#14 Austin Peay (7-2 | 4-0 UAC) vs. Utah Tech (2-7 | 1-3 UAC)
Saturday, November 11th, 2023 | 1:00pm
Clarksville, TN | Fortera Stadium
Clarksville, TN – With a chance to be the first team to clinch a share of the inaugural United Athletic Conference championship, the No. 14 Austin Peay State University (APSU) football team will look to pick up its program-record eighth-straight win when it hosts Utah Tech for a Saturday UAC battle on Military Appreciation Day at Fotera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee. Kickoff is at 1:00pm.
A win on Saturday would clinch the Governors’ third conference title in the past five seasons. It would mark the first time in program history that Austin Peay State University has won conference championships in consecutive seasons.
At 7-2 overall and 4-0 in UAC play, Austin Peay State University is in sole possession of first place in the UAC with just two games left to play. Suppose the Governors win their two remaining contests. In that case, they clinch the outright conference title and the league’s automatic qualifier (AQ) to the FCS Playoffs following the regular-season finale against Central Arkansas at Fortera Stadium.
However, with an Austin Peay State University win against Utah Tech and an Eastern Kentucky win against Central Arkansas this week, the APSU Govs can clinch the AQ to the FCS Playoffs on Saturday.
The Governors enter Saturday’s contest with a seven-game winning streak, which is tied with the 2019 team for the longest in program history. A win over the Trailblazers on a three-game losing streak would mark a program-record eighth straight victory. The APSU Govs seven-game heater also is tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the FCS.
Austin Peay State University enters the week ranked fifth in the FCS in scoring offense (38.2) and seventh in total offense (453.7). The Governors are led by Mike DiLiello, who leads the FCS in passing touchdowns (25) and points responsible for (180) while ranking third in passing efficiency (166.5), third in total offense (310.2), and fifth in passing yards (2,589). DiLiello is just three touchdown throws away from tying JaVaughn Craig (2019) for Austin Peay State University’s single-season record and is just two touchdown passes away from tying Brian Baker’s career record 48 touchdown passes.
Jevon Jackson also is 73 yards away from becoming Austin Peay State University’s 10th 1,000-yard rusher and the first since Ryan White ran for 1,100 yards in 2011. Jackson ranks ninth in the FCS and leads the UAC with 907 rushing yards this season. He also ranks 32nd in the country and second in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns.
Tyler Long leads the Governors with 9.2 tackles per game this season, ranking 25th in the FCS and second in the UAC. Alongside Long, Sam Howard ranks 43rd in the FCS and fourth in the UAC with 8.3 tackles per game while also ranking 32nd in the country and third in the UAC with 1.2 tackles for loss per game. Howard has a TFL in eight straight contests and leads the Govs with 10.5 tackles for loss this season.
Austin Peay State University boats arguably the nation’s most complete special teams unit. Kam Thomas leads the FCS in punt return average (22.2) and punt return touchdowns (2) this season. Riley Stephens also ranks eighth in the FCS and leads the UAC in punting average (43.8) while Maddux Trujillo is third in the FCS and second in the UAC in field goal percentage (.909). Trujillo is 10-for-11 on field goals this season and matched the Austin Peay career field goal record (35) – set by Stephen Stansell (2009-12) – with two made kicks last week against EKU. Trujillo’s next-made kick will make him the APSU career leader in field goals.
Single-game and group tickets are available online at LetsGoPeay.com/BuyTickets, through TicketMaster, or by calling the Austin Peay Athletics ticket office at 931.221.PEAY (7329).
For more information on everything happening in and around Fortera Stadium on Saturday, be sure to check out the Austin Peay football Fan Experience preview for this week’s Military Appreciation Day game.
Saturday’s game will be streamed on the 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 48 victories are tied for 11th most in the FCS and are the most in any seven-year stretch in program history.
The APSU Govs’ 48 wins are the most among United Athletic Conference members since 2017. Central Arkansas (46, t-16th) and Eastern Kentucky (39, t-35th) are the only other UAC programs to crack the Top 45 in the FCS.
The Governors’ 48 victories in the past seven seasons are one more win than the 47 victories they had in 18 seasons from 1999-2016.
All The Above
After Riley Stephens and Kenny Odom were named the United Athletic Conference’s Special Teams Player and Freshman of the Week, on November 6th, Austin Peay State University leads the conference with seven weekly award winners this season. Mike DiLiello, September 18th, and October 30th, and Kam Thomas, September 18th and October 23rd, have been named Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week twice each, respectively, while Cedarius Doss was the league’s Defensive Player of the Week, September 25th. Garrett Hawkins was Freshman of the Week on October 2nd.
Austin Peay State University was the first team to have a player win all four awards this season, with Utah Tech being the only other team to accomplish that feat to date. DiLiello also is the only player in the conference to be named the Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
Breaking The Stone
For the 31st 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 29 times since the start of the 2018 season.
Since 2018, the Governors are 16-12 in games in which they are ranked and are 16-8 against FCS opponents in games where they are ranked. With Scotty Walden at the helm, Austin Peay State University is 7-5 overall and 7-4 against FCS opponents in games where it is ranked in the FCS national polls.
November Air
Head coach Scotty Walden is 6-1 overall and 6-0 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 12-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 37 games at Austin Peay State University, Scotty Walden‘s 24 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 six wins away from becoming the fourth APSU coach to win 30 games and nine wins away from matching Emory Hale for the third-most wins by a head coach in program history. With a 24-13 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 Utah Tech Trailblazers
Saturday is the first meeting between Austin Peay State University and Utah Tech.
The Governors are 1-0 all-time against teams from the State of Utah, but the Trailblazers will be the first team from Utah that Austin Peay State University has hosted in Clarksville.
Austin Peay State University is 3-0 against first-time opponents this season and is 6-2 against first-time opponents during the Scotty Walden Era with the losses coming against Southeastern Conference foes Mississippi and Alabama.
Formerly known as Dixie State, Utah Tech moved to the Division I FCS level in 2020 and is ineligible for the FCS Playoffs until the 2024 season. The Trailblazers went 4-7 overall and 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference last season before being picked to finish tied for seventh — with one first-place vote — in the 2023 UAC Preseason Poll.
Quarterback Kobe Tracy has a pair of weapons at receiver, with Beau Sparks (7.6) and Preseason All-UAC selection Rickie Johnson (5.8) ranking first and third in the UAC in receptions per game.
Sparks ranks fourth in the league with seven receiving touchdowns and third with 652 receiving yards while Johnson is tied for eighth with five touchdowns and ranks fourth with 647 yards. Tracy ranks fourth in the UAC in total offense (235.9), third in passing yards per game (239.9), and seventh in passing touchdowns (17).
With a pair of Preseason All-UAC selections in linebacker Will Leota and defensive lineman Syrus Webster, Utah Tech ranks eighth in the UAC in total defense (487.8), eighth in pass defense (268.7), ninth in rushing defense (219.1), and ninth in scoring defense (40.2). Dondi Fuller leads UTU and ranks third in the conference with 8.56 tackles per game, while Jared Fotu ranks second on the team and 10th in the league with 7.56 tackles per game.
This season, Webster ranks 10th in the UAC in tackles per game (7.3), second in sacks (6.0), and fourth in TFLs (10.0); he also leads the league with four forced fumbles. He has three double-digit tackle games and three games with double-digit TFLs this year.
Next Up For APSU Football
After Saturday’s game against Utah Tech, the Austin Peay State University football team closes the regular season with a significant UAC contest against Central Arkansas on November 18th, beginning at 1:00pm at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville. The regular-season finale against the Bears will serve as Senior Day for the Governors.
For news and updates throughout the 2023 season, follow APSU Govs football on X (@GovsFB) and Instagram (@GovsFootball) or stay tuned here.
