A 28-yard Ahmaad Tanner run on the final play of the first quarter at Roy Kidd Stadium, Saturday, not only gave Austin Peay a first-and-goal on the Eastern Kentucky two-yard line, it made the Governors' graduate senior running back the ninth player in program history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.

A few drives later, Tanner rushed for the 20th touchdown of his career – making him the sixth Gov to run for 20 touchdowns – passing his former teammate JaVaughn Craig for sole possession of sixth all-time. In the fourth quarter, Tanner punched in the 21st touchdown of his career, moving within two touchdowns of Terrence Holt for fifth in Austin Peay history.

"It's a blessing to be mentioned with the guys that have done it before me," said Tanner. "I am thankful to this university for taking a chance on me when no one else did. It means a lot to reach this mark in my career."

For almost all of the history and milestones during his time in Clarksville, Tanner has been penciled in as the second-string running back (RB2 for short) on Austin Peay's two deep. In 48 career games, Tanner has been listed as the Governors' RB2 31 times, he has only been listed as the starter 15 times and twice he hasn't even appeared on the pregame two-deep.

A place on the two-deep doesn't always accurately reflect who gets the start or the majority of the touches, but Tanner's residency in the RB2 position shows all of the talented tailbacks that he has shared the backfield with at Austin Peay. Tanner has split carries with guys like Kentel Williams and Prince Momodu and when he wasn't battling for playing time, he learned from the two elder running backs who sat in front of him on the depth chart.

"I have learned a lot from both [Williams and Momodu]," Tanner said. "When I first got to Austin Peay, both of those guys took me in and taught me to prepare. They helped me on and off the field, whether it was something with football or just talking outside of football about life. We still communicate today and they are my teammates that turned to my brothers over time."

Even with all of the other offensive weapons around him outside of the backfield – guys like Prince Momodu, Baniko Harley, Jeremiah Oatsvall, and Craig – Tanner always remined a steady option out of the backfield for the Govs, but every once and a while you would get an "Ahmaad Tanner Game." First dubbed such on the PeayCast, an "Ahmaad Tanner Game" was one of the two or three games each year where Tanner would explode and carry the Govs offense.

For example, Tanner closed his freshman season with touchdowns in six-straight games, but a few outings stand above the rest – 104 rushing yards at Tennessee Tech, 131 all-purpose yards at Eastern Kentucky, and 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. Arguably the best of the "Ahmaad Tanner Games" came in 2019 when the Governors beat No. 20 Southeast Missouri at Fortera Stadium, with Tanner rushing for two touchdowns and 76 yards while adding another touchdown and 23 yards through the air.

"I wanted to go in and not let there be a drop off from how those guys played before me," said Tanner on playing behind Williams and Momodu. "They always played well and I wanted to compete in the same way they did, if not better."

It looked as though Tanner's days at RB2 had come to an end at the start of the spring 2021 season when he was listed as Austin Peay's starter in the first two of five spring games. To quote Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend," Tanner was moved back to RB2 for the final three games of the spring and you can guess what happened next – a rushing touchdown in three-straight games, 105 yards against UT Martin, and a career-high 122 yards at Murray State.

Now in his fifth year in Clarksville, Tanner has outgrown the RB2 role and has rightfully assumed the spot at the top of Austin Peay's running back depth chart. With his ascension to the top of the depth chart, the "Ahmaad Tanner Game" has essentially become an every week occurrence in Scotty Walden's offense. The Dalton, Georgia native rushed for 104 yards and caught a touchdown in the season opener at Chattanooga, he rushed for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Morehead State, and then racked up 99 yards and another two touchdowns at Eastern Kentucky.

The Governors have seven regular-season games and hopefully a few FCS Playoff games left this season. With a few more a "Ahmaad Tanner Games," Tanner has a chance to put himself into an even rarer air in Austin Peay football record books, he needs nine more rushing touchdowns to become just the third player to run for 30 in a career and he needs 415 yards to become the seventh player to rush for 2,500 yards – pretty good for ole RB2.