NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (ESPN Clarksville) For the sixth-straight year Jacksonville State has been picked the preseason football favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast Missouri was ranked second. Eastern Kentucky was picked third, followed by Austin Peay, Murray State, Tennessee State, UT Martin, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech.
The vote came at the OVC Media Day from head coaches and sports information directors in the conference. It is the second consecutive year the Govs have been selected to finish in the top half of the conference. In 2018 Austin Peay was picked to finish second in last year’s preseason poll.
Austin Peay begins its first season under head coach Mark Hudspeth. He was the head coach at the University of Louisiana for seven years and most recently the Associate Head Coach at Mississippi State.
Hear Coach Mark Hudspeth’s interview on Clarksville’s Conversation.
A year ago the Governors led the OVC and ranked 16th nationally in rushing (237.5 yards/game) while setting program records for most points (340), touchdowns scored (47), points per game (30.9), yards per game (419.0), yards per play (6.19) and yards per rush (5.39).
The Govs return with senior running back Kentel Williams who led the FCS with a 7.99 yards/carry average a season ago and earned All-American honors as an all-purpose player from the Associated Press. He rushed for a team-high 831 yards (second in the OVC) while finishing with 1,510 all-purpose yards.
Williams and redshirt senior offensive tackle Kyle Anderton, were named Pre-season All-Ohio Valley Conference, the league announced Monday at its Football Media Day.
Williams earns his first career Preseason All-OVC selection after being named First-Team All-OVC in 2018 when he led the FCS with a 7.99 yards per carry average. He finished third nationally in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 167.78 per contest, which helped him garner Third-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press as an all-purpose back.
Not only did Williams lead the Govs in 2018 with 831 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, he also led the OVC with 547 kickoff return yards to go along with 127 yards receiving and a touchdown. His 1,510 all-purpose yards was the sixth-highest single-season total in Austin Peay history.
Anderton earned Preseason All-OVC honors for the second straight season after being a Second-Team All-OVC selection in 2017. He entered the 2018 season as the starter at left tackle, but only played in the season’s first four games due to injury and used the new redshirt rule to return in 2019.
After manning the left tackle spot for all 12 games in 2017, Anderton helped the Govs to the highest single-season yardage total in program history. He played a key role in last season’s 78-point outburst at Morehead State in which the Govs set an OVC record for most points against a Division I opponent.
The Govs kick off the 2019 campaign at home. The game will be Thursday, August 29 against North Carolina Central. This will be the first Thursday home game for the program since taking on then-No. 4 Eastern Illinois in October 2013. For the first time since 2003, the Govs will host six home contests, highlighted by games against the OVC’s two FCS Playoff participants last season – Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri – as the first two home conference games, slated for September 28 and October 12, respectively.
The Austin Peay ticket office is now accepting new ticket inquiries for the 2019 season, with changes to the Fortera Stadium seating chart set for this season. The east side of the stadium (Sections J-P) will be the Red Zone housing all general admission seating. The west side of the stadium will be reserved seating along with student seating in sections E-H.
Club level seating is still currently wait-listed but a limited amount of reserved chairback seating is still available. Fans interested in purchasing reserved chairbacks or joining the club level waitlist should call 931-221-PEAY. Discounts on reserved and general admission tickets are available to active duty and retired military and APSU faculty/staff members.
Fans can join the Monocle Society to enhance their game day experience. Monocle Society members can enjoy preferred seating, parking, tailgating season passes, and game day hospitality privileges, based upon seating option and/or donor level. Membership to the Monocle Society begins at $100. Please contact Katie Locke at 931-221-7224 or lockek@apsu.edu with questions related to the Monocle Society and the donor benefits structure. Monocle Society donations can also be made through Austin Peay’s Glitnir Ticketing System at www.LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets.
The Sgt. York trophy was created in 2007 and APSU won the trophy in 2017 and retained it in 2018. The other OVC teams in Tennessee that participate in the honor along with APSU include Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and UT Martin.