Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) scored on each of its first six possessions and rolled to a 63-0 shutout victory of Presbyterian, Saturday, in nonconference action at Fortera Stadium.
Austin Peay (1-1) was nearly perfect in the opening half as quarterback Mike DiLiello led the Governors to touchdowns on each of its first six possessions. The Governors finished the half with 351 offensive yards – 138 rushing and 213 passing – while breaking out to a 42-0 halftime lead.
Presbyterian (0-1) could not get on track with only three of its 13 drives entering Austin Peay territory. The Blue Hose got to the Austin Peay 14-yard line midway through the fourth quarter after Nate Hayden found Dominic Kibby for a 50-yard completion, but the Governors’ defense held firm and forced a turnover on downs inside the Austin Peay 20-yard line, sealing the Governors’ first shutout of the Scotty Walden era.
DiLiello, who ran for a touchdown on Austin Peay State University’s first drive, finished the game completing 18-of-27 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns in 35 minutes of play. Wide receiver Drae McCray caught seven passes for 113 yards – his fourth career 100-yard receiving outing – while wide receiver Trey Goodman and Josh DeCambre each caught two touchdowns.
On the ground, CJ Evans had 15 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to Jevon Jackson, who had the majority of the second-half carries. Jackson finished the game with 167 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown that capped the night’s scoring.
Austin Peay State University amassed 609 offensive yards – seventh most in program history – while maintaining its balanced attack with 301 passing yards and 308 rushing yards. The 63 points were second most in a shutout in program history.
Meanwhile, the Govs’ defense limited the Blue Hose to 221 yards of total offense, including just 91 on the ground on 35 carries. Hayden finished the game 9-of-21 passing for 130 yards.
Scoring Summary
APSU 7, PC 0 – Austin Peay State University elected to receive the opening kickoff, and Kellen Stewart opened the game with a big 20-yard return to set the Govs up at their own 23-yard line. The APSU Govs faced a three-and-out, but CJ Evans converted a 4th-and-1 with a five-yard run.
Five plays later, Austin Peay State University converted a 3rd-and-12 at the Presbyterian 40-yard line, and Mike DiLiello found Drae McCray for a 17-yard completion. CJ followed with a 13-yard catch to get the ball to the Blue Hose’s 10-yard line, and two plays later, DiLiello kept the ball on the read-option for an eight-yard touchdown run.
APSU 14, PC 0 – The Governors’ second drive was a sequence of big plays. Mike DiLiello ran for 13 yards, tallied completions of 15 and 17 yards to Drae McCray, then found James Burns in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown. The seven-play, 66-yard drive took just 1:52 off the clock to put the Govs ahead by two scores.
APSU 21, PC 0 – Austin Peay State University kept the scoring going with a touchdown on its third drive of the game. James Burns set the Govs up in Presbyterian territory with a 38-yard punt return.
Starting on the Blue Hose’s 29-yard line, the APSU Govs needed six plays to find the end zone. Jevon Jackson’s 20-yard run did the biggest damage, putting the Govs on the one-yard line. Three rushes later, Mike DiLilleo found Joshua DeCambre in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
APSU 28, PC 0 – If starting at the Presbyterian 29-yard line wasn’t close enough, Austin Peay did even better to start its fourth drive thanks to Antoine Williams’ blocked punt, setting the Govs up at the Presbyterian 20-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Mike DiLiello connected with Trey Goodman for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
APSU 35, PC 0 – Austin Peay State University pieced together a methodical 11-play, 65-yard drive for its fifth touchdown in as many drives. On 3rd-and-1 at the Presbyterian 43-yard line, Mike DiLiello found Trey Goodman for a four-yard gain to keep the drive alive. CJ Evans ran on four of the drive’s final five plays, and his one-yard dash up the middle capped the drive with a touchdown.
APSU 42, PC 0 – The Governors started near midfield on their sixth drive of the night and needed just three plays to cover 53 yards for the touchdown. Jevon Jackson opened the drive with a 21-yard run. Two plays later, Mike DiLiello found Trey Goodman for a 30-yard touchdown pass.
APSU 49, PC 0 – Austin Peay State University faced its worst starting field position of the game in its first drive of the second half. A penalty pushed the Govs back to their own 16-yard line. Facing a 3rd-and-9 at their own 17-yard line, Mike DiLiello kept the drive alive with a 12-yard completion to Drae McCray to put the Govs receiver over 100 yards. Mike DiLiello then found tight end Jordan Goco for a 20-yard reception, his first as a Governor. The APSU Govs would get to 3rd-and-1 at the Presbyterian 29-yard line, and Mike DiLiello handed the ball to CJ Evans, who shook a handful of would-be tacklers for a 29-yard touchdown burst, pushing him past 100 yards on the night.
APSU 56, PC 0 – Sheldon Layman took over under center and led Austin Peay State University to a touchdown on his second drive of the game. Running back Jevon Jackson did the bulk of the work with six carries for 39 yards, but Layman connected with Joshua DeCambre along the Governors’ sideline for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
APSU 63, PC 0 – Bryce Robinson quarterbacked a drive in the fourth quarter and led the Govs to a touchdown on a six-play, 30-yard drive. Jevon Jackson rushed four times for all 30 yards of the drive, weaving through traffic for a five-yard touchdown run.
Next Up For APSU Football
The Austin Peay State University football team continues nonconference play when it hosts Mississippi Valley State (0-1) in a Saturday 3:00pm outing at Fortera Stadium. The Governors invite their fans to wear red as part of their “Red Out” against the Delta Devils. In addition, it’s Family Weekend and Teacher Appreciation Day, with special group ticket offers to be announced.
