Austin Peay (4-3 | 2-1 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (4-3 | 1-2 OVC)
Saturday, October 26th, 2019 | 1:30pm CT
Cookeville, TN | Tucker Stadium
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) football will visit Tucker Stadium with an eye on returning to the win column when the Govs and Tennessee Tech square off, 1:30pm, Saturday, in Cookeville Tennessee.
Both the Govs and Golden Eagles enter the weekend at 4-3 on the season; the Govs are 2-1 in league play, while Tennessee Tech is 1-2.
A win would put the APSU Govs firmly in the conversation for the Ohio Valley Conference title, while a loss would leave the Golden Eagles with ground to make up in the league race.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast via ESPN+, as will all home and Ohio Valley Conference road games with the exception of the November 2nd game at Eastern Kentucky, which will be on ESPN3.
About the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
At 4-3, Tennessee Tech already has doubled its win total from 2017 and 2018 combined (2-20 in the last year of Marcus Satterfield and first year of DeWayne Alexander). This isn’t a case of the Golden Eagles beating up on a weak schedule; Tennessee Tech won a wild double-overtime thriller against Samford in the season opener, then took down Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois on back-to-back road weekends to start 4-1.
The Golden Eagles will air it out, with Bailey Fisher finding Metrius Fleming (29 catches, 451 yards) and Darrius Stafford (22 catches, 347 yards) for the bulk of the damage. Fleming, a four-time OVC Newcomer of the Week choice, is already 50 yards away from 1,000 all-purpose yards this season, adding more than 400 kick return yards to his total as well.
So far, Tech’s best defensive strategy has been to outscore its opponent, which has worked more often than not so far in 2019. Senior Aderick Moore leads the way with 50 tackles for the Golden Eagles and has been a disruptor in more ways than one, recovering two fumbles and picking off a pass through his first seven games. Be on the lookout for Henry Karimu off the edge; he leads Tennessee Tech with four sacks and five quarterback hurries despite missing a game.
Last Time Out Against Tennessee Tech
Jeremiah Oatsvall tied a program record with five touchdown passes, two nestling into the hands of Baniko Harley, in a 41-10 rout that doubled as Austin Peay’s largest margin of victory in the season. Kentel Williams also rolled up 121 all-purpose yards, including 97 rushing.
APSU Notably
This will be Austin Peay State University’s second Sgt. York Trophy game in 2019.
A win would be Austin Peay State University’s third straight against Tennessee Tech, a streak the Govs haven’t enjoyed since the 1980s.
This game will feature two signal-callers who can beat teams with their arms and legs. JaVaughn Craig is second among league quarterbacks in rushing yards (258) and third in touchdowns (four), while Bailey Fisher leads all quarterbacks and is second overall with eight rushing touchdowns.
For the third time this season, the Govs defense (#11 in FCS at 311.5 yards allowed per game) will square off against a foe averaging more than 400 offensive yards per game. Tennessee Tech enters the Week 9 matchup ranked 50th in the FCS with 401.9 yards per game. When the Govs met Jacksonville State in Week 6, the Gamecocks were ranked No. 34 at 432.3 yards per game and were held to 363 yards (176 of that coming in the fourth quarter); in Week 8, a Tennessee State outfit averaging 445.7 yards gained just 336 yards.
The Govs have not lost a fumble in 2019, a claim only four other FCS teams–Princeton, Hampton, Drake and Campbell–can make.
APSU Govs Online
Be sure to follow all the Austin Peay State University football action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of APSU Athletics. In addition, live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@GovsFB) and PeayStats.com. Live coverage from this weekend will be provided via streaming (ESPN+.
