Indianapolis, IN – An in-state rivalry gains a new chapter as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) football team hosts Chattanooga in a Saturday 2:00pm CT contest at Fortera Stadium to open the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship tournament.
Tickets for the Govs’ first-round game against the Mocs are available to the public through Ticketmaster.com.
Austin Peay (9-2, 6-0 UAC) reached the postseason after winning the inaugural United Athletic Conference Championship outright. The APSU Govs clinched a share of the title in a Week 11 win against Utah Tech before claiming the title for its own with a 14-12 victory against Central Arkansas.
The Governors make their second appearance in the FCS Playoffs, returning after a three-season hiatus. The APSU Govs reached the quarterfinals in the 2019 playoffs, their postseason debut, winning a home game against Furman before defeating No. 4 Sacramento State on the road. Austin Peay State University saw its run end in the quarterfinals at Montana State.
Austin Peay State University brings the nation’s second-longest win streak into the postseason. The Govs’ program-record nine-game win streak is tied with Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Florida A&M. No. 1 national seed South Dakota State, the defending national champion, owns a 25-game winning streak.
Chattanooga (7-4, 6-0 SoCon) finished third in the Southern Conference race and received an at-large bid into the FCS Playoffs. The Mocs were in the race for the SoCon title until their Week 10 loss to league champion Furman, the No. 7 national seed in the tournament.
It is the Mocs’ first appearance in the tournament since 2016 and their fifth appearance all-time. Chattanooga is 3-4 in its four previous appearances, winning their first game in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The Mocs were a No. 8 national seed in 2014, reaching the national quarterfinals with their opening win that season.
[320left\The Governors and Mocs, who are separated by 180 miles of Interstate 24, have met seven times previously. Austin Peay State University won the last meeting, opening the 2021 season with a 30-20 victory at Chattanooga. It was APSU’s first win against the Mocs in the series’ history.
Saturday’s meeting will be only the third time the Mocs have traveled to Clarksville, winning the last meeting at then-Governors Stadium in 2014. It precedes a scheduled 2024 regular-season meeting between the teams in Clarksville.
The winner of Saturday’s game advances to the second round of the playoffs to face No. 7 seed Furman in a December 2nd contest at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
