LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Austin Peay State University's football team dropped its 2024 season opener to Louisville, 62-0, Saturday at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Louisville (1-0) was led by a balanced offensive attack, with the Cardinals passing for 278 yards and rushing for 293. The Cardinals' defense held Austin Peay (0-1) to 106 yards of total offense.

Austin Peay made its lone trip into Louisville territory midway through the second quarter, but was unable to capitalize on the field position with the drive resulting in one of the Govs' 11 punts on the afternoon. 

Quarterback Austin Smith, who entered late in the second quarter when starter Mason Garcia went down, went 11-of-16 with 53 yards passing for Austin Peay in his first game as a Gov. La'Vell Wright led the Govs in rushing with 23 yards on seven carries, while Jaden Barnes paced the team with 30 receiving yards on a trio of receptions.

Defensively, Dorian Davis and Dion Hunter paced APSU with eight tackles each.

Louisville was led through the air by Tyler Shough, who went 18-of-24 for 232 yards and four touchdowns. Ja'Corey Brooks led all UL receivers with 83 yards on seven receptions, while Jadon Thompson led the team with two touchdowns. Isaac Brown led Louisville's ground attack with 123 yards on five carries and was one of three Cardinals to record a rushing touchdown.

Up next, Austin Peay returns to Fortera Stadium for the first time with head coach Jeff Faris at the helm when it takes on Southern Illinois at 6 p.m., Sept. 7 in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Week 2 battle between the Governors and Salukis, as well as all seven home games at Fortera Stadium this season, will be streamed on ESPN+.

Scoring Summary

APSU 0, UL 3 – 7 plays, 62 yards, 4:12
Louisville took over on their 25 and opened the game with a 21-yard rush by Maurice Turner. Following the run, the Cardinals took to the air, combining for 35 yards on back-to-back completions and advancing to the APSU 19-yard line. Bo Spearman momentarily pushed Louisville out of the redzone, tackling Turner for a loss of two yards, but the loss was followed by an eight-yard pass by Cardinals' quarterback Tyler Shough to Ja'Corey Brooks on 3rd & 12. Louisville capped off the drive with a 30-yard field goal to record the day's first points.

APSU 0, UL 10 – 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:36
After an Austin Peay three-and-out, Louisville's second offensive drive was an aerial attack, as all five plays came through the air. Tyler Shough went 3-of-5 for 33 yards on the drive, which was capped off by a nine-yard touchdown grab in the endzone by Ja'Corey Brooks.

APSU 0, UL 17 – 9 plays, 54 yards, 5:07
Louisville took over on its own 46 following a 21-yard punt by the Govs. UL began its third drive with a trio of runs totaling 22 yards before going to the air for eight and nine-yard pickups. The Cardinals found paydirt on the first play of the second quarter on a four-yard rush by Keyjuan Brown.

APSU 0, UL 24 – 5 plays, 90 yards, 1:56
A 36-yard run by running back Isaac Brown began a five-play, 90-yard drive by the Cardinals. An incomplete pass was followed by a 20-yard connection from Tyler Shough to Ja'Corey Brooks and a one-yard rush by Isaac Brown. Following Brown's run, Shough connected with Jadon Thomason down the sideline for a 33-yard score.

APSU 0, UL 31 – 3 plays, 35 yards, 1:27
Louisville took over at the Governors' 35-yard line following a blocked punt. It took just three plays for Tyler Shough to connect with tight end Mark Redman in the back of the endzone from 21 yards out.

APSU 0, UL 38 – 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:15
An Austin Smith interception gave Louisville the ball on Austin Peay's 13-yard line. After an eight-yard reception by Turner, Tyler Shough connected with Jadon Thompson in the end zone for the second time.

APSU 0, UL 45 – 1 play, 77 yards, 0:15
The Cardinals took just one play – a 77-yard rush by Isaac Brown – to find the end zone for Louisville's second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

APSU 0, UL 52 – 1 play, 22 yards, 0:08 
A strip-sack resulted in a 22-yard scoop-and-score for the Cardinal's Ramon Puryear.

APSU 0, UL 59 – 3 plays, 24 yards, 1:12
Louisville again blocked a punt to start deep in Governors' territory. The Cardinals handed the ball to Duke Watson on all three plays of the drive, with the running back barreling in from seven yards out.

APSU 0, UL 62 – 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:53
Louisville quarterback Harrison Bailey went 6-for-6 through the air as the Cardinals drove 59 yards to set up a 38-yard field goal.

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