense was held scoreless in the first half for the first time under Walden.
• Brian Snead's 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was his fourth career rushing touchdown against Tennessee State – he has amassed 252 yards on those four scoring rushes.
• Snead's 66-yard touchdown makes him the second Governor to record a play of 50-plus yards this season. He joins Drae McCray, who has three 50-plus yard receptions.
• Baniko Harley's 16-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter gives him a receiving touchdown in five-straight games to start the season, matching the mark set by DeAngelo Wilson (2019) and Michael Farrell (1999-00).
• The Governors put points on the board on five of their nine second-half drives.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                                        

• Jack McDonald led the Govs in tackles for a second-straight week, racking up nine tackles – one shy of his season-high – and a tackle for loss.
• Kam Ruffin racked up a career-high eight tackles and a tackle for loss.
• Jau'von Young recorded a career-high six tackles.
• Demetri Scott picked his first his first career sack, dropping the Tennessee State quarterback 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
• Kordell Jackson made his first appearance since the Govs took on Ole Miss, he made two tackles and broke up a pass.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPRINTS

• Freshman Maddux Trujillo has made a field goal in each of the Govs first five games this season, matching Stephen Stansell's five-game streak from the 2009-10 seasons – that is the program's longest streak since 1996.
• Trujillo drilled a career-high three field goals, connecting from 25, 24, and 40 yards.
• Trujillo now has eight field-goals made in his first five games as a Governor, 13th-most in a single season.
• Matthew Rigney connected on a 60-yard punt in the first quarter, the last Governor to hit a 60-yard boot was Rigney against Jacksonville State (3/28/21)

GOVS-TIGERS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening Statement… "I am very disappointed in our loss tonight against a really good Tennessee State team. We knew on film that they are a very talented team. They have as good of athletes as anyone in the conference. We knew we would have to execute just like in any game… Everyone knows this game doesn't count in OVC standings, but they all count for us. I thought that we didn't deserve to win the game. We had too many miscues, missed executions and way too many times we did not line up in the right formation or didn't adjust to their formation and just critical mistakes that really hurt us. TSU gave us opportunities. They had a lot of false starts and penalties, and we just didn't capitalize. I take full responsibility and ownership as the head coach of this program, but we have to be better… We are not the underdog anymore. We are going to get everybody's best every single week."

On the Tennessee State defense… "There was honestly nothing schematically that they did that we felt was different. I just felt that we were playing jittery. We just were not playing poised. When you play offensive football, you have to play relaxed. You have to play with an intense focus, but you also have to play with a level of calmness. All 11 guys have to execute for us to move the ball on offense and we didn't do that. We had way too many three and outs. Everything we wanted was there and we just didn't execute."

On Brian Snead… That was a big-time play that he made tonight. We have been telling him that there is going to be one play that he springs and that came tonight in a big way. I'm proud of him and the way he plays each week to get him the play, whether it is on the perimeter or playing running back and handing the ball off. We will definitely continue to get him in the game plan. He was coming off an injury and it took him a while to get him back in the groove, but he is definitely back in the groove. This was the run that he needed tonight.  

Austin Peay linebacker Jack McDonald  

On the Tennessee State offense… "Tennessee State really has a dynamic offense. They can go into heavy personnel, hurry up and then a true spread offense. With that, there are so many checks that you have to prepare for against their offense. They are just really dynamic and have great athletes all around and it can be really difficult to defend that."

On facing Rodell Rahmaan… "The plays that were mishaps on our defense tonight were big plays. Credit to Rahmaan, he is a really good player. He is somebody that you have to know where he is at all times. It was our mishaps tonight happen to be big mishaps that we can't afford to do. We have to be better, get the ball on the ground and tackle better. We just can't have those breakdowns on defense."