COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – After falling to Tennessee State this past weekend at Nissan Stadium, Austin Peay football looks to bounce back in another key Sgt. York Trophy matchup.
The Governors hit the road to take on Tennessee Tech, as a loss for either team would be their second of the series and eliminate them from winning the trophy.
Austin Peay has taken the previous two meetings between the teams, including a 41-10 thrashing of the Golden Eagles last season.
In that game, the Govs outgained Tech in total yards 566 to 298 while Jeremiah Oatsvall threw for 279 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Kentel Williams ran for 97 yards, as the Govs finished the day with 287 yards on the ground.
Against the Tigers on Saturday, Austin Peay blew a 24-9 early second-half lead, suffering a 26-24 loss to Tennessee State.
The defeat came on the heels of back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked opponents for the Govs who also earned their way into the FCS Top 25.
Baniko Harley had another big day receiving, bringing in six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Austin Peay failed to capitalize on solid field position late, missing a pair of field goals and turning the ball over in the end zone.
The Gov defense continues to be a bright spot after holding the Tigers to a season-low 336 yards of total offense. Pat Walker, one of the leaders for Austin Peay on defense, had 11 tackles.
APSU currently leads the OVC and ranks seventh nationally in rush defense and 15th nationally in total defense.
After throwing for 291 yards against the Tigers, JaVaughn Craig is now 13th in Governor single-season history with 1,409 passing yards. He also finished the contest with 44 yards on the ground to extend his record of rushing yards by a quarterback to 1,279.
Tennessee Tech is coming off its open date which followed back-to-back OVC losses for the Golden Eagles.
Tech was held to a season-low 261 yards of total offense in its 55-14 loss to UT Martin, who is now 4-0 and in first place in the OVC.
Entering this week, Tennessee Tech sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher ranks 13th nationally with eight rushing touchdowns.
In their previous contest, David Gist rushed for a team-high 57 yards and added three catches for 27 yards. Freshman Metrius Fleming, who ranks 19th nationally in all-purpose yards with 135.71 yards-per-game, caught a 22-yard touchdown from Fisher in the fourth quarter and finished the contest with 110 all-purpose yards.
As a team Tech currently leads the OVC in scoring defense with 22.7 points-per-game.
Austin Peay (4-3, 2-1 OVC) travels to take on Tennessee Tech (4-3, 1-2 OVC) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.