CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A lot will be at stake Saturday, Nov. 9 at Fortera Stadium, as two of the three teams who are currently tied for first place in the OVC will clash with conference title aspirations on the line.

No. 24 Austin Peay football hosts UT-Martin for its homecoming game where the winner will secure at least a share of the OVC Championship and a potential playoff berth.

The Governors have already been dealt a loss earlier this year to Tennessee State and another defeat by a Tennessee team would also mean no Sgt. York Trophy defense for APSU this season.

UT-Martin has owned the series as of late, after thrashing the Govs 37-7 last season to mark its 14th win in the last 16 games between the two teams.

The Skyhawks picked up a huge win over Jacksonville State 22-17 last Saturday, which was their first win over the Gamecocks since 2012. The win over JSU made Jason Simpson the all-time winningest head coach in Skyhawk history.

With the performance, UTM won both OVC Player of the Week awards for the first time since joining the league in 1992.

Linebacker Cecil Cherry was named STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after recording 14 tackles and five quarterback hurries against the Gamecocks.

Skyhawk quarterback John Bachus III earned his second OVC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the year, throwing for 245 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 23 yards and another score.

Austin Peay remained among the Top 25 teams in the nation with a 28-21 overtime win at

The Governors moved up one spot in the FCS Top 25 Rankings to No. 24 after downing Eastern Kentucky 28-21 in overtime last Saturday. It was Austin Peay’s first OT win since 2007.

Once again, the APSU defense impacted the game in a major way. Kordell Jackson made his sixth interception of the season, ranking him second in Austin Peay single-season history.

With the No. 13 nationally-ranked total defense, the Govs have excelled at limiting the offense output from most teams they’ve faced up to this point.

JaVaughn Craig became the sixth quarterback in Governor history to reach 3,000 career passing yards after he recorded 238 yards and three scores through the air against the Colonels.

DeAngelo Wilson continued his marvelous junior campaign, grabbing seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. He now ranks third in the nation with 966 receiving yards and ninth with nine receiving touchdowns.

Austin Peay has protected the football like no other, as the Governors lost just their first fumble of the season in their last game against EKU. The team had run 587 plays before putting the ball on the deck in 2019.

No. 24 Austin Peay (6-3, 4-1 OVC) hosts UT-Martin (6-3, 4-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov 9 at Fortera Stadium.