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Austin Peay State University Athletics

Postgame Notes and Quotes: Govs at No. 12 UT Martin

October 30, 2021

By: Casey Crigger, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

GOVS-SKYHAWKS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 17-16 loss to No. 12 UT Martin, Saturday, at Hardy Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee.

FROM THE TOP

  • Koby Perry led the Governors with a career-high 16 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry, and a 75-yard pick six.
  • Austin Peay recorded its second and third pick-sixes of the season on Perry's 75-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter and Isaiah Norman's eight-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

  • Captains Troy Henderson Jr., Kordell Jackson, Jack McDonald, and Bucky Williams took the coin toss for Austin Peay.
  • Austin Peay lost the toss for the seventh time this season; UT Martin deferred to second half and the Govs elected to receive the opening kickoff.
  • Austin Peay is 3-4 this season and 5-4 under head coach Scotty Walden when losing the coin toss.  
  • Weather in Martin, Tennessee at kickoff: 57, Overcast, Winds northwest at 10 mph and gusting to 16 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

  • Austin Peay falls to 27-40-2 all-time against UT Martin.
  • The Govs fall to 11-19-1 in games played in Martin, Tennessee and have not won at Graham Stadium since 1994.
  • UT Martin has won the last two meetings with the Governors.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

  • Austin Peay falls to 3-2 this season and 5-3 under Walden when leading at halftime.
  • The Governors are now 3-1 this season and 5-3 under Walden when leading at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

  • Austin Peay rushed 42 times, that is their second-most rushing attempts in a game this season and the most rushes a team has attempted against UT Martin this season.
  • The Govs were held without an offensive touchdown for the first time since being shutout at Pittsburgh (9/12/20).
  • Sheldon Layman threw for 102 yards on 11 completions, beginning his collegiate career with back-to-back 100-yard passing games.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                   

  • Perry's 75-yard pick-six was his first interception as a Governor.
  • Norman's 8-yard pick-six was his second-consecutive game with an interception, after picking off a fake-punt attempt at Murray State last week.
  • The Governors recorded two pick-sixes in a single game for the first time since Kordell Jackson returned two interceptions for touchdowns at Mercer (9/14/19).
  • Perry recorded a career-best 16 tackles, that is the most tackles by a Gov this season and are the most since Gunnar Scholato recorded 17 tackles against Tennessee State (10/6/18).                     

SPECIAL TEAMS SPRINTS

  • Freshman kicker Maddux Trujillo connected on a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter, he has made a field goal in six-straight games to start his collegiate career after not attempting a field goal against Southeast Missouri or Murray State.
  • Matt Rigney punted six times for an average of 43.3 yards and a long of 48 yards, he also had three punts downed inside the 20-yard and two downed inside the five-yard line.

GOVS-SKYHAWKS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening Statement… "It's a heartbreaking loss. I don't know if I have ever been a part of a heartbreaker like that before. We just didn't play good enough to win in the second half. In the first half, the defense played lights out. I am really shocked by our offensive performance in the second half because I thought there were some plays that we were really close to breaking, but we didn't make that one guy miss or were just one cut or one block away… give UT Martin credit, they are a top-15 team in the country for a reason and weren't going to just let us sit there and pick them apart. They made a push in the second half and did a good job. I give them a ton of credit."

On not finding a rhythm… "We just couldn't get into a rhythm tonight. You saw the rhythm and pace we had last week. We hit a few deep throws last week and today UT Martin did a great job of staying on top of our routes. There were a few times where Sheldon [Layman] checked down or threw outside, they did a great job of taking away a deep shot on the play and forcing that checkdown."

On finishing the season … "I don't ever believe you are out of the fight, but two conference losses does make it unlikely that we can win the OVC. But at the end of the day, this program is not going to quit. Just because it would be a tough to win a championship does not mean that we are not going to prepare or play for our seniors. We are going to play for our seniors, our football team, our entire program and Clarksville. We have three quality opponents left... but all we are concerned with right now is Eastern Illinois and going 1-0 next week."

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