Brentwood, TN – For the first time in his career, Austin Peay State University (APSU) junior defensive back Kordell Jackson earned Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors after returning two interceptions for a touchdown Saturday night against Mercer.
A Birmingham, Alabama native, Jackson jumped a Mercer route early in the third quarter and raced untouched 29 yards for a touchdown to give the Govs a 27-13 lead.
In the fourth, he put the game away with a 69-yard pick-six, becoming the first OVC player since Vincent Sellers in 2017 and the 33rd player to tie the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record with two interceptions returned for touchdown in the same game.
The 69-yard return is the fourth-longest in program history, and the 98 interception return yards already put him in the yearly top-10 in APSU history. He joins Ryan Taylor (2003) and Ronnie Fuqua (1969) as the only players in APSU history with multiple interception returns for touchdown in the same season. He also broke up a pass and registered two solo stops.
Jackson is the first Gov to take home OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors since Nate Howard for the week of October 7th, 2018 against Tennessee State.
Jackson and the Govs are back in action on the road next weekend to take on East Tennessee at 6:30pm (CT) in Johnson City.
