APSU Football travels back to Ohio to face Miami Redhawks

Austin Peay at Miami University

Saturday, September 9th, 2017 | 2:20pm CT
Yager Stadium | Oxford, OH | TV: ESPN3

Clarksville, TN – For the second consecutive week, the Austin Peay football program will travel to the Buckeye State to take on an FBS opponent. This time the Governors will square off with Miami University, out of the Mid-American Conference, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Kickoff is slated for Saturday 2:30pm at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio and will be available on ESPN3.

Sophomore quarterback JaVaughn Craig racked up 155 total yards in last week’s trip to Cincinnati, including connecting on a beautiful 19-yard touchdown pass to Kentel Williams in the second quarter to square things up with Bearcats deep into the second half.

The APSU offense outgained Cincy 313-248, including more than doubling up their American Athletic Conference opponent in rushing, 224-97.

The Govs defense was more than up to the task in week one. For the first time since 2012, APSU held an opponent under 100 rushing yards, while also holding an opponent to less the 300 total yards for the first time since 2015. Malik Boynton and Gunnar Scholato led the way for the Govs with nine tackles each, but perhaps even more impressive than the numbers, the Austin Peay defense forced eight consecutive three-and-outs when the Bearcats started a drive inside their own 40-yard line.

Miami suffered a 31-26 setback in a week one thriller with Marshall. Despite outproducing the Thundering Herd (429-267) in total offense, two key turnovers and a pair of special teams’ touchdowns doomed the Redhawks in their season opening loss. Miami signal-caller Gus Ragland finished the contest with 327 total yards and three touchdowns. Ragland’s favorite target was Redhawk wide receiver James Gardner, who racked up 111 yards on eight catches.

Notably

A four-time Division II National Champion at Grand Valley State and offensive coordinator for Notre Dame during the Fighting Irish’s 2012 BCS National Championship Game appearance, Miami head coach Chuck Martin is leading a revival in Oxford. Under Martin’s tutelage, the Redhawks closed the 2016 regular season with six straight victories followed by an appearance in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

This is the first time since 2013 and the just the fourth time in program history that the Govs will open the regular season with back-to-back FBS opponents. This week’s contest also marks the third consecutive season in which APSU has played at least two FBS opponents.

Both Miami and the Govs controlled the pace of play against last week’s opponents. Austin Peay dwarfed Cincinnati in time of possession (37:41-22:19) while the Redhawks used 10 more first downs to control the clock (35:44-24:16) against Marshall.

Miami Linebacker Brad Koenig’s 13 tackles currently ranks fifth in the MAC after one week of play. He also ranks third in the conference in passes defended. The Redhawks have the second-best rushing defense in their conference (59.0 yards per game).

The Redhawks offense went a perfect 4-4 (three touchdowns, one field goal) in the red zone during the opener against Marshall. Austin Peay’s defense will look to slow down an attack that amassed 25 first downs and converted all three fourth down attempts.

Follow APSU Football Online

Be sure to follow all the Austin Peay football action at LetsGoPeay.com and the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. In addition, live play-by-play coverage can be found on Twitter (@AustinPeayFB) and PeayStats.com. Live coverage from this weekend will be provided via streaming (ESPN3).