GOVS-LIONS POSTGAME NOTES
Notes following Austin Peay's 38-35 win over North Alabama in ASUN Conference action at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama.
FROM THE TOP
- Austin Peay secured its second-straight winning regular season and its fourth in the last 10 seasons. It is the Govs third winning regular season in the last six years.
- Austin Peay trailed 14-0 for the first time this season before rallying with 31-unanswered points.
- Austin Peay won its third-straight game in the state of Alabama.
CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS
SERIES UPDATE
- Austin Peay improved to 7-13 all-time against North Alabama and 3-7 all-time in Florence, Alabama.
- The Govs picked up their first win in Florence since they beat the Lions, 13-6, in 1978.
THOSE ARE THE BREAKS
- The Governors improved to 5-0 this season and 13-3 under Walden when they lead at halftime.
- The Govs are 5-0 this season and 13-3 under Walden when leading after three quarters.
OFFENSIVE SPARKS
- Austin Peay rushed for 200-plus yards for the third-straight game and the sixth time this season.
- Mike DiLiello threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns; it was his third game with 300-plus yards and his fourth with three-plus touchdowns this season.
- DiLiello is the seventh quarterback in program history to pass for 2,000 yards in a season and his 2,096 passing ranks sixth in APSU history.
- DiLiello's 21 passing touchdowns are the third-best single-season mark in program history.
- Drae McCray caught his ninth touchdown of the season, which ties him for the ninth-best single-season mark in program history.
- McCray topped the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in the last 12 games with 106 yards, the Govs are 6-0 when he goes over the century mark.
- James Burns caught his fifth touchdown of the season, the Govs are undefeated when he finds the end zone.
- Kellen Stewart had two catches for a career-high 81 yards and a career-long 69-yard touchdown.
- CJ Evans Jr. led the Govs on the ground for the third time this season and the eighth time in his career with 87 yards and his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
- Jevon Jackson added 55 yards and his second rushing touchdown of the season.
- Josh Samuel rushed for 67 on eight carries, his best single-game total since the season opener at Western Kentucky.
DEFENSIVE STANDS
- Austin Peay's defense racked up 11 tackles for loss. It was the Governors second double-digit TFL game of the season, joining a 12 TFL game against Murray State.
- Austin Peay's defense allowed 260 yards on the ground, it was the first time an FCS team has rushed for 200 yards against the Govs during the Scotty Walden Era.
- UCA is the first team to rush for 200 yards against Austin Peay since Montana State recorded 279 rushing yards in the quarterfinals of the 2019 FCS Playoffs.
- Shamari Simmons led the Govs with 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, and a game-clinching interception on the final play.
- Antoine Williams added nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble.
- Demetries Ford recorded his 15th pass breakup of the season, his 16 passes defended is the third-best single-season mark in program history.
- Devin Smith racked up a career-best seven tackles and three pass breakups.
- Josh Rudolph had seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Kory Chapman posted six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.
- Kwame Sutton recorded six tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and a sack.
- Aaron Odom matched his career high with 2.0 tackles for loss to go along with a forced fumble.
SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS
- Maddux Trujillo connected on a 32-yard field goal, his tenth of the season, and joined Stephen Stansell and Tom McMillan as the only players in program history with multiple seasons of double-digit made field goals.
- Jaden Lyles became the second Governor to block a punt this season in the second quarter, he joins Antoine Williams, who blocked a punt against Presbyterian.
- Matt Rigney punted three times and posted a 40.3-yard average.
- Kam Thomas returned a pair of kicks for 40 yards.
- Riley Stephens kicked off seven times, posting a 60.6-yard average and three touchbacks.
GOVS-LIONS POSTGAME QUOTES
Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden
Opening statement… "I am really proud of our team. I think my blood pressure is raised tenfold and probably need to get a physical on Monday, but other than that we are all good. We're all good. Just an amazing performance by our guys. And I'll give credit where credit is due, UNA, to be in the situation they are in, give those guys a lot of credit for playing so hard and believing. That's always a deal, you have an interim coach, and that first game is always full of energy, and we knew they were going to fight and they were going to believe. And I am just really proud of our team, it's a hard-fought victory on the road. It's what you got to do late in the year, culture and execution beats people down the stretch and I thought that's what we had today. I thought we had great determination, great focus, and found a way to win, and at the end of the day that's what you have to do."
On coming back from down 14-0… "I think the biggest key to that, and we talked about it all week, is playing fast not frantic. I think our team our team did a great job not playing frantic or panicked and we trusted our training. You know, we have been just kind of echoing this message all week: trust our culture, trust our process, and trust who we are. I really felt like they came out 14-0 and I didn't feel like any panic on the sideline, everybody kept their poise and every person on the sideline was like, hey, we just need a spark here. And then the offense got going and got that touchdown, I think it really just gave our defense confidence. And then our defense started stoning them and our offense stayed in a rhythm. That middle portion [of the game] was really cool to see the complimentary football being played there."
Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray
On the Govs' offense… "I think in the first half, we just tried to get into a rhythm, and I just happened to be the guy that the plays were getting called for. We just tried to get in a rhythm and move the ball and use some tempo to get down the field. In the second half, the targets weren't there as much and that's fine. The touchdown that I scored was a play that we call every day in practice that we have been repping since the summer and the spring. So that's just something we do all the time. It was a routine play and Mike threw a great ball and I scored."
