Austin Peay vs. Murray State
Saturday, October 1st, 2016 | 4:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Fortera Stadium
Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University football team will host Murray State 4:00pm, Saturday at Fortera Stadium in the Battle of the Border sponsored by Heritage Bank.
Saturday’s game marks the 46th meeting between the two schools in the storied rivalry separated by less than 70 miles.The Governors (0-3, 0-1 OVC) are coming off its highest point total since 2012 (vs. Tennessee Tech), falling to Eastern Illinois 56-35, last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Murray State (0-4, 0-1 OVC) enters the weekend after a narrow 17-16 loss vs. Southeast Missouri.
The Opening Drive
Austin Peay enters the game at 0-3 on the season after suffering a 56-35 loss on the road at No. 16 EIU. The Govs went toe-to-toe with the Panthers including knotting the game at 21 when Kyran Moore returned the second half’s opening kickoff 98 yards for the score.
Early in the 4th trailing 35-28, the Govs attempted and recovered a surprise onside kick. APSU turned it over three plays later and No. 16 EIU was able to escape with the win.
The Govs 35 points against the Panthers were the most points in an OVC game since the 2012 season against Tennessee Tech.
Moore was honored as the Ohio Valley Conference Specialist of the Week after his 98-yard kickoff return. He is the first Gov to earn weekly league recognition since 2012 and the first APSU specialist since 2011.
Junior wide receiver Jared Beard notched career-highs with 11 catches for 176 yards and two TDs. He just missed matching the APSU school record by one catch. Beard also became just the sixth player to record more than 175 yards through the air in a game in program history.
Beard has caught 86 passes for 1,046 yards and 12 TDs in his career. He ranks 11th in receptions, 13th in yards and ninth in touchdown receptions all-time.
Gunnar Scholato totaled a career-high 18 tackles in the contest, one off the school record held by Johnathan Shuler (vs. SEMO, 2012). Scholato also intercepted his first career pass as a Gov.
After his 18 tackle performance, Scholato finds himself leading the OVC and the NCAA in tackles per game at 14.3 stops per game.
Quarterback Timarious Mitchell ranks second in the OVC and 17th in the NCAA in passing yards per completion averaging 15.04.
Fans can also follow all the action from the 2016-17 season on www.LetsGoPeay.com, on Twitter @LetsGoPeay & @AustinPeayFB and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LetsGoPeay