CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – “The Fort” should be rocking Saturday, when No. 17 Austin Peay football plays host to No. 16 Furman in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. For the Governors, it will be their first postseason game in program history after they earned an automatic bid for clinching a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship.
Last season, the Paladins were left out of the FCS Playoffs despite being a Southern Conference co-champion.
Furman earned an at-large bid this year with a second-place finish in its respected league.
Even though the two schools haven’t played one another, there still is some familiarity between the programs.
First-year Furman cornerbacks coach Rod Ojong came from Austin Peay before joining the Paladins.
APSU and Furman also shared two common opponents this season in the SoCon’s Mercer and East Tennessee State.
Many thought the Governor’s season may have been lost when their starting quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall sustained a season-ending injury in the second game of the year, but in stepped senior JaVaughn Craig.
Craig proved to be one of the more prolific players this season in the conference, becoming a front-runner for OVC Player of the Year. He’s done it through the air and on the ground during his final year as a Gov, throwing for 2,567 yards, rushing for 547 yards and totaling 30 touchdowns.
With Craig under center, the Govs posted a school record 5,148 yards of total offense.
The Governor offense will have playmakers all over the field Saturday including wide receiver DeAngelo Wilson. The junior set the APSU single-season all-time receiving record with 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, perhaps no two players have had more of an impact than Josephus Smith and Kordell Jackson.
Smith also set a record of his own in 2019 after logging 19.5 tackles for loss.
Jackson was a ball hawk in the Governor’s secondary, recording seven interceptions while scoring three defensive touchdowns.
Governor kicker Logan Birchfield was a perfect 54-for-54 on PATs in the regular season.
Entering its 18th FCS Playoffs, Furman ranks sixth all-time in appearances.
The Paladins have a 19-16 postseason record, playing in three National Championship games and winning their lone title in 1988.
Austin Peay will look to bottle up the run, as Furman operates out of the flexbone on offense. The Paladins currently rank fifth nationally in rushing offense with 275.8 yards per game.
Austin Peay (9-3, 7-1 OVC) hosts Furman (8-4, 6-2 SoCon) at noon, Saturday, Nov. 30 at Fortera Stadium.
The winner of Saturday’s contest will travel west in the second round of the playoffs to face No. 4 seed Sacramento State (9-3), which earned a first-round bye.