BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – After a record setting season of which any coach would be proud, it is no surprise to Clarksville that Austin Peay State University’s Coach Mark Hudspeth was named the 2019 OVC Coach of the Year.
Charlie Koon and Katie Gambill recently spoke to Hudspeth regarding the win and the future of the team.
https://soundcloud.com/clarksville-conversation/the-leader-of-the-govs
According to a release sent by the Ohio Valley Conference officials:
“Hudspeth, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Award, guided Austin Peay to a school record nine victories, its first OVC Championship since 1977 and its first-ever FCS Playoff appearance in his first year as head coach. After narrowly missing out on the playoffs two years ago, the Governors were picked fourth in this year’s preseason poll. After a win in the season-opener, Austin Peay lost its starting quarterback, Jeremiah Oatsvall, in the first quarter of the second game of the season. That loss did not hamper the Governors offense who would go on to tally a school record 5,158 yards of total offense this season. The Austin Peay defense also proved to be strong in 2019, ranking fifth nationally in rush defense (86.5 yards/game), ninth in defensive touchdowns (3) and total defense (299.6 yards/game), 13th in tackles for loss (7.9/game), 14th in passes intercepted (14) and 18th in team passing efficiency defense (117.77). Along the way the Govs toppled a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks (a first in program history) and finished 9-3 overall (7-1 OVC), losing three games by a combined 16 points. After a two-point setback on October 19, Austin Peay finished the regular season by winning five-straight games (the third-longest winning streak in program history). The Govs enter the postseason ranked No. 17 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the STATS poll, marking its highest-ever rank in either of those polls in program history. Hudspeth is the fourth APSU head coach to win the honor, joining Bill Dupes (1964), Boots Donnelly (1977) and Will Healy (2017). The OVC Coach of the Year award is named after Eastern Kentucky legend Roy Kidd, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, who won the award a record 10 times during his career (1964-2002) and retired with 314 victories, the second-most in I-AA/FCS history.”
Fans can see the Govs in action Saturday, November 30 during the FCS playoff game at Austin Peay. Ticket information is available at LetsGoPeay.com.