APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – The first scrimmage of fall camp for the Austin Peay State University football team ended with a flurry of excitement on a great defensive play.
With the offense in the midst of an 11-play drive and deep in the red zone, freshman defensive back Travion Woodard scooped up a fumble and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the scrimmage.
It was the only turnover of the day, but it was one of many highlights for both sides of the ball on Saturday.
The first-, second-, and third-team offenses and defenses faced off against each other four times each – twice apiece in the first half and twice in the second. Between the two halves, the squad ran special teams drills.
The offense had the first long play of the game. On the first play of the second drive of the second half, junior running back Kentel Williams took a handoff to the right side, cut it upfield, and ran by everyone for a 63-yard touchdown.
Junior running back Tre Nation also had a nice touchdown run earlier in the scrimmage. On the second drive of the day, he took a handoff to the right, cut back to his left and exploded through a pair of tacklers at the goal line for a 13-yard score.
The offense had success on the ground, accumulating 208 yards on 39 carries, but the defensive front made its presence known as well. The depth of the defensive line shined, as the unit combined for eight tackles for loss, including three sacks.
A number of young players along the line stepped up big. Freshman Michael Hunt recorded two sacks, each of which came on third down to force a punt. Sophomore Josephus Smith recorded two tackles for loss, as did freshman Kwame Sutton, who notched a sack.
Quarterbacks Jeremiah Oatsvall and JaVaughn Craig combined to complete seven of 16 passes for 88 yards. Oatsvall also scored on a one-yard plunge after hitting freshman tight end Blake Watson on two-consecutive completions for 29 yards in the second half. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kam Williams showed his mobility with scrambles of 15 and 49 yards, the latter on the final drive of the scrimmage.
The day started with warm ups, followed by individual position drills and seven-on-seven. Before getting into the meat of the scrimmage, the team ran goal line and field goal plays.
The Govs have an off day on Sunday, before returning to the practice field Monday. They will hold practice each weekday morning beginning at 8:00am.
The next scrimmage is set for 2:30pm, Saturday, August 18th at Fortera Stadium. It will feature the “Meet the Govs” event, presented by Echo Power Engineering, at the conclusion of the scrimmage. Fans will have the opportunity to meet and get autographs from the football, volleyball and soccer teams at Fortera Stadium.
