#20 Austin Peay (5-2 | 2-0 UAC) vs. North Alabama (3-5 | 1-3 UAC)
Saturday, October 28th, 2023 | 3:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Fortera Stadium
Clarksville, TN – Looking to celebrate Homecoming with its sixth straight win, the No. 20 ranked Austin Peay State University football (APSU) team is set to square off with North Alabama in a Saturday 3:00pm United Athletic Conference battle at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Austin Peay State University returns home after pushing its winning streak to five games and improving to 2-0 in UAC play with a thrilling 48-45 double-overtime win at Southern Utah last week.
With four games left in the season, the Governors are tied atop the UAC standings with Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky. However, the Governors, Colonels, and Bears will all square off in the season’s final three weeks.
After dropping its first two games of the season, Austin Peay State University has won five straight games with a pair of wins at Fortera Stadium – where they are 2-0 this season – and three wins on the road. The Governors have outscored opponents 226-92 on their winning streak while outgaining teams by an average of 504.6-376.6 yards of total offense.
North Alabama, which is 1-2 on the road this season, is also coming off a UAC win against a team from Utah after beating Utah Tech, 31-30, at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama. The Lions are 3-5 overall with a 1-3 mark in UAC play this season but picked up a Week 1 win against Chattanooga, now ranked No. 15 in the FCS.
Austin Peay State University’s offense runs through Mike DiLiello, who ranks sixth in the FCS in total offense (299.9), eighth in passing yards (1,926), and 10th in passing touchdowns (15). DiLiello has completions to 13 different receivers this season, 11 of those having multiple receptions and eight with touchdown catches.
On the ground, Jevon Jackson is averaging 138.8 rushing yards per game in four games since CJ Evans Jr. was lost to a season-ending injury. Despite sharing the backfield with Evans Jr. in the first three games of the season, Jackson ranks 17th in the FCS in rushing yards (647), 17th in rushing yards per game (92.4), and 15th in rushing touchdowns (7). Jackson is also on pace to become the APSU Govs first 1,000-yard rusher since Ryan White ran for 1,100 yards in 2011.
Defensively, Tyler Long leads the Governors with 70 tackles this season after matching his career-high for the second time this season with 17 tackles at Southern Utah. Long ranks 17th in the FCS and second in the UAC with 10.0 tackles per game, while Sam Howard ranks 54th in the FCS and fifth in the conference with 8.1 tackles per game.
Hosea Knifeley Jr. is also coming off a career day at Southern Utah after recording 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups. Knifeley Jr. has recorded a sack in three straight outings and leads the APSU Govs with 4.0 sacks this season while ranking second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.
On special teams, Kam Thomas is the reigning UAC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown in Utah. Thomas’ punt return touchdown was his second this season and the third of his career, simultaneously tying the Austin Peay single-season and career punt return touchdown records.
Single-game and group tickets are available online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets, through TicketMaster, or by calling the Austin Peay State University Athletics ticket office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).
Fans can also purchase tickets to the Blazin’ VIPeay Zone, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, which is available at all home games this season. Buffalo Wild Wings will provide all-you-can-eat food and drinks – including beer in the Blazin’ VIPeay Zone, which will be located in the south end zone of Fortera Stadium under the scoreboard and will open one hour prior to kickoff, when the gates open, before closing at the end of halftime.
Saturday’s game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Barry Gresham and Ethan Schmidt on the call. Isabella Christenson will also be reporting from the sideline.
APSU Notably
Good Directions
Dating back to 2017, Austin Peay State University’s 46 victories are tied for the 12th most in the FCS and are the most in any six-year stretch in program history. The APSU Govs’ 46 wins are the most among United Athletic Conference members since 2017, with Central Arkansas (45, t-14th) and Eastern Kentucky (38, t-35th) being the only other UAC programs to crack the Top 45 in the FCS.
The Governors’ 46 victories in the past six seasons are seven more wins than the 39 victories they had in 14 seasons from 2002-16.
All The Above
Despite not winning a United Athletic Conference weekly honor in half of the weeks they have been awarded this season, Austin Peay State University is the only team in the UAC to have a player earn each of the league’s four weekly awards this season. Mike DiLiello and Kam Thomas were named the offensive and special teams players of the week on September 18th.
Then Cedarius Doss was named the defensive player of the week on September 25th, and Garrett Hawkins was named the UAC’s Freshman of the Week on October 2nd. Thomas repeated as the UAC’s Special Teams Player of the Week on October 23rd and became the first Gov with two weekly honors this year.
Breaking The Stone
For just the 29th week in the program’s DI history, Austin Peay State University is ranked in one of the FCS national polls. After being ranked twice in the 1970s, the APSU Govs have appeared in the Stats FCS or AFCA FCS Coaches Polls 27 times since the start of the 2018 season.
Since 2018, the Governors are 14-12 in games in which they are ranked and are 14-8 against FCS opponents in games where they are ranked. With Scotty Walden at the helm, Austin Peay State University is 5-5 overall and 5-4 against FCS opponents in games where it is ranked in the FCS national polls.
Spooky SZN Turnaround
After going 2-5 in his first seven games at Austin Peay State University in the month of October, Scotty Walden has led the Governors to a 2-0 mark in October 2023. The APSU Govs are one win away from a perfect month and improving Walden’s record at Austin Peay State University to .500 in the 10th month.
With just one game left in October, the APSU Govs’ next game will be played in November, a month where Walden is 5-1 – with the lone loss coming to Alabama. Austin Peay State University has won 11-straight games against FCS teams in November – with five wins on the road – and last dropped a game in the month when they lost at Eastern Illinois in 2018.
Scotty Walden; or, Life at Austin Peay State University
After just 35 games at Austin Peay State University, Scotty Walden‘s 22 wins are the fourth most by a head coach in program history. Walden is just the fifth coach in program history to win 20 games, and by doing so in his first 33 games, he is tied with Dave Aaron – who won a program-record 44 games – as the fastest coach in program history to 20 wins.
Walden is now eight wins away from becoming the fourth APSU coach to win 30 games and is 11 wins away from matching Emory Hale for the third most wins by a head coach in program history. With a 22-13 record at Austin Peay State University, Walden also joins Aaron (44-35-6) as the only coach that ranks in the top five in APSU history in wins while having a winning record.
About the North Alabama Lions
Saturday is the 21st meeting between Austin Peay State University and North Alabama. The Lions lead the all-time series, 13-7
North Alabama is making its first trip to Clarksville since 1978, when they beat the Governors 10-6.
In head coach Brent Dearmon’s first season at the helm, North Alabama was tabbed to finish last in the UAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lions finished last in the Atlantic Sun Conference last season with a 1-10 record overall and a 0-5 mark in ASUN play.
North Alabama lost FCS All-American ShunDerrick Powell, who rushed to Central Arkansas in the transfer portal for 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. After throwing for 2,149 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, sophomore quarterback Noah Walters ranks 22nd in the FCS in passing yards (1,719) and 26th in touchdowns (12) in 2023. Led by Demarcus Lacey’s 580 yards and three touchdowns, UNA ranks 22nd in the FCS and second in the UAC in rushing offense (190.4) with a league-leading 331 rushes this year.
North Alabama ranks 15th in the FCS and third in the UAC this season with 14 turnovers gained. The Lions rank 14th in the FCS and are tied for the UAC lead with eight interceptions, they also rank 20th nationally and third in the conference with six fumble recoveries. Philjae Bien-Aime, Shaun Myers, and A.J. Seay all have a pair of interceptions for the Lions this season while Ossai Phillips leads North Alabama with two fumble recoveries.
This season, the 6-2 redshirt senior ranks 15th in the FCS in receiving touchdowns (5), 38th in receiving yards (479), and 40th in receiving yards per game (68.4) – he is third in the UAC in all three categories. Kenebrew opened the season with 5 receptions for 172 yards and 3 TDs vs. Chattanooga on September 2nd.
Next Up For APSU Football
Austin Peay State University football’s season-ending stretch of five straight UAC contests rolls on when the Govs hit the road for the final time in the regular season to take on Eastern Kentucky on November 4th in a 3:00pm CT game at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Kentucky. After the battle with the Colonels, Austin Peay State University closes the season with back-to-back games at Fortera Stadium against Utah Tech on November 11th and Central Arkansas on November 18th.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 season, follow APSU football on X (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball) or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.
