Austin Peay Sports Information
Troy, AL – Junior tight end James Coleman had a career day accounting for 65 yards and two scores on six catches in Austin Peay State’s season opener, a 57-17, loss on the road at FBS level Troy Saturday night in Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The turning point of the game came with the Governors leading 14-13 at the 11:07 mark of the 2nd quarter, Troy answered back  for the eventual game-winning touchdown less than two minutes later, when Trojan quarterback Sawyer Smith led a quick four-play, 75-yard drive.On 2nd and 7, Sawyer completed a deep pass to Hiram Velez for a 47-yard touchdown.
Inside the Box Score
Junior tight end James Coleman became the first Austin Peay player to total two or more touchdowns in a single game since Jared Beard did so vs. Murray State in 2014.
The two touchdowns for Coleman were the second and third of his career.
In addition, Coleman set career-highs in catches with six and yardage with 65.
Austin Peay scored 17 points in the contest, the most against an FBS opponent since Sept. 11, 2010 at Middle Tennessee when the Govs scored 33 points.
It’s also the most points scored by the Govs in a regular season opener since 2010 vs. Cumberland (38 points).
In his debut game as a Gov, sophomore quarterback Tommy Hays passed for his first two touchdowns. Hays connected with Coleman for both TD passes the second gave the Govs a 14-13 lead with 11:07 left in the second quarter. Hays hit on 8 of his 12 passing attempts for a 66 percent completion percentage. It was the first time since October 18th, 2014 that a Govs QB connected on at least 65 percent of their passes.
As a team, APSU finished 14-of-22 through the air for a 68 percent completion percentage. It is the first time since October 18th, 2014 against Murray State that the Govs completed over 65 percent of their passes.
Senior kicker Nick Gauna converted his first field goal as a member of the Govs – a 33-yarder in the 3rd quarter.
The Govs won the time of possession battle control the ball for 32:34 compared to Troy’s 27:26 time of possession.
Quotes
Head coach Will Healy: “You’re never okay with a loss, I mean, I think we played a great football team today, and I think Neal Brown does a phenomenal job. He’s got a great staff. He’ll have a great year. I think they’ve got dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball and their team speed is really good. The Troy program is definitely headed in the right direction and I think Neal is the reason why.
“We were down 24-13 [in the second half]. Is that right? Down 24-13 with the ball on the 16-yard line or so and we throw a pick and we’ve got to do a better job of making sure we don’t lob those things up, but that was a turning point. But I thought even after that our guys kept coming back and responding and playing hard and that’s something we’ve got to establish as an expectation, not something that we pat them on the back for, so it’s time to establish the little things and then it’s about this year much more than this game, so we’ll try to find the positives and continue to progress.”
Summary
Austin Peay 0-1 at Troy 1-0
Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austin Peay | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Troy | 13 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 57 |
1st quarter
TROY 12:24 – On Troy’s first play from scrimmage, Jordan Chunn broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion try was no good after an incomplete pass.
TROY 5:48 – Brandon Silvers tossed a three-yard touchdown pass to Emanuel Thompson in the corner of the endzone, extending Troy’s lead to 13-0 after a successful PAT attempt.
APSU 1:18 – The Governors got on the board after sophomore Tommy Hays entered at quarterback. Before the quarter break, Hays hit junior James Coleman with a six-yard strike, with Nick Gauna‘s extra point making it 13-7 Trojans.
2nd quarter
APSU 11:07 – The Hays-Coleman connection worked once more early in the second quarter – a 14-yard pitch and catch which put the Govs on top, 14-13.
TROY 9:35 – Less than two minutes later, freshman quarterback Sawyer Smith hooked up with Hiram Velez for a 47-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the ensuing drive. After the extra point by Ryan Kay, Troy regained the lead, 20-14.
TROY 4:47 – The Trojans mounted a 10-play, 49-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard rush by the quarterback, Silvers.
TROY 0:00 – Before halftime, Troy capitalized off an APSU interception, and drove into field goal range where Kay converted from 43 yards out.
3rd quarter
TROY 13:45 – Troy scored right out of the gates in the second half – a 49-yard touchdown completion from Silvers to Ismail Saleem.
APSU 10:33 – On APSU’s first drive of the second half, Hays led a six-play drive, resulting in a 33-yard field goal by Gauna.
TROY 3:53 – Troy increased its lead to 43-17 as Josh Anderson rushed for a 32-yard score.
4th quarter
TROY 14:14 – Troy reached the 50-point mark to start the 4th quarter, with Andre Flakes rushing up the middle from six yards out. The extra point try was no good.
TROY 5:39 – Kaleb Barker broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run, increasing the gap to 57-17.
What’s Next
APSU will open their 2016 home and Ohio Valley season slate with Tennessee Tech on Saturday, September 10th.
The Golden Eagles head into the meeting at 0-1 after a 21-7 to Wofford on Thursday, September 1st in Cookeville.
Highlights – APSU vs. Troy
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_8R8bULVc8[/youtube]