Austin Peay at #7 Central Arkansas
Saturday, September 14th, 2024 | 6:00pm
Conway, AR | Estes Stadium
Clarksville, TN – In a rematch of last year’s United Athletic Conference Championship, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) football team opens conference play with a Saturday night 6:00pm showdown against No. 7 Central Arkansas at Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas.
Last season, the Governors beat the Bears, 14-12, in Clarksville to claim the inaugural UAC crown and an automatic qualifier for the 2023 FCS Playoffs. Austin Peay is 6-0 all-time in UAC contests and has won eight-straight conference games dating back to the 2022 season. The Govs’ 6-0 record in the UAC last season marked their first season with a perfect record in conference play in program history.
Austin Peay State University is still looking for its first win of the Jeff Faris Era after falling to Louisville and No. 10 Southern Illinois in its first two contests. Central Arkansas opened the season with a 34-31 loss at Arkansas State before going on the road to beat Lindenwood, 34-13, in Week 2.
The Governors were 4-2 on the road and 3-0 on the road in conference games last season. Central Arkansas, who is playing its home opener on Saturday, was 5-1 at Estes Stadium last season, with their lone defeat coming against Tarleton State in a UAC contest.
APSU was picked to finish fifth in the United Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, while the Bears were tabbed to win the league with five first-place votes.
With Central Arkansas ranked No. 7 in both FCS polls, Austin Peay State University is looking to pick up its first ranked-FCS win since beating No, 7 Jacksonville State, 13-10, on March 30, 2021. The Governors last win against a ranked opponent came when they beat the Bears in the 2023 regular-season finale.
Special ticket offers and information on everything happening in and around Fortera Stadium can be found in this week’s Fan Experience preview.
Saturday’s game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Dylan McLemore and JB Brazeal on the call.
Notably
REPEAYT CHAMPS
For the first time in program history, Austin Peay State University 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 conferences – since 2019.
The Times They Are a-Changin’
Dating back to 2017, Austin Peay State University’s 50 victories are the 10th most in the FCS and the seventh-most among current FCS programs. The APSU Govs’ 50 wins are the most among UAC members since 2017, with Central Arkansas (48) and Eastern Kentucky (40) in second and third, respectively.
The Governors’ 50 victories in the past eight seasons are the most in any eight-year stretch in program history and are 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).
Meet The Govs
With just 35 returning letterwinners and 11 players that redshirted a season ago, Austin Peay State University has 61 newcomers on its 2024 roster. The 61 newcomers are made up of 26 true freshmen and 35 transfers, including nine players who have been at the Power 5 level. APSU’s 35 transfers are made up of 21 transfers from FBS programs, seven from FCS programs, and seven from Division II programs.
The Old Guys
Preseason All-UAC selections Chandler Kirton and Hosea Knifeley Jr. are Austin Peay State University’s two returning starters from the 2023 season. Kirton, who was named a 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third Team All-America selection, has started every game for the Governors over the past three seasons with 22 starts at right guard and three starts at center.
Hosea Knifeley Jr. has 14 career starts and started 10 games during the 2023 season when he led the Govs with four sacks. Harrison Wilkes, who started 11 games in 2022 and 17 games in his career, opened the 2023 season as APSU’s starter at left guard before a Week 2 injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
Faris ERA, Year I
A Knoxville, Tennessee native, Jeff Faris was named Austin Peay State University’s 22nd head football coach in December 2023. In his first season at the helm of the Governors football program, Faris looks to join Dave Aaron (5-4, 1946), James “Boots” Donnelly (8-3, 1977), Watson Brown (7-4, 1979), Rick Christophel (7-4, 2007), Mark Hudspeth (11-4, 2019), and Scotty Walden (4-2, 2020-21) as the seventh head coach in program history to post a winning record in their first season.
A winning season for the Govs would mark the third-straight Austin Peay State University head coach to have a winning record in their debut season.
About the Central Arkansas Bears
Saturday is the sixth meeting between Austin Peay State University and Central Arkansas; the Bears lead the all-time series, 4-1, but the Govs won the last meeting.
The Governors are 0-1 all-time in Conway, Arkansas.
After going 7-4 overall and finishing second in the UAC with a 4-2 record, Central Arkansas received five first-place votes and was picked to win the UAC in the 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bears also were picked as the preseason favorites in Stats Performs’ UAC preseason predictions.
Central Arkansas’ offense had three players on the UAC’s Preseason All-Conference Team, led by quarterback Will McElvain. Now in his third season at Central Arkansas, McElvain has passed for 5,570 yards and 44 touchdowns in his career. However, the duo of running backs Darius Hale and ShunDerrick Powell are the strength of the Bears’ offense. Hale and Powell have combined for 5,642 rushing yards and 62 rushing touchdowns in their careers, in addition to 983 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions.
One of the top defensive units in the FCS, Central Arkansas had three defensive players on the UAC’s Preseason All-Conference Team. Linebacker Demetrias Charles and safety TaMuarion Wilson ranked second and third on the team with 72 and 64 tackles, respectively, last season.
A two-time Buck Buchannan Award finalist, David Walker was the only unanimous selection to the UAC’s 2024 Preseason All-Conference defense. Walker was the 2023 UAC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2023 First Team All-UAC selection after leading the league in tackles for oss (18.0) and sacks (8.5) – he ranked eighth and 20th in the FCS in those categories. Walker, who also was the 2022 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, has 36.5 tackles for loss and 25 sacks in his career and is a six-time All-American.
Next Up For APSU Football
After Saturday’s UAC opener against Central Arkansas, the Austin Peay State University football team returns home to take on Alabama A&M on September 21st at 6:00pm at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Week 4 contest between the Governors and Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN+.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 season, follow Austin Peay State University football on X (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball) or stay tuned here at LetsGoPeay.com.
