• ESPN3 Information and FAQ | Direct Link to Austin Peay/Tennessee State Game
This week the OVC Football "Game of the Week" series on ESPN3 features Tennessee State at Austin Peay. The game is slated to kick-off at 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
This contest is the second of an exclusive eight-game package that will air on ESPN3 this season.
The games are being produced by Tupelo Raycom, a Raycom Media company that brings together Tupelo-Honey (founded 1996) and WebStream Sports (2006). With offices in New York, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Nashville and Los Angeles the company develops new programming and delivers live events, music specials and branded features for broadcast, digital and in-venue entertainment.
Kevin Ingram, host of "The Wake Up Zone" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while Bob Belvin, on-air talent and contributor at 104.1 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past six years in the league's TV package.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the ESPN App. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
GAME PREVIEW
Tennessee State Tigers (2-1, 1-0 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (2-3, 0-2 OVC)
Saturday, October 6 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Fortera Stadium (8,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=227480
Series Record:....................... Tennessee State leads 13-7
Last Meeting:................ Austin Peay won 21-17 (10/14/17)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:..................... 51-43 (9 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Will Healy at Austin Peay:............................ 10-18 (3 yrs.)
Will Healy Overall:................................................... same
Tennessee State Last Week:........... L, 31-27 at Vanderbilt
Austin Peay Last Week:.. L, 48-32 at #8 Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: In-state rivals meet on Saturday in the OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3. The game is part of the Sgt. York Trophy series which is contested between the four football-playing OVC schools in the state of Tennessee. The two teams shared the inaugural championship in 2007, although TSU took home the actual trophy after blocking an extra point on the final play of the game in a 33-32 overtime win. Austin Peay claimed its first outright title a year ago by going 3-0 in Sgt. York games. A year ago Austin Peay ended a five-game losing streak in the series, pulling out a 21-17 victory in Nashville. In that game the teams were evenly matched with Austin Peay winning on an Ahmaad Tanner two-yard touchdown run with 1:26 to play in the game. Jeremiah Oatsvall rushed for 82 yards and passed for 85 for the Govs in the win while Michael Hughes had 148 passing yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Overall three of the past four games in the series have been decided by four points or less.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State suffered its first loss of the season at FBS foe Vanderbilt, coming up just short in a 31-27 decision. The Tigers led 13-10 at halftime before falling behind after a pair of Vanderbilt touchdowns in the first six minutes of the third quarter. But TSU would rebound and took a 27-24 lead with 8:02 to play when Demry Croft connected with Andrew Knox on a one-yard touchdown pass. The Commodores responded three plays later but the Tigers would have one more shot. An 11-play drive took nearly five minutes off the clock but stalled at the Commodore 15-yard line on an incomplete pass on fourth down. Demry Croft finished the game 22-of-31 for 269 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a team-best 41 yards. He currently ranks seventh nationally in passing efficiency (172.7), 13th in completion percentage (67.7%) and 16th in passing yards/completion (14.55). Croft connect with former quarterback Treon Harris eight times for 109 yards and a touchdown; Harris is averaging 80.3 yards/game this season. The TSU offense ranks 11th nationally in passing offense (480.7 yards/game) and has thrown only one interception this year. Defensively, junior Dajour Nesbeth had 10 tackles and returned an interception out of the end zone 65 yards to setup a TSU touchdown. Nesbeth currently ranks third nationally in passes defended (2.3/game) and seventh in interceptions (0.7/game).
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay fell to 0-2 in OVC play with a 48-32 loss at No. 8 Jacksonville State. The Govs scored the first nine points of the game and were within two points at the end of the third quarter before the Gamecocks pulled away with three consecutive fourth quarter touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall threw a career-high four touchdown passes and accounted for 294 yards of total offense (245 passing, 49 rushing) in the game. Kentel Williams added 54 yards on the ground, as APSU finished with 143 yards rushing against a Top 10 nationally-ranked rush defense. Entering this week the Govs rank 15th nationally in rushing offense (241.8 yards/game). DJ Montgomery caught a pair of touchdown passes to increase his season total to three scores, tying his total from the entire 2017 season. Senior Malik Davis recorded his first career interception and also added eight solo tackles for the game. The Austin Peay team has now recorded an interception in four-straight games. Gunnar Scholato leads the team with 43 tackles through five games (three tackles ahead of Davis). Punter Devin Stuart, who ranks first in the OVC in punting average (42.7), had three punts of 50 yards or more against the Gamecocks, including a season-long of 65.