GOVS-REDHAWKS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's Ohio Valley Conference opener against Southeast Missouri, Saturday, at Fortera Stadium.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay lost its second-straight Homecoming contest and falls to 29-45-1 in Homecoming games.
• The Govs have lost three-straight games for the first time under head coach Scotty Walden and for the first time since a six-game losing streak (Dec. 14, 2019 to Feb. 21, 2021).

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Baniko Harley, Kordell Jackson, Jack McDonald, Devin Smith, Joe Ware, and Bucky Williams took the coin toss for Austin Peay.
• Austin Peay won the toss for the first time this season and elected to receive the kickoff. The Govs are 0-1 when winning the toss this season.
• Weather in Clarksville at kickoff: 84, Clear, Winds south at 13 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

• Austin Peay falls to 9-17 all-time against Southeast Missouri.
• The Govs are now 4-10 all-time against the Redhawks in Clarksville.
• Southeast Missouri ended a two-game Austin Peay winning in the series.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay is 0-3 this season and 1-3 under Walden when trailing at the break.
• The Governors are 0-4 this season and 1-4 under Walden when trailing at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay's 85-yard drive that was capped with an Ahmaad Tanner touchdown run in the first quarter was the Govs third 80-plus yard scoring drive this season, joining an 86-yard drive at Chattanooga and an 80-yard drive at Ole Miss.
• Tanner's 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter marked the second-straight week the Govs have ran for a touchdown of 50-plus yards (Brian Snead, 66 yards vs. Tennessee State)
• Tanner is the third Gov to record a play of 50-plus yards this season, joining Snead and freshman wide receiver Drae McCray.
• Tanner's 53-yard touchdown run also is the longest run of his career, besting a 52-yard run in his freshman season against Tennessee Tech (11/4/2017).
• Tanner's two rushing touchdowns moves him into a tie with Terrence Holt for the fifth-best mark in program history with 23 scores on the ground.
• Tanner's 25 career touchdowns ties him with his former teammate DeAngelo Wilson for the seventh-most TDs in school history.
• With 86 receiving yards, Baniko Harley is 24 yards away from becoming the third Governors receiver ever to record 2,000 receiving yards.
• DJ Render led the Govs in catches and receiving yards for the first time in his career with a career-best 11 catches for 89 yards.
• Geordon Pollard made three catches for 38 yards – his first catches of the season.
• Quarterback Draylen Ellis was held without a passing  touchdown for the second time in his career, the only other time he did not throw a touchdown was against Tennessee State on Feb. 28, 2021.
• Ellis has attempted 50-plus passes in each of the last three games.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                                        

• Kordell Jackson made his first start since Week 2 at Ole Miss, Sept. 11, and racked up a career-high 12 tackles – that is the best single-game mark by a Gov this season and the best single-game total since Jack McDonald made 13 tackles at Southeast Missouri, March 14.
• Jackson also led the Governors with a sack.
• Jack McDonald also picked up 10 tackles, he and Jackson are the first Austin Peay duo to record double-digit tackles in a single game since Shamari Simmons and Koby Perry did it at Ole Miss, Sept. 11.
• Terrell Allen recorded a team-best 1.5 tackles for loss, he was one of seven Govs to record a TFL in the contest.  
• Junior Darryl Rogan made his first career start and made a career-best nine tackles.
• Johnathon Edwards and Koby Perry both recorded nine tackles.
• Edwards also picked off his fourth pass of the season and the fifth of his career.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPRINTS

• Damion Barber was credited with the Govs first blocked PAT kick since Derrick James against Morehead State in 2017.
• Matt Rigney averaged 49 yards per punt on three kicks, including a 55-yard boot – it is the second-straight week he has averaged over 45 yards per punt.
• Maddux Trujillo's streak of games with a field goal made did not come to an end because he did not attempt a field goal against the Redhawks.

GOVS-REDHAWKS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening Statement… "I am obviously very disappointed. I love our football team, but for us to win that game, we have to execute better. I know we said that last week and it was an emphasis all week too. It's going to be good to get a bye week to slow down and figure out where the issues are coming from… Our practices are best characterized as a mental slump more than anything. We are in a slump; we've lost three straight. I try to analyze everything in our practices and meetings and all the guys are tuned in. We have great leadership, but we cannot put our defense in terrible situations."

On the Govs offense… "Our offense had a penalty every single drive and you cannot play that sort of football and expect to win. We had way too many third and longs. The running game got going early. I feel the turnovers in the second half are just where we were trying to do too much to make a play. In the first half, we just didn't execute on offense – we had some key drops and false starts and those are drive killers. There are no excuses for that."

Austin Peay linebacker Jack McDonald

On the Southeast Missouri Offense…. "Their offense is known for running the ball. They are a great team upfront. It starts in the trenches for them. We had to trust our game planning when it came to our defense. Coach Kappas was putting in the right calls. We had to trust the training that we were taught because they are a good team offensively and we knew that going into this one. We knew we were going to have to stop the run and no matter what situations we were put in that we were going to have to take out their run. The game falls back on us. As a whole defense, I am proud of the effort we gave tonight."

On the Govs miscues… "It came down to us doing the little things. We had small miscues during drives where we could have gotten off the field on third down and that has to be an emphasis for us… No matter how close we were, we did not get the ball on the ground when we needed to and that is what ended up hurting us."

On the Govs defense… "No matter where we are put and what situations we are in, we should stop them. That is something I love about this defense. You can put the ball down at the one-yard line and we have the mindset of 'We are going to stop you. Keep trying us.' We are all close-knit on the defensive side of the ball and that is what makes us so good. We are all going to hunt towards the football, which has been a big thing for us. The loss is not disheartening. We wish we could get certain things back, but we've just got to learn from it and move on."