GOVS-CRIMSON TIDE POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 34-0 loss to No. 8 Alabama in its regular-season finale at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

FROM THE TOP

• Drae McCray recorded a career-best 12 receptions and his 92 receiving yards gave him 1,021 receiving yards this season. He is the fourth player in program history to top the 1,000-yard receiving yard mark in a season.
• 34 points are the fewest points the Governors have allowed against an FBS team since they fell to Miami (OH), 31-10, in 2017; it is also the fewest points the Govs have ever allowed against a team from the Southeastern Conference.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Demetries Ford, Josh Rudolph, Kory Chapman, and Ethan Caselberry served as captains for Austin Peay. Trey Goodman, Sam Howard, Drae McCray, and Jalen Armstrong were alternate captains.
• Alabama won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.
• Austin Peay lost the opening coin toss and fell 6-5 at the coin toss this season and 13-15 during the Scotty Walden Era.
• The Govs fall to 2-3 when they lose the coin toss this season and are 7-8 when they lose the toss under Walden.
• Weather in Tuscaloosa at kickoff: 48, overcast, winds east at 3 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

• Austin Peay dropped its first-ever game against Alabama.
• APSU falls to 0-7 against the SEC.
• Austin Peay lost in the state of Alabama for the first time this season, falling to 2-1 in the Yellowhammer State in 2022.
• The Govs fall to 27-53-4 all-time against teams from Alabama and 14-34-1 in games played in the state of Alabama.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay falls to 1-3 this season and 2-6 under Walden when trailing at the half.
• The Govs dropped to 1-4 this season and 2-8 under Walden when trailing after three quarters.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay's offensive line did not allow a sack for the first time since they beat No. 7 Jacksonville State, 13-10, on March 28, 2021.
• Austin Peay's offensive line held the Alabama defense without a sack, it was the first time since the Crimson Tide's season opener against Utah State (9/3/22) that they did not record a sack.
• McCray joins DeAngelo Wilson (1,564 yards; 2019), Lanis Frederick (1,101; 2006), and Vince Tweddell (1,033; 1998) as the fourth Governor to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
• Mike DiLiello passed for 147 yards and his 2,447 passing yards are the fourth-best single-season total in program history.
• DiLiello now has 2,893 yards of total offense this season, which is the second-best single-season mark in program history, behind only the 3,922 yards of total offense that JaVaughn Craig recorded during the 2019 season.
• Kellen Stewart recorded a career-high seven receptions.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                   

• Austin Peay's defense gained two turnovers and has six turnovers gained in its last two outings.
• Demetries Ford recorded a pass breakup and tied Corey Phillips' (2002) single-season APSU record with 19 passes defended.
• Ethan Caselberry (13 tackles), Shamari Simmons (12), Antoine Williams (10), and Kory Chapman (10) all recorded double-digit tackles. It was the first time since at least 2009 that four Governors recorded double-digit tackles in a game.
• Caselberry recorded a season-best 13 tackles, it was the first time he has led the Govs in tackles this season and was the best single-game mark since Antoine Williams had 14 tackles at Western Kentucky in the season opener.
• Simmons matched his career-high with 12 tackles, it was his second-straight game with a dozen stops.
• Chapman posted his second double-digit tackle game of the season.
• Williams recorded his third double-digit tackle game of the season.
• Simmons and Williams have each posted a team-leading three games with 10-plus tackles this season.
• Williams recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and now leads the Governors with 12.5 TFLs this season.
• Hosea Knifeley and Ford each recorded their first career sacks, Chapman posted his second sack of the season and has 3.5 in his career.
• Sam Howard added two tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss, it was his first career TFL.
• Cedarius Doss recorded his first-career interception, he is the sixth Gov with a pick this season.
• Simmons matched his season high with two pass breakups.
• Ford recorded his second career forced fumble (first at APSU) and recovered a fumble for the first time in his career.

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Ethan Myers recovered a fumble on a muffed punt, the Govs' special-teams unit has recovered a fumble on a muffed punt in back-to-back weeks.
• It was Myers' first-career fumble recovery.
• Kam Thomas returned four kicks for 74 yards with a long of 23 yards, that is his best single-game total when he does not return a kick for a touchdown.
• Stewart returned one kick and posted a career-best 30-yard return.
• Matt Rigney punted six times for an average of 40.5 yards and matched his season-long with a 57 yards punt.
• Rigney had one kick downed inside the 20-yard line.
• Riley Stephens kicked off once and landed a 65-yard boot in the endzone.

GOVS-CRIMSON TIDE POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening statement… "We know that we competed with these guys. If you watch the whole game, you saw a team that is competing to win. We did not come here to keep it close, we came here to win the game and, while we didn't win, I thought that the process was good. The defense was flying around and getting takeaways, the offense moved the ball up and down the field… For the most part, we moved the ball and just could not finish drives in the red zone and that is on me, I have to have better play calls down there to get us in position. At the end of the day, our kids competed, and I could not ask for more. There should not be one person in our program hanging their head because we are making strides as a program."

On the defense… "It was a phenomenal effort by our defense. They played so hard. Special teams gave us a big boost after our first drive where we got a fumble recovery outside the red zone and then the defense had a big strip fumble on Alabama's following series. It was an amazing performance by those guys. They played their hearts out against an Alabama team that averages over 40 points a game, and over against FCS opponents. To hold them to 34 points shows the toughness of our defense."

On the FCS playoffs… "I hope and pray that this is not our last time getting to be together. I want a better sense of closure with them. If you are a committee member and you watched that game, I do not know how you could not want us in the playoffs. We have the resume for it, and we went out against one of the best teams in America and went toe-to-toe with them and did a great job competing to win against them as opposed to just going through the motions. I am proud of this team and do not want to see them stop playing and I know they do not want to stop playing either."

Austin Peay wide receiver, Drae McCray

On playing Alabama… "My mindset going into this one was the same as any other game. They are humans just like we are and get dressed just like we do. We treated this like any other game. When you start thinking about 'we are playing this team, or that team,' you start doing things that you normally would not do, so I just tried to focus on what I normally do on a week-by-week and day-by-day basis."

On reaching 1000 receiving yards… "I knew I was close [to 1000 yards], but I came into this game just wanting to win and doing whatever I needed to do to help us win. Whether that was me catching 15 balls or blocking, I was just trying to find a way to help us win."

Austin Peay defensive back, Ethan Casselberry

On what makes the defense special… "We are so close. We know where everyone is supposed to be and we know that everyone has that 'want to' to get to the ball, make tackles and wrap the other team up and that is what makes this a special group. We have a lot of effort and a relentless attitude."

On the defense's mindset… "We were not going to change what we have been doing all year just because we were facing Alabama. At the end of the day, we were still going to be the Austin Peay we have been and stay true to us."

On the FCS playoffs… "I hope [the selection committee] saw what we can do and that they put us in. They want to see some more Austin Peay football and I hope today was a good enough statement to where they say 'okay, we want to see these guys in the playoffs and see what they can do."