GOVS-COLONELS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following No. 23 Austin Peay's 31-20 comeback win on Homecoming against No. 16 Eastern Kentucky at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay won the first-ever ASUN Conference football game.
• Austin Peay's 17-point deficit overcome was its largest since the same margin, also against Eastern Kentucky, in 2017. The previous largest deficit overcome for a win was an 18-point deficit against Tennessee State in 2011.
• The 11-point margin of victory was the second-most for Austin Peay in the series. 
• Austin Peay outscored Eastern Kentucky 28-0 in the second half.
• Austin Peay scored its first win on Homecoming against a ranked opponent since defeating No. 7 Middle Tennessee, 14-9, in 1981.
• Austin Peay ended a two-game losing streak on Homecoming and improved to 30-45-1 all-time.
• Austin Peay improved to 4-0 this season and 6-2 in the Scotty Walden era in September.
• The Governors improved to 2-0 all-time in Homecoming games when ranked.
• Austin Peay ended a streak of six-straight Homecoming losses against ranked opponents and improved to 3-6 all-time.
• Austin Peay won its fifth-straight home game. 
• The Governors won their fourth-straight conference game. 
• Austin Peay won its third-consecutive conference home game. 
• Saturday's attendance - 8,827 – was the third largest in Fortera Stadium history.
• Austin Peay has won six-consecutive afternoon games.
• The Governors have not allowed a second-half point against an FCS team this season.
• Austin Peay has not allowed a point in the third quarter in eight-straight games.
• Austin Peay surpassed 300 yards rushing for the second time this season, its first with multiple 300-yard games since four in 2017.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Trey Goodman, Kam Ruffin, Jalen Armstrong, and Chukwuemeka Manning Jr. took the coin toss for Austin Peay. Sam Howard, Josh Rudolph, Drae McCray, and Etahn Caselberry served as alternate captains for the Govs.
• Eastern Kentucky won the toss and deferred until the second half. Austin Peay elected to receive the opening kickoff.
• Austin Peay dropped to 3-2 at the opening coin toss this season.
• Weather in Clarksville at kickoff: 86, clear skies, winds west at 8 mph.

SERIES UPDATE                                           

• Austin Peay improved to 7-47 all-time against Eastern Kentucky.
• Austin Peay ended a three-game skid in the series in Clarksville.
• Austin Peay registered its largest win in the series since a 26-0 win in 1964.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay faced its first double-digit deficit since the fourth quarter of the season opener at Western Kentucky
• The Governor's 17-point halftime deficit was their largest this season and biggest in 14 games.
• Austin Peay's 17-point halftime deficit was the largest faced at intermission in an FCS game since trailing 35-7 at Eastern Illinois in 2018.
• Austin Peay's 17-point deficit was the largest faced at any point in an FCS game since trailing Montana State 24-3 in 2019. 
• The Governors failed to score a first-half touchdown for the first time in 11 games.
• The Governors improved to 1-1 this season and 2-4 in the Scotty Walden era when trailing at halftime.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Mike DiLiello's first-quarter interception was his first in 96 attempts and first since the second quarter of the season opener at Western Kentucky.
• Austin Peay failed to score a first-half offensive touchdown for the first time in eight games. 
• CJ Evans rushed 17 times for 83 yards.
• Jevon Jackson rushed 13 times for 53 yards.
• CJ Evans' 25-yard reception in the third quarter was his longest this season.
• Mike DiLiello compiled 353 yards of total offense.
• Mike DiLiello's career-high 181 rush yards are the most by a Division I quarterback this season and the 11th most in the FCS.
• Mike DiLiello's 181 rushing yards were the most by an Austin Peay quarterback in program history.
• Mike DiLiello's 158 rushing yards after halftime are the most in the second half and second most in a half in the FCS this year – his second-half total would've been the 19^th most in the FCS alone.
• Mike DiLiello's 39-yard run in the fourth quarter was a career-high.
• Mike DiLiello posted his third-career 100-yard rushing game but first as a Governor.
• Mike DiLiello is the first Austin Peay quarterback to rush for over 100 yards since JaVaughn Craig went for 164 at Sacramento State in 2019.
• Mike DiLiello is the first Austin Peay quarterback to rush for multiple touchdowns since JaVaughn Craig's two against Eastern Illinois in 2019.
• Mike DiLiello is the first Austin Peay player to rush for three touchdowns since Brian Snead against Tennessee State in 2020.
• Mike DiLiello's three rushing touchdowns are the second most for an Austin Peay quarterback in program history, one shy of JaVaugh Craig's four against Morehead State in 2017.
• Mike DiLiello tied a program record with three rushing touchdowns in a half, previously accomplished by Brian Snead in 2020 against Tennessee State.
• Mike DiLiello's three rushing touchdowns are tied for seventh most by an FCS quarterback this season.
• Mike DiLiello threw his 14th touchdown pass of the season, that is the seventh-best single-season mark in program history.
• Drae McCray caught his fifth touchdown of the season.
• Austin Peay outgained Eastern Kentucky 201-90 in the fourth quarter.
• The Governors outrushed the Colonels 160-(-2) in the fourth quarter.
• Austin Peay outgained Eastern Kentucky 306-176 in the second half.
• Austin Peay's 28 second-half points are its most since 28 against Murray State in 2021.
• Austin Peay improved to 7-0 since 2019 when scoring at least 28 second-half points.
• Austin Peay recorded season-highs in rushes (53) and rushing yards (322), the most in each category since 56 carries for 363 yards against Murray State in 2021.

DEFENSIVE STANDS                   

• Ethan Caselberry's first-quarter interception was his second-straight home game with a pick. It was his second of the season and fourth of his career.
• Austin Peay has recorded at least one interception in 10 of its last 11 games.
• The Governors' six interceptions lead the ASUN and are tied for third in the FCS.
• Austin Peay has forced a turnover in 12-straight games.
• The Governors' allowed an offensive touchdown for the first time in 14 quarters after giving up a score with 6:30 left in the second quarter.
• Austin Peay allowed its first offensive touchdown in 215:04 of game action.
• The Governors allowed an offensive touchdown at Fortera Stadium for the first time in 10 quarters.
• Austin Peay has allowed just seven points in the second half of its last four home games.
• Austin Peay has not allowed more than seven points in the second half of its last five home games.
• Austin Peay has allowed just 16 points in four FCS games this season (1 touchdown, 3 field goals) and is 4-0 in those contests.
• Kory Chapman recorded career-highs in total tackles (13) and solo tackles (9).

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Kellen Stewart had a season-long 28-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.
• Maddux Trujillo has made at least one field goal in 10 of the last 12 games after his 28-yarder in the first quarter.
• Matt Rigney averaged 41 yards on four punts.
• Kam Thomas' 41-yard punt return in the fourth quarter tied a career-high and was Austin Peay's longest of the season.

GOVS-COLONELS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Scotty Walden

Opening statement… "That ended up being a fun one. It didn't start out being a fun one at all, but I'm just so thankful and proud of this team. I can't speak highly enough to the grit and determination this team has. It makes me emotional because losing Kam Ruffin, who is a captain and leader for us, he's going to have surgery tonight. God bless him. We're praying for him, and to see our football team rally around him and rally at halftime was unbelievable. It's just the mark of the type of young men we have in that locker room. I could not be more proud of them. A year ago, I feel like we were not ready for that comeback win, but now, I think we've come to a place in our culture. We've come to a place of understanding the process and how the approach to games each week never changes, regardless if we play EKU, which is Top 25, or we play whoever, it doesn't matter. The approach is always the same, and I'm so proud of our guys buying into the two words we emphasize to them this week: opportunity and will."

On his mindset at halftime… "As a coach, you have to look at it like, 'is what we're calling – offense, defense – is it there, and are we close?' I know the score was 20-3, and I wasn't happy about that obviously, but I felt like we were that close. I felt like there were so many game-planned plays we had on them, that we were that close, whether it was the blitzes we were dialing up or it was a third down play on offense, I thought we were that close. I just stayed positive and told the staff, 'Hey, we're dang close. We just have to keep swinging the axe,' and that's what we did.

"I thought Coach Stanchek did an amazing job making some key changes at halftime. Getting the running game going is what made the difference."

On having the third largest crowd in Fortera Stadium history… "It was unreal. I appreciate Govs nation for coming out. I know that team out east in orange was playing today, and they could've traveled to Knoxville, but they didn't. They came here to the Fort. They filled that sucker up, and we felt that noise. You could always feel it on third downs. They were getting up and excited. I thought the atmosphere was electric. Our administration did a great job, and I appreciate our fan base. We love and appreciate you."

Austin Peay quarterback Mike DiLiello

On his rushing performance… "I have to give it to the guys up front. We don't (have any success) without them. EKU was (giving) up, I think, just over 100 yards per game, and we ran for over 300 on them. It was just a statement from the o-line and the running backs. Having me in the run game helped out a little bit, but I just have to give a shout-out to those guys up front. They should be getting all the praise."

On the running game in the second half… "Our gameplan really didn't change from the first half to the second half. We just weren't executing (in the first half). We weren't doing what we were supposed to do, me mostly. The grit this football team has, going into halftime down 20-3, and nobody's batting an eye. It doesn't matter. This team is relentless. 

"The defense shut them out in the second half, and we scored 28 unanswered points. We can't win that game without them.

"We started doing a lot of read-option stuff where I could read it, and it ended out working a lot for us. That was a thing they couldn't really stop, and once we started to tempo those guys, it was all she wrote." 

Austin Peay defensive back Ethan Caselberry

On the return of Shamari Simmons in the second half… "He's the heart and soul of the defense. Everyone saw the difference with him off the field versus on the field. Having him back out there providing veteran leadership, it made a big impact for us."

On the second-half adjustments… "We realized everything they got in the first half, we were giving to them. We didn't make any major adjustments. Having Shamari enter the game was big, but we knew they couldn't do anything to us (that we weren't prepared for)."