Austin Peay State University Governors Football to scrimmage Saturday

APSU Sports: Austin Peay Football

Clarksville, TN – With a third practice week under its belt, Austin Peay State University’s football team will scrimmage for a second time, 10:00am, Saturday, in Governors Stadium.

The Governors third week was hampered by heavy rains, Thursday, forcing practice postponement. That practice will be rescheduled for Monday. But that hasn’t deterred progress being made during the early stages of the new coaching regime. Head coach Kirby Cannon has continued to be impressed with his club’s steady energy level during practices.

“I think our guys know that it can’t be a one-play celebration, a moment of intensity,” Cannon said. “It has to be for 60 minutes. I think they understand that. And we have shown that by keeping things simple, allowing them to give great effort and intensity because their minds understand what they should be doing.”

The Governors have responded to the coaching change. Cannon inherited a team loaded with defensive starters returning but also one that allowed nearly 40 points per game a year ago. Defensively, the Governors have shown great ability to get to the football. They dominated the first scrimmage, allowing only nine pass completions in more than 30 attempts.

“I have not seen the gap closed (between the defense and offense), but hopefully it will in the second scrimmage,” Cannon said. “In a real good spring scrimmage there is some give and take—there is good and bad on both sides. However, when one side begins to dominate too much, then you are walking that fine where you are taking confidence away from your offense

“I want the offense to understand how hard it is to move the football and how you have to do the little things really, really well against good people. The offense now, though, needs to respond while there is still time to do it.

“I think right now we are pretty good on defense. I know this our defense really likes to play. They like to run around, they like to be physical. They like to go for interceptions.”

Cannon hopes his quarterbacks, Jacob Sexton, Gage Scurlock or Timarious Mitchell can elevate their performance levels. Running backs Terrence Oliver and Ean Pemberton created issues last week, averaging more than eight yards per carry between them.

Although Saturday’s scrimmage again will be situational, it will be less scripted. Drives will be allowed to continue. It also will see every player get an opportunity to compete.

“From our first guy to our 83rd guy this is an opportunity,” Cannon said. “Everybody, including newcomers that came in this spring, now knows what they are doing. I have put it on the coaches—‘don’t put anyone out there unless they exactly know what they are doing’ so we can truly evaluate him physically on what he can and can’t do for this football team.