CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Austin Peay football is scheduled to play their last regular season game of the 2022-23 season, and it’s against their toughest opponent yet.
The Governors are set to travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. According to APSU spokesman Casey Crigger, this is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Austin Peay is headed into the game as a postseason hopeful with the FCS playoff picture still to be determined.
Austin Peay playoff scenarios
The Govs can still earn a bid to the postseason one of two ways, which includes the possibility of winning their conference championship outright.
For this to happen, the Govs would need Eastern Kentucky to defeat Kennesaw State and for Jacksonville State to beat Central Arkansas.
If this scenario played out, it would then come down to a three-way tie between Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay. The conference champion then would be decided by the power index to see who earns an automatic bid.
If Austin Peay were to lose out on becoming conference champions, this would put the program on the playoff bubble: The playoff committee would have to manually select Austin Peay to be a part of the 24-team tournament.
“Our football team deserves a spot in the FCS Playoffs,” Austin Peay Athletic Director Gerald Harrison told Clarksville Now. “Scotty Walden and his team went 7-1 against FCS teams. We are averaging 445.6 yards of offense and holding teams to just 296.2 yards per game – we lead the ASUN in total offense and total defense.
“We also have the greatest point differential in the league, outscoring opponents by 131 points this season, and that counts Jacksonville State. I know it will be another great day to be a Gov when the committee puts us in the FCS Playoffs,” Harrison said.
Nick Saban on Austin Peay
According to Sports Illustrated, Alabama head coach Nick Saban talked about Austin Peay at a recent press conference.
“Scotty Walden does a really good job there (Austin Peay),” said Saban. “For FCS, these guys are ranked in the top part of their division in about everything that they do. They’re really good on defense, they have one of the top 10 defenses.”
“They average about 450 yards per game on offense with a lot of balance. The quarterback does a really good job with them. No. 10 McCray is a really explosive player, and they do a good job of utilizing his talents. They have a good returner, so we have to prepare for this game like any other game we play.”
“We need to be ready to play well. They have enough people on their team to be able to take advantage of any lack of execution. Certainly, we want to focus on us being able to execute in a really positive way and try to build on the momentum of having a good second half and improving to finish the season.”
What’s next
Austin Peay’s matchup against the University of Alabama will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. The game will be aired on the SEC Network and can be heard on Govs Sports Net.
According to the NCAA, the 2022 FCS championship selection show will air on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU. Tune in to the show for details on the complete tournament field and official bracket.