Austin Peay at Murray State
Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 | 6:00pm CT
Roy Stewart Stadium | Murray, KY
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University football team, coming off an emotional victory last week, will set their sights on Ohio Valley Conference play when they head north to take on rival Murray State 6:00pm, Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky in the first contest of the 2017 Heritage Bank Battle of the Border.
Six different rushers found the end zone for the Govs last week. JaVaughn Craig, Jeremiah Oatsvall, Kyran Moore, Ahmaad Tanner, Tre Nation and Prince Momodu each found pay dirt in Week Three.
APSU put up at least two touchdowns in every single quarter on their way to its highest margin of victory (56) since defeating Kentucky Wesleyan in 1994.
Murray State (1-2) comes into the contest off two straight losses, most recently a 28-21 setback last week at Missouri State. Racer signal caller Shuler Bentley ranks third among OVC quarterbacks in passing yards (527), but he will be facing a stingy Govs defense that allows just 188.7 passing yards per game.
The rivalry between the Govs and Racers dates back to 1963 with Murray State holding a 36-14 all-time advantage. Kyran Moore picked up 128 all-purpose yards in last year’s contest, but APSU has dropped two straight in the series since picking up a 20-13 win on October 8th, 2014.
Game Day Notables
The Govs picked up their first victory of 2017, and the program’s first win since 2014, with a convincing 69-13 dismantling of Morehead State last week. APSU racked up an OVC-record 10 rushing touchdowns in the victory, including four by quarterback JaVaughn Craig. The sophomore from Chattanooga was named the OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.- Amongst the numbers to recap from last weekend, the Governors amassed 668 yards of offense, ranking second-most in program history since 1994, while Craig’s four scores made him the first Gov to accomplish the feat since Chris Fletcher in 2006.
- Craig currently ranks as the No. 1 player in all of FCS in touchdowns scored with six. The Govs offense as a whole ranks seventh in the country in rushing yards, averaging an impressive 287 yards per contest.
- The APSU offensive line has been dominant thus far in 2017. The cohesive unit up front ranks first in the OVC in rushing offense and also first in sacks allowed.
- The Governors’ defense has stacked up well with every offense they have lined up against this season. The ball-hawking group is tied with the Racers for first in the OVC in turnovers forced with seven.
- Murray State has the No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the OVC putting up 33.7 points per game.
- The Racer defense has picked off opposing quarterbacks an OVC-high seven times this season.
Battle of the Border
For the second consecutive year, Heritage Bank is presenting the Battle of the Border. A season-long competition between Austin Peay and Murray State, the Battle of the Border awards points for each regular-season contest in eight sports between the two programs while the other six sports will have points determined by their finish in their respective OVC Championship.
Saturday’s football contest is the opening event for this season’s competition.
Follow APSU Football Online
To follow all things Austin Peay football, visit our website at LetsGoPeay.com or check out the official Facebook page of Austin Peay Athletics. Live play-by-play can be found on Twitter @AustinPeayFB or by visiting Peaystats.com. Coverage of this weekend’s game will be streamed live on the OVC Digital Network.
