Austin Peay Sports Information
Richmond, KY – Ranked in both the FCS coaches and media polls and coming off a bye week, Eastern Kentucky represented a tall task for Austin Peay State University football in Saturday’s Ohio Valley Conference opener.
But for Austin Peay, a disastrous second-quarter sequence quelled any hopes of hanging with the upper echelon of the Ohio Valley Conference on this day, as Eastern Kentucky took off after a 14-point swing, downing the Governors 51-13.
EKU quarterback Bennie Coney hit Joel Brown for 22 yards early in the drive and went back to his senior from six yards out for the Colonels first touchdown of the day, making it 10-0.
A pair of Williams field goals would push the lead to 16-0 for the Colonels before Austin Peay mounted its best drive of the day. Aided by a roughing the passer penalty and a pass interference call, Austin Peay used junior Rashaan Coleman to great effect on the drive.
First, Trey Taylor found him on a 17-yard seam route, then a pitched to Coleman for 12 yards on a wide receiver option. Taylor’s pass to Coleman for six yards drove the Govs down to the goal line, and Taylor punched it in from a yard out on a keeper to give APSU its first points.
Following an EKU punt, the Governor offense had a chance to carry some momentum into halftime. However, Taylor was intercepted by Thomas Owens, who returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to give EKU some breathing room.
On the subsequent drive, a Kendall Morris fumble was scooped up by EKU’s Chris Kelly, and the Colonels would piece together a five-play, 36-yard drive in just over a minute that ended with Ethan Thomas finding the end zone from nine yards out. In two minutes, Eastern Kentucky had added two touchdowns to take a 30-7 lead into halftime.
Thomas and Adam Lane added second-half rushing touchdowns for the Colonels, who did not use Dy’Shawn Mobley, the 2014 OVC Offensive Player of the Year, in this one. Lane’s run came on yet another short field, with the Colonels taking over on the 39-yard line after Stanley Absanon returned a punt 23 yards to set Eastern Kentucky up in good field position.
A six-yard touchdown reception from Kyle Romano to Taylor Miller capped the Colonel scoring.
The Governors pieced together a nice nine-play, 59-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, with Morris carrying the ball five times for 25 yards on that drive alone. Morris punctuated the drive with a five-yard touchdown scamper, his first, to send Austin Peay out on a positive note. The redshirt freshman carried the ball 15 times for 75 yards, the best outing of his Governor career.
The Difference
After coming into the game with a plus-three turnover margin, the Governors turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter, leading to 14 Eastern Kentucky points. Worse still, Austin Peay was unable to force a turnover, the first game this season the Govs failed to find a takeaway.
Coaching Quotables
“Right now we’re very directional in our plays. If we just let people pin their ears back and go, then we’re going to struggle moving the ball because right now we can’t move the line. We have to incorporate some misdirection, some option, some things that give us a chance to not have to block everybody.” – Head coach Kirby Cannon
Who’s Next?
The Governors finally return home to the friendly confines of Governors Stadium, when they host Eastern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm. A large crowd should be on hand to see the Governors host the Panthers, who were idle this week, as Saturday doubles as the first fall AP Day at Austin Peay.
Video
Head coach Kirby Cannon after the Governors OVC-opening loss at EKU.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuoBf7webqo[/youtube]
Box Score
Austin Peay (0-4) -VS- Eastern Kentucky (2-1)
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 13 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 51 |
Team Statistics
| First Downs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total | 14 | 26 |
| Rushing | 7 | 8 |
| Passing | 4 | 15 |
| Penalty | 3 | 3 |
| Rushing | ||
| Total (Net) | 151 | 135 |
| Attempts | 39 | 42 |
| Avg. Per Rush | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Rushing TDs | 2 | 3 |
| Yds. Gained | 159 | 158 |
| Yds. Lost | 8 | 23 |
| Passing | ||
| Total (Net) | 99 | 286 |
| Comp.-Att.-Int. | 15-26-1 | 31-39-0 |
| Avg. / Att. | 3.8 | 7.3 |
| Avg. / Comp. | 6.6 | 9.2 |
| TDs | 0 | 2 |
| Total Offense | ||
| Yards | 250 | 421 |
| Plays | 65 | 81 |
| Avg. / Play | 3.8 | 5.2 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 2-1 | 2-0 |
| Penalties – Yds. | 9-70 | 6-49 |
| Punting | ||
| Punts – Yds. | 7-246 | 3-117 |
| Avg. / Punt | 35.1 | 39.0 |
| Inside 20 | 2 | 1 |
| 50+ Yds. | 1 | 0 |
| Touchbacks | 0 | 0 |
| Fair Catch | 2 | 1 |
| Kickoffs | ||
| Total – Yds. | 3-159 | 10-626 |
| Avg. Yds. / Kickoff | 53.0 | 62.6 |
| Touchbacks | 0 | 7 |
| Returns | ||
| Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs | 1-2-0 | 1-23-0 |
| Punt: Avg. / Return | 2.0 | 23.0 |
| Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs | 3-44-0 | 2-39-0 |
| Kickoff: Avg. / Return | 14.7 | 19.5 |
| INT: Total – Yds. – TDs | 0-0-0 | 1-17-1 |
| Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Misc. Yards | 0 | 0 |
| Poss. Time | 30:07 | 29:53 |
| 3rd. Down Conv. | 6 of 15 | 11 of 17 |
| 4th. Down Conversions | 0 of 1 | 0 of 0 |
| Red-Zone: Scores – Chances | 2-2 | 6-6 |
| Sacks: Total – Yds. | 0-0 | 1-5 |
| PAT: Total – Made | 1-2 | 6-6 |
| Field Goals: Total – Made | 0-0 | 3-3 |
