In track, especially for the distances, they call it the kick.
It's that last little bit at the end, the little extra held back for the final meters at the end of a longer race. It's a sight to behold, when a runner—at a point when they should be running out of steam, when simply putting one foot in front of the other should now be the ultimate chore, when they've given the last measure of what could reasonably be expected of them—finds the reserve, the will, for one final push through the line. If you've ever seen the end of a race, watched a runner collapse on the track or into the arms of a teammate or coach, and wondered "How could they possibly be this exhausted after running a few thousand meters" well, that's how.
(Also, have you ever run a few thousand meters? It's a lot! Someone should talk to them about doing all that running!)
The Austin Peay football team now finds itself entering the final few hundred meters of the regular season. The bell might not have rang for the final lap yet—to borrow another term from the track—but the countdown is on. With three games left and everything to play for, the home stretch is right in front of the Govs and their postseason destiny is in their control.
Not that we're focusing on that.
"I think the best teams down the stretch success ones are not distracted and they focus on winning the moment and being their best in the present moment," said Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris at his weekly media availability. "Our team is so fun to go to work with every day. One message we're pushing down the stretches is to just enjoy every second of it. Our team really loves being with one another and working together. It is a special group and we want to play together as long as humanly possible. And in order to do that, we have to play our best.
"That doesn't start on Saturday, it starts today in practice," Faris continued. "And I think our guys understand that. That's been our role emphasis all offseason, but this week in particular, win the moment and protect the team. And our guys do a great job of that."
These next three weeks are the most important three weeks of the season – so far – but you won't catching the Govs looking past Eastern Kentucky, a longtime foe with a couple of very nice wins on the season who just pushed top-ranked Tarleton State to the limit just last week; nor will you catch them looking past Abilene Christian, a nationally-ranked foe who takes on those same Texans this week; nor will you catch them looking past Central Arkansas on the regular-season's final day, where the Govs are winless in two tries all-time against the Bears.
No. No you will not catch them doing any of that.
"We keep the main thing the main thing," said defensive back Markell Redding. "It's all about us, so we have to keep doing the things that got us into this position and following through with those things. Nothing's different; it's still one day at a time, one game at a time, one week at a time."
It's too early to call this the culmination of a season, a year, or even a life's work in any respect. There's a long way to go. And the key, as any distance runner will tell you, is not running to the tape, but running through and past it.
But a good kick sets the tone. The Govs are ramping up for the stretch run in the regular season and have everything to play for. Nothing is guaranteed – football doesn't work like that; ask South Dakota State, which was in cruise control at No. 1 in the country before running into North Dakota during Week 7 – except effort and excitement. The Govs will put both those qualities on display against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
"We're very, very excited about the stretch run," Faris said. "Our time is now. Our guys believe in one another, they believe in our programs and they expect to win in any environment. It's all about us and playing the best version of ourselves."
And that's really the point. The Govs haven't spent all the hours—all the blood, the sweat, the tears—putting themselves in this position just to admire the view. They've got three weeks left to make something of it, three opportunities to keep playing together, and a chance to turn an already-historic season into the stuff of legend.
The kick isn't about finding something that wasn't there before. It's about reaching down and finding a little more of what you've carried all along.
The finish line is getting closer. Austin Peay isn't slowing down.
