GOVS-BULLDOGS POSTGAME NOTES

Notes following Austin Peay's 59-16 win over Alabama A&M at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.

FROM THE TOP

• Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris picked up his first-career win and his first win as a Governor.
• Austin Peay scored a defensive, offensive, and special teams touchdown in the first quarter.
• Running back La'Vell Wright rushed eight times for 142 yards and three touchdowns, he is the first Governor to rush for three scores in a game since Mike DiLiello against Eastern Kentucky (9/24/22)
• Romon Copeland Jr. returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, which is tied for the third-longest punt return in Austin Peay history.  

CAPTAINS/COIN TOSS

• Captains Garrett Hawkins, Chandler Kirton, Hosea Knifeley Jr., and Harrison Wilkes took the coin toss for the Governors.
• Austin Peay won the coin toss and deferred its option until the second half. Alabama A&M elected the receive the opening kickoff.
• Austin Peay improved to 3-1 at the opening coin toss this season.
• The Governors improved to 1-2 this season when winning the coin toss.
• Weather in Clarksville at kickoff: 87 degrees, partly cloudy, winds southwest at 8 mph.

SERIES UPDATE            

• Austin Peay has won back-to-back games against Alabama A&M to improve to 2-0 in the all-time series.

THOSE ARE THE BREAKS

• Austin Peay improved to 1-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• The Govs are 1-0 this season when leading after the third quarter.

DEFEND THE FORT

• Austin Peay improved to 29-14 (.674) at Fortera Stadium since the start of the 2017 season.

OFFENSIVE SPARKS

• Austin Peay rushed for 331 yards, the best single-game total since rushing for 363 yards against Murray State (10/23/21).
• The Govs 331 yards on the ground are the 15th-best single-game total in the FCS this season.
• The Govs rushed for five touchdowns for the first time since they ran for five scores against Murray State (10/23/21).
• Austin Peay ran the ball 49 times, the most since they rushed 55 times against Utah Tech (11/11/23).
• The Governors' 59 points are the most since they totaled 63 points against ETSU (9/16/23).
• The Govs' six offensive touchdowns are their most since scoring six against North Alabama (10/28/23).
• The Governors' 445 offensive yards are the best single-game total since posting 494 yards of total offense against Utah Tech (11/11/23).
• Running backs La'Vell Wright and Corey Richardson rushed for 142 and 102 yards, respectively, they are the first Governors duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Jevon Jackson (167) and CJ Evans Jr. (104) against Presbyterian (10/21/23).
• Wright averaged 17.8 yards per carry, Richardson averaged 11.3 yards per carry, and the Governors averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a team.
• Wright rushed for touchdowns of 53 and 67 yards, he is the first Governor with multiple 50-plus yard rushing touchdowns since Brian Sneed ran for 75 and 67-yard touchdowns in a three-touchdown performance against Tennessee State (2/28/21).
• Wright's three rushing touchdowns are tied for the fourth-most in a single-game in the FCS this season.
• Richardson is the first Austin Peay freshman to rush for 100-plus yards in a game since Jevon Jackson had 167 yards against Presbyterian (9/3/22) as a redshirt freshman. He is the first true freshman to top the 100-yard mark since Ahmaad Tanner ran for 104 yards at Tennessee Tech (11/4/17).
• Kaden Williams also rushed nine times for 43 yards and a three-yard touchdown – his first collegiate score.
• Austin Smith went 10-for-13 (76.9) for 114 yards and a touchdown, he is the first Govs quarterback to complete over 70 percent of their passes since Mike DiLiello (73.1) against Central Arkansas (11/18/23).
• Romon Copeland Jr. had two catches for 14 yards and a 10-yard touchdown grab.
• Jaden Barnes led the Governors' wide receivers with four catches for 56 yards.

DEFENSIVE STANDS      

• Austin Peay's defense held Alabama A&M to just 57 rushing yards, which is the fewest the Govs have allowed since limiting Utah Tech (11/11/23) to 67 yards on the ground.
• The Governors defense heled Alabama A&M to just 1.9 yards per carry.
• Sammy Anderson Jr. intercepted a pass on Alabama A&M's first offensive play, he has recorded an interception in three-straight games.
• Jesse Johnson III recovered a fumble and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown, he is the first Governor with a scoop-and-score since Garrett Hawkins against ETSU (9/16/23).
• Johnson III also recorded his first interception as Gov.
• Dion Hunter led the defense with seven total tackles.
• Bo Spearman recorded his first sack as a Governor and Hosea Knifeley Jr. picked up his first sack of the season.
• KT Owens and Marquez Casey shared a sack, it was Owens' first sack of the season and Casey's second of the season.
• Austin Skoglund tallied his first tackle for loss of the season and the second of his Austin Peay career.
• Jakari Patterson also added a tackle for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS SYNOPSIS

• Romon Copeland Jr. totaled 152 kick return yards, the most since Kyran Moore had 223 return yards – all on kickoffs – against Central Florida (10/28/17).
• Copeland totaled 96 punt return yards, which is the second-best single-game mark in Austin Peay history.
• Jaden McKinney is the first Gov to block a PAT since Travis Bates at Eastern Kentucky (11/4/23).
• Dominik Stadlman punted twice for 112 yards and a 56-yard average; he is the first Gov to average 45-plus yards per punt since Riley Stephens averaged 48.2 yards against North Alabama (10/28/23).
• Stadlman also blasted a season-long 62-yard punt, the longest by a Gov since Riley Stephens' program record 83-yard punt at Eastern Kentucky (11/4/23).
• Carson Smith went 1-for-2 on field goals and connected on a career-best 41-yard kick, improving to 3-for-5 this season.
• Smith also went 8-for-8 on PATs, he is the first Gov with 5-plus PATs made in a game since Maddux Trujillo made five against North Alabama (10/28/23).

GOVS-BULLDOGS POSTGAME QUOTES

Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris

Opening Statement… "Couldn't be more excited for our players; I thought it was a great effort in all three phases – offense, defense, and special teams. I thought you saw a team out there that played hard and played connected. I love our group, couldn't be more proud of them."

On the Govs' rushing attack… "They [La'Vell Wright and Corey Richardson] are both really, really good, and I would say O'Shaan [Allison] is the same way, and Kaden Williams is the same. When we play and do our job, 11-for-11, I know we have talked about that a bunch; we have some times with flashes in each phase where 10-of-11 looks really, really good, and one guy gets us. But I thought today we had 11-of-11 doing their job, and the backs did a heck of a job, and the offensive line was tremendous. The receivers made great blocks on the perimeter; our tight ends were great in the run and the passing game. So it was fun to watch."

On getting the season's first win… "I think it has value tremendously, to get rewarded for all your hard work. I couldn't be more impressed with our guys; when they didn't get the results they wanted, they worked the same way. They kind of raised the standard even when they didn't win, and I knew we had a great football team when we were 0-3. No outcome is going to change that because the way they work, and they deserved it tonight. Sure, it is a lot more fun to learn from these lessons, but I want us to talk about our players and how they worked when things didn't go their way; that's not easy to do, and that's pretty rare. We have a special group."

Austin Peay wide receiver Romon Copeland Jr.  

On his special teams impact… "It's a big thing when it comes to special teams. Special teams are probably the most important thing when it comes to football. We had to come out tonight and dominate in all three phases of the game, but most importantly, we had to do a better job in special teams, especially from last week. We learned from our mistakes… I felt like I had to do something for the team tonight. It wasn't about me; it was about the team today, and I'm glad we were able to get the win."

On his punt return touchdown… "Once the punter booted it back there, I knew I had plenty of time and space to work and play aggressive to take it into the endzone. I trusted my team, and they did a good job of blocking for me… and the hole opened up for me. The biggest thing [on punt returns] is having a high IQ and understanding how the game works."

Austin Peay running back La'Vell Wright

On today's run-game efficiency… "It is definitely good to have the type of night that we had tonight. It all comes down to being consistent. We have to continue to be consistent, study the playbook, watch film, and those types of plays will continue to show up."

On the offensive line… "I couldn't do any of that [the long runs] if it was not for the holes that the offensive line creates, so big shoutout to my offensive line. Once I got into the open field, all that was going through my head was 'don't get caught, don't get caught,' but none of the plays happen without the offensive line."