GOVS-CARDINALS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 62-0 loss to Louisville in the 2024 season opener at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.

FROM THE TOP

• Jeff Faris made his head coaching debut and his debut as Austin Peay's 22^nd head football coach.

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Mason Garcia, Chandler Kirton, Hosea Knifeley Jr., and Harrison Wilkes took the coin toss for the Governors.
• Austin Peay won the toss and deferred its option until the second half, and Louisville elected to receive the opening kickoff.
• Austin Peay is 1-0 at the opening coin toss under head coach Jeff Faris.
• The Governors are 0-1 this season when they win the opening coin toss.
• Weather in Louisville at kickoff: 88 degrees, clear skies, winds south, southwest at three mph.

SERIES UPDATE            

• Austin Peay dropped its first-ever meeting against Louisville.
• The Governors fall to 0-3 all-time against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The Govs fall to 1-31 all-time against teams from the FBS.

HEAD COACHING DEBUTS

Austin Peay head coaches are now 8-15 all-time in their Governors debuts.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay falls to 0-1 this season when trailing at halftime.
• The Governors are 0-1 this season when trailing after three quarters.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Quarterbacks Mason Garcia and Austin Smith made their Austin Peay debuts under center.
• Garcia was 3-for-8 for 19 yards, and Smith was 11-for-16 for 53 yards.
• Jaden Barnes, Malik Bowen-Sims, and La'Vell Wright all led the Govs with three receptions.
• Barnes led the team with 30 receiving yards.
• Freshman wide receiver Jade Kneeland started in his collegiate debut and recorded one reception for 14 yards.
• Running backs La'Vell Wright, O'Shaan Allison, and Kaden Williams all had seven carries against the Cardinals.
• Wright led the Govs with 23 rushing yards, while Williams and Allison had 19 and five yards, respectively.

DEFENSIVE STANDS      

• Dorian Davis and Dion Hunter each recorded eight tackles to lead the team in their Austin Peay debuts.
• Hunter and Davion Hood each recorded a sack, while Bo Spearman and Trevor Hardy each added a tackle for loss.
• Tim Alderman and Sammy Anderson Jr. each had a pass breakup.

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Dominik Stadlman punted nine times for 372 yards, averaging 41.3 yards per kick.
• Stadlman had a long punt of 49 yards and had one kick downed inside the 20-yard line.
• Kaden Williams returned a kick for 16 yards – it was his first collegiate kick return.

GOVS-CARDINALS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris

Opening Statement… "I am proud of our players and the way that we fought. I trust our preparation. It took us a minute to get settled into the game, and we will learn from that. We just have to study the tape, grow, and be the most improved team in the country from Week 1 to Week 2."

On Austin Smith stepping in at QB… "We have a lot of confidence in Austin Smith. It was an unbelievable battle between them [him and Mason Garcia]. We feel like we have multiple guys that can play at a high level, and Austin showcased that today. Jake Johnson is another guy we have a lot of trust and belief in. Those guys do it every single day, and all three of them made each other better. Today was a testimony to Austin Smith's work, and it does not surprise us one bit."

On learning from today…  "When things did not go right, we stayed together. That is one positive takeaway I have from this game. There are a bunch of things that we'll fix on tape. We're going to dive into this game, study everything, and learn. Louisville is a quality ball club, but so are we. We need to do things to help ourselves out, but there are a ton of things that we can learn from this game."