GOVS-MOCS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's season-opening victory against Chattanooga, Thursday, at Finley Stadium.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay won its third-straight game, each coming against an FCS Top 25 opponent.
• It was the Governors first-ever victory against Chattanooga in the seventh meeting between the teams.
• Austin Peay won as a Top 25 team for the first time since the 2019 FCS playoffs. It was the program's 10th win all-time as a Top 25 ranked team.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Draylen Ellis, Bucky Williams, Jack McDonald and Kordell Jackson made their first appearance as the Governors season-long captains.
• Chattanooga won the toss and deferred. Austin Peay elected to receive the kickoff. (1-0 when losing the toss)
• Weather in Chattanooga at kickoff: 81, Clear, Winds NE 7.  

SEASON OPENING NOTES

• Austin Peay improved to 28-55 all-time in season openers.
• The Governors won their third season opener since the 2010 season (2010 and 2019 were the other season-opening wins).

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay led at halftime (16-14) for the fourth time during the Scotty Walden era and improved to 3-1 when leading at the half.
• The Governors led 23-20 at the end of the third quarter, the fifth time they have led after three quarters under Walden and they improved to 3-2 when leading after three quarters.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Baniko Harley had 109 yards at halftime, the first 100-yard outing by a Governors receiver since DeAngelo Wilson's 118 yards at Jacksonville State last season. He finished the game with 137 yards on six receptions.
• Harley's lone touchdown reception leveled the score in the first quarter, as he tiptoed along the sideline to nab a 35-yard touchdown throw from Draylen Ellis. It was Harley's 15th career touchdown reception and Ellis' 15th career touchdown pass.
• DJ Render caught his first collegiate touchdown – a 30-yard catch and dash from Draylen Ellis. The touchdown took advantage of a 10-man Chattanooga defense as they had a man off the field when the snap occurred.
• Drae McCray also nabbed his first collegiate touchdown with a beautiful snag in the far corner from 8-yards out late in the third quarter (but it was really a 17-yard reception, nine yards deep in the end zone).
• Ahmaad Tanner crossed the 100-yard mark late in the fourth quarter thanks to a 72-yard fourth-quarter performance. He finished with 103 yards.
• Tanner has back-to-back 100-yard performances after ending the spring 2020 season with 122 yards against Murray State.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                                        

• Johnathon Edwards grabbed the Governors first turnover of the season with an interception along the sideline that needed an official review to make real. (It was ruled out of bounds originally).
• Edwards sealed the victory with his second interception on a 3rd-and-21 with 5:27 left in the game.
• Edwards' four career picks have all come against FCS ranked opponents.
• Kordell Jackson notched his first tackle for loss with a sack of Chattanooga's quarterback in the second quarter. He led the Govs with eight tackles and two tackles for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPRINTS

• Kam Thomas broke through for a 60-yard kickoff return after the Chattanooga touchdown in the first quarter. It was the longest kick return since Kyran Moore's 91-yard return for a touchdown against UCF in 2017.
• Maddux Trujillo connected on his first collegiate field goal – a 33-yarder that gave the Govs a 16-14 lead late in the second quarter.

GOVS-MOCS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening Statement: "First, I just want to thank Govs Nation. We had a sea of red on that visitors side over there. Y'all came out and supported and our alumni and administration… one of the first guys on the field was President [Dr. Michael] Licari. Just the atmosphere was huge for us and helped our kids out so much. I'm so dang proud of our team right now."

On Draylen Ellis: "He's grown up before our eyes. The guy stays steadying the boat. For such a young quarterback, he doesn't get rattled. He's a joy, he's fun to work with, and great job by our receivers and our line blocking for him tonight."

On Drae McCray: "This young man has got a bright future. You saw the speed he's got. He's a 4.0 student and an incredible athlete. He's a guy I've been trying not to talk about a lot because I think he's pretty good and we think he's going to make a lot of plays for us."

On the late-game defense: "Great coaches make adjustments, and Coach [Chris] Kappas is one of the best in the game. He made those adjustments with his staff. Kordell Jackson played with his hair on fire in the second half, and Johnathon Edwards… everybody saw those two interceptions tonight, but they were made in the summer. This guy came to work every day, he got voted onto the Unity Council, and this guy has really stepped up as a leader for us. You saw the by-product of that tonight. I'm so proud of our defense for fighting and committing to stop the run in the second half. Our defense did a great job, coaches and players."

Austin Peay Defensive Back Johnathon Edwards

On making Chattanooga's Arnold uncomfortable: "We knew they were a heavy run team, and they take their shots downfield. We trusted our line to do the job they normally do, and we knew they would test us on the back end."

On his performance: "It feels good, but the win always feels better. We came into the game knowing we had an opportunity to make plays. Our offense gives us the best look we'll ever see in practice, and they helped us prepare coming into this game."

On the Turnover Vest: "Stone Cold [Steve Austin] we look at him as a blue-collar guy, a hard worker. Coach Kappas feels like that's the foundation of our defense, because we're blue-collar, hard-working, grind out for everything we get. He came up with the vest and we bought into it."

Austin Peay wide receiver Baniko Harley

On breaking the game open: "Shout out to the o-line and Ahmaad [Tanner]. He took over He told us to feed him the ball and he got vertical upfield."

On his second-quarter circus catch: "I stayed focused, kept my eyes on the ball. I didn't even know I was double-covered until after the catch."