• STATS FCS Awards Release
Austin Peay head football coach
Mark Hudspeth has been named one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented by STATS to the FCS National Coach of the Year.
Hudspeth, the OVC Coach of the Year, led Austin Peay to a program record nine victories, including a 7-1 mark in OVC play as the Govs won a share of the OVC Championship, its first title since 1977. APSU also earned the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, marking the program's first-ever playoff appearance. This came after the team lost its starting quarterback in the first quarter of the second game of the season but still managed to set a program record for total offense (5,158 yards).
The Austin Peay defense also proved to be strong in 2019, ranking fifth nationally in rush defense (86.5 yards/game), ninth in defensive touchdowns (3) and total defense (299.6 yards/game), 13th in tackles for loss (7.9/game), 14th in passes intercepted (14) and 18th in team passing efficiency defense (117.77).
Along the way the Govs toppled a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks (a first in program history) and finished 9-3 overall (7-1 OVC), losing three games by a combined 16 points. After a two-point setback on October 19, Austin Peay finished the regular season by winning five-straight games (the third-longest winning streak in program history). The Govs enter the postseason ranked No. 17 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the STATS poll, marking its highest-ever rank in either of those polls in program history.
A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will vote on the winner following the regular season. The award will be presented in Frisco, Texas on the eve on the FCS National Championship Game.
Three former OVC coaches have won the Eddie Robinson Awards including Murray State's Houston Nutt (1995), Southeast Missouri's Tony Samuel (2010) and Austin Peay's Will Healy (2017).
2019 EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD FINALISTS
Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas
Kevin Callahan, Monmouth
Bob Chesney, Holy Cross
Curt Cignetti, James Madison
Bernard Clark Jr., Robert Morris
Matt Entz, North Dakota State
Greg Gattuso, UAlbany
Mark Hudspeth, Austin Peay
Dale Lindsey, San Diego
Connell Maynor, Alabama A&M
Ryan McCarthy, Central Connecticut State
Buddy Pough, South Carolina State
Troy Taylor, Sacramento State
Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth
Scott Wachenheim, VMI