#10 Austin Peay (9-2 | 6-0 UAC) vs. #18 Chattanooga (7-4 | 6-2 SoCon)
First-Round FCS Playoffs
Saturday, November 25th, 2023 | 2:00pm
Clarksville, TN | Fortera Stadium
Clarksville, TN – For the second time in program history, the No. 10 Austin Peay State University (APSU) football team is set for a first-round FCS Playoff game when it hosts in-state rival No. 18 Chattanooga at 2:00pm, Saturday at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.
The winner of Saturday’s game between the Governors and Mocs advances to the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, where No. 7 Furman awaits.
Austin Peay State University is 2-1 all-time and 1-0 at Fortera Stadium in the FCS Playoffs while Chattanooga is 3-4 all-time in the postseason. The Governors also are 1-0 all-time against the Southern Conference in the FCS Playoffs, and head coach Scotty Walden – who is coaching in his first FCS Playoff game – is 1-0 against Chattanooga during his time at Austin Peay State University.
At 9-2 overall and 6-0 in United Athletic Conference play, Austin Peay State University is on a program-record nine-game winning streak after beating No. 20 Central Arkansas, 14-12, to capture the title outright last week. The APSU Govs nine-game heater is the second-longest active winning streak in the FCS.
Chattanooga enters the postseason at 7-4 overall and 6-2 in SoCon action. The Mocs dropped their last two games to No. 2 Furman, 17-14, and No. 8 Alabama, 66-10, and have not won a game since October 28th, when they beat VMI, 24-23.
Austin Peay State University head coach Scotty Walden and quarterback Mike DiLiello were named finalists for the Eddie Robinson and Walter Payton Awards, respectively, which are presented to the FCS Coach of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year by FedEx Ground and Stats Perform. Defensive lineman Jau’Von Young was also named a Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award finalist.
DiLiello leads the Governors offense and ranks third in the FCS in passing yards (3,057), fourth in points responsible for (192), fifth in total offense (296.0), sixth in passing TDs (27), and sixth in passing efficiency (163.5) – he is among the top two in the UAC in all five categories. DiLiello’s 27 touchdown passes have gone to nine different receivers this season, with seven catching multiple scores.
Trey Goodman leads the APSU Govs receiving corps with seven touchdown grabs this season while Tre Shackelford and Kam Thomas are tied for second on the team with five touchdown receptions each. Shackelford and Thomas also lead the team with 50 receptions while Shackelford has a team-best 760 receiving yards.
On the ground, Jevon Jackson has rushed for 1,189 yards and is Austin Peay State University’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2011. Jackson currently has the fourth-best single-season rushing total in program history, ranking eighth in the FCS and leading the UAC in rushing yards. Jackson also ranks ninth in the FCS in rushing yards per game (108.1) and 38th in rushing touchdowns (8).
Linebackers Tyler Long and Sam Howard rank 30th and 42nd in the FCS with 8.9 and 8.5 tackles per game, respectively, this season – they rank second and third in the UAC. Howard also leads the APSU Govs with 12.0 tackles for loss this season, a mark that ranks third in the conference. After recording his third interception of the season against Central Arkansas, Cedarius Doss is tied for 29th in the FCS and third in the UAC in interceptions this season.
Austin Peay State University boasts arguably the nation’s most complete special teams unit. Returner Kam Thomas leads the FCS in punt return average (22.2) and punt return touchdowns (2) this season. Punter Riley Stephens ranks 15th in the FCS and leads the UAC in punting average (43.3) while placekicker Maddux Trujillo ranks 21st in the FCS and third in the UAC in scoring with 7.6 points per game. Trujillo is 13-for-15 on field goals this season and ranks seventh in the FCS in field goal percentage (.867).
Tickets for Saturday’s game between the Govs and Mocs are available at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets, through TicketMaster, or by calling the Austin Peay State University Athletics ticket office at 931.221.PEAY (7329). Student ticket offers, and information on everything happening in and around Fortera Stadium can be found in this week’s Fan Experience preview.
Fans also can 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 Dan Gutowksy and Patrick Murray on the call.
APSU Notably
REPEAYT Champs
For the first time in program history, Austin Peay State University has won back-to-back conference championships with the 2023 United Athletic Conference and the 2022 ASUN Conference titles. When you add in the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference championship, the Govs have won three titles – in three different conferences – in the past five seasons.
By leading the Governors to back-to-back conference championships, Scotty Walden also became the first head coach in program history to win multiple conference titles during their time at Austin Peay State University.
Good Directions
Dating back to 2017, Austin Peay State University’s 50 victories are tied for ninth most in the FCS and are the most in any seven-year stretch in program history. The APSU Govs’ 50 wins are the most among UAC members since 2017 with Central Arkansas (47, t-15th) and Eastern Kentucky (40, 36th) being the only other UAC programs to crack the Top 45 in the FCS.
The Governors’ 50 victories in the past seven seasons is just one less than the 51 victories they had in 19 seasons from 1998-2016. The APSU Govs also have five winning seasons since 2017 after posting just eight winning seasons in their first 39 years in the FCS (1978-2016).
National Notoriety
Austin Peay State University head coach Scotty Walden and quarterback Mike DiLiello were named finalists for the Eddie Robinson and Walter Payton Awards, respectively, presented by FedEx Ground and Stats Perform.
Defensive lineman Jau’Von Young was also named a finalist for the Doris Robinson Scholar Athlete Award.
Young is the second APSU Gov to be named a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award, joining Chukwuemeka Manning Jr. (2022).
November Air
Head coach Scotty Walden is 8-1 overall and 8-0 against FCS opponents in the month of November at Austin Peay. The Governors only loss in the 11th month under Walden came when they fell to No. 8 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in the 2022 season finale.
Austin Peay State University has won 14-straight FCS games in November (see page 3) – with six 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 39 games at Austin Peay State University, Scotty Walden‘s 26 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.
With a 26-13 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 Chattanooga Mocs
Saturday is the eighth meeting between Austin Peay and Chattanooga. The Mocs lead the all-time series, 6-1.
Austin Peay State University won the last meeting with Chattanooga, beating the Mocs, 30-20, in the 2021 season opener.
Picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference’s Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, Chattanooga finished the year tied for second in the league with Western Carolina. The Mocs had a chance to clinch a share of the SoCon title and the league’s AQ in Week 10 against Furman, but the Mocs fell to the Paladins, 17-14, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
With Preseason First Team All-SoCon running back Ailym Ford out for the season, Gino Appleberry has rushed for 631 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games this season. Quarterback Chase Artopoeus leads Chattanooga with 2,672 yards and 20 touchdown passes this season, but he did not play in the regular-season finale against #8 Alabama. Instead, Luke Schomburg made his first collegiate start and completed 10 passes for 107 yards in the finale. Schomburg has 13 completions for 174 yards and one touchdown this season.
Chattanooga had three Preseason All-SoCon selections on its defensive line with Ben Brewton, Jay Person, and Marlon Taylor all receiving recognition. Brewton has 9.0 TFLs and 7.0 sacks this season while Taylor has totaled 7.0 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. Overall, Alex Mitchell leads the Chattanooga defense with 65 tackles and two forced fumbles, six Mocs have a forced fumble this season and eight have recovered a fumble. In addition, Jordan Walker and Kameron Brown are tied for the team lead with three interceptions each.
The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award, Jay Person ranks 13th in the FCS in tackles for loss (16.0), 14th in forced fumbles (3), and 17th in sacks (8.5) – he leads the SoCon in all three categories. Person was a Consensus First Team All-America selection in 2022 after recording 49 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, and 8.0 sacks in 10 games.
Next Up For APSU Football
The winner of Saturday’s First Round FCS Playoff game between the Austin Peay State University football team and Chattanooga will take on No. 7 Furman in a noon (CT), December 2nd contest at Paladin Stadium in Greeneville, South Carolina.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 season, follow APSU Govs football on X (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball) or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.
