GOVS-WOLVES POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 20-16 win over West Georgia in United Athletic Conference action at University Stadium in Carrollton, Georgia.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay picked up its first United Athletic Conference win of the season and the first of the Jeff Faris Era.
• Head coach Jeff Faris picked up his first-career road win.
• The Governors rushed for 205 yards, their third-straight game with 200-plus rushing yards.
• The Govs held West Georgia to just 76 rushing yards; it was the second time this season the defense has held their opponent under 100 yards on the ground.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Garrett Hawkins, Chandler Kirton, and Harrison Wilkes took the coin toss for the Governors.
• West Georgia won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening coin toss.
• Austin Peay drops to 4-2 at the opening coin toss this season.
• The Governors are 1-1 this season when they lose the opening coin toss.
• Weather in Carrollton at kickoff: 81 degrees, clear skies, winds east at 6 mph.

SERIES UPDATE            

• Austin Peay improved to 1-0 all-time against West Georgia, winning the first game in series history against the UAC's newest member.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay improved to 2-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• The Governors improved to 2-1 this season when leading at the end of the third quarter.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay's offense has rushed for 200-plus yards in three-straight games for the first time since running for 200-plus in six-straight games during the 2023 season.
• O'Shaan Allison led the Govs on the ground with a season-best 91 yards on 15 carries.
• Austin Smith rushed for 36 yards and a 15-yard touchdown – his second rushing score of the season.
• Courtland Simmons carried the ball three times for 11 yards and scored his first-career touchdown on a four-yard carry.
• Corey Richardson had eight carries for 45 yards, and Kaden Williams had seven carries for 21 yards.
• Smith completed 13 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
• Alec Pell had two catches for two yards and a two-yard touchdown reception; he has a receiving touchdown in back-to-back contests.
• Romon Copeland Jr. led the Govs with four receptions for 44 yards, while Jaden Barnes had three catches for a team-leading 56 yards.

DEFENSIVE STANDS      

• The Govs' defense held West Georgia to a season-low 76 rushing yards.
• The Governors' defense held their opponent under 100 rushing yards for the second time this season. Previously, they limited Alabama A&M (Sept. 21) to 57 rushing yards.
• Austin Peay matched its season high with three sacks.
• The Governors recorded six tackles for loss, their best single-game mark since totaling 10.0 TFLs at Central Arkansas (Sept. 14).
• Austin Peay held West Georgia to 4-of-15 (.267) on third-down conversions.
• The Govs also limited UWG to 1-of-3 on fourth-down conversions.
• Dion Hunter led the Govs in tackles for the third-straight game with nine stops.
• Keith Gallmon Jr. and Za'Heir Barnes-Vaughn each had a season-best six tackles.
• Marquez Casey had three tackles and led the Govs with 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Bo Spearman totaled five tackles and his second sack of the season.
• Davion Blackwell had three tackles and recorded his first sack as a Governor.
• Jakari Patterson and Garrett Hawkins each had a tackle for loss, while Dorian Davis shared a TFL for his first stop behind the line of scrimmage this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Romon Copeland Jr. returned one kick for 30 yards and one punt for two yards.
• Dominik Stadlman punted seven times for a 40.9-yard average with a long of 52 yards and four kicks downed inside the 20-yard line.
• Carson Smith kicked off four times and recorded four touchbacks.
• Smith missed his lone field goal attempt from 53 yards out; he is now 4-7 on the season and is 0-1 from 50-plus yards.

GOVS-WOLVES POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris

Opening Statement… "I could not be more proud of our players. Early in the year, we did not get the outcomes we wanted, but you would never know that if you came to one of our practices with the way that we work. Our team played united today: offense, defense, and special teams. We all blended together. When the offense made a play, the defense was the most excited. When the defense made a big play, every man on the offense was fired up. I am so proud of how we came together as a team to get a very, very tough win on the road. It took a lot of toughness and resiliency, and I love our team."

On the running backs stepping up… "The stat line shows it. Courtland Simmons scored the big touchdown. He is probably fifth on our team in carries, but he was ready. He came in for a quarterback run and had a nice finish to his run on the goal line. It is a credit to the job they do in preparing and how they work. Every day we have a competition in practice. Just because you are not a La'Vell Wright, those guys still push each other, and we knew it was going to take all of them to be at our very best. I gave all the credit to O'Shaan Allison for being a great leader today, for how hard and physical he ran, and for the job that Corey Richardson, Kaden Williams, and Courtland did. It was an unbelievable job."

On third and fourth-down efficiency… "We were not only 7-of-17 on third down, but also 2-of-2 on fourth down. We called some of those third downs, knowing that we were in a territory to where, if it got to a fourth-and-short, that we were going to go for it. The credit goes to the offensive line and the way that we have the confidence in them in any short-yardage situation to hand the football off. We talked about it on the goal line to push your man beyond the sticks and drive them, so they deserve all the credit."

Austin Peay quarterback Austin Smith  

On his rushing ability… "It opens up a lot for the offense. Instead of just the running the ball or us throwing deep, it puts the pressure on a lot of defenses to have to guard a lot of other things. I have to continue to do a better job of that and taking what the defense gives me. I made it a point to put the team on my back, and I knew with that, I would have to use my legs."

On his fourth-quarter touchdown to Alec Pell… "It is mainly just trust from the coaches to the players. We got the play, and I knew I had the option to hand it off, throw it, or run it in myself based on what the defense did. I trusted Alec to make a play, and he made a heck of a catch for us. It all just comes down to trusting the coaches that I will make the right read and that us as players are going to execute."

Austin Peay running back O'Shaan Allison  

On today's rushing attack… "We are a very tight group. We all know that we can contribute to wins. Everyone is always ready. We fully believe in every single one of these guys all the way from first string to seventh string. They can all go out there and do damage. Another thing that helps with that is being connected outside of football itself. That contributes to the trust we have for them on the field."

On the recent running success… "It is all about trusting our offensive linemen and their techniques. At first, things were a little shaky, but through trusting our guys and knowing that they will execute their assignments and running the plays in how they were designed, I feel like that is what gave us a better time running the ball today.