Brentwood, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) football freshman quarterback Draylen Ellis has been named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week for the second week in a row.
The precocious signal-caller threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns in Austin Peay State University’s 37-34 Homecoming defeat against UT Martin, becoming the first Gov since 2016 with a 300-yard passing day, bumping him to 11 touchdowns against just three interceptions over his young career.
He was 16-of-31 on the day without an interception—he’s thrown just one pick over the last three games.
Ellis aired it out early and often, throwing his four scores by distances of 51 (to Eugene Minter), 13 (to Jay Parker), 27 (Minter again), and 45 yards (to DeAngelo Wilson). He also was able to keep drives alive, converting third-and-long situations with his feet (11 yards on third-and-11 in the first quarter) and his arm, converting a trio of conversions that all ultimately kept scoring drives alive in the second and third quarters.
The Olive Branch native is second in the OVC in total offense (221.3 ypg) and pass efficiency (136.06); he’s also second in the league and sixth in the country with 11 touchdown passes. In repeating as Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week, Ellis is the first player in league history to win both honors in back-to-back weeks.
Ellis and the APSU Govs return to action Sunday against league-leading Jacksonville State in Alabama; kickoff is scheduled for 2:00pm from Burgess-Snow Field.
