Chicago, IL – A trio of Austin Peay State University (APSU) football players were named to the 2022 Stats Perform FCS Midseason Watch Lists for the Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, and Buck Buchanan Awards, Wednesday.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver and kick returner Kam Thomas was one of 25 players named to the 2022 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The award is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision.
Linebacker Antoine Williams was one of 21 players added to the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award Watch list. Stats Perform presents the award to the FCS national defensive player of the year.
The only player in the FCS with both a kick and punt return for a touchdown this season, Thomas leads the ASUN and ranks 18th in the FCS in combined kick return yards (371). Thomas is tied for the sixth-longest kick return touchdown (94) in the FCS this season and his 92-yard punt return for a touchdown is tied for the longest in the country.
Thomas leads the ASUN with 198 punt return yards and ranks second in the league with 178 kick return yards. On offense, Thomas has added three catches for 27 yards. Thomas has been named the ASUN Conference Freshman of the Week twice this season and has picked up a single ASUN Special Teams Player of the Week selection.
In his first season at Austin Peay State University, DiLiello has taken the reins of Scotty Walden‘s offense and ranks sixth in the FCS in passing touchdowns (17) and third in points responsible for (144).
DiLiello also ranks 20th in the FCS and third in the ASUN with 1,589 passing yards, but leads ASUN quarterbacks and ranks eighth overall in the conference with 337 rushing yards. DiLiello’s seven rushing scores also lead the Governors, is tied for fourth in the ASUN, and is tied for 16th in the FCS.
Halfway through the season, DiLiello already has the program’s sixth-most passing touchdowns in a single season and is nearing the top 10 in passing yards. DiLiello’s seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the fourth-best single-season mark in program history and his 337 yards also are approaching the top 10 in APSU history.
After making his first-ever start in the season opener at Western Kentucky and racking up a career-high 14 tackles – with eight solo stops – Williams has led the Governors and ranks second in the ASUN with 56 total tackles this season. Williams is also tied for third in the league in tackles per game (8.0). sacks (3.0), and tackles for loss (7.5). Nationally, Williams ranks 71st in tackles and 73rd in tackles for loss. Williams is the only Governor with multiple double-digit tackle games this season after racking up 10 tackles last time out against Murray State. Williams also added a career-best 4.0 tackles for loss and a sack against the Racers.
Austin Peay has never had a player win the Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, or Buck Buchanan Awards, but has had at least one finalist in every season since 2019. Kordell Jackson’s sixth-place finish in 2019 for the Buck Buchanan Award and Draylen Ellis’ sixth-place finish for the Jerry Rice Award in 2020 are the top marks by an APSU Gov.
Thomas, DiLiello, Williams, and the rest of the Austin Peay football team will be back in action when they host Jacksonville State in an October 29th 3:00pm ASUN Conference showdown. The game against the Gamecocks is a “Blackout” and will serve as Senior Day with it being the Govs’ final regular-season home game.
Tickets for the APSU final home game are available online at LetsGoPeay.com/buytickets or by calling the Austin Peay State University ticket office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).
For news and updates on everything APSU football, follow along on Twitter (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball), or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.
