With 25 seniors being honored before the game for there services to the APSU Govs, the senior day was one that will be remembered for ages with a 24-21 come-from-behind win over the TSU Tigers, Saturday. The win marked the first win over the Tigers since 1995.

With the win the Govs improve to 4-6 overall, 3-4 in the conference, while TSU falls to 3-7 overall, 2-5 in the OVC.

“This (win) is big for the 25 seniors. They stayed here for three years after I got hired and close to 100% will graduate,” said Head Coach Rick Christophel.

“Our program, to get respect, must play hard every week. Keeping them focused will be the toughest part, but I’ve got ways to do that.”

Terrence Holt scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 71-yard scamper on a punt return.

The return was Holt’s second touchdown for the game; it was also his seventh time this season with multiple touchdowns.

With Holt scoring, Ryan White pounded the ball inside on 27 carries for 114 yards. White also became the sixth player in APSU history to break the 1000-yard mark.

“I am really excited about that,” said White. “It is the first time in my life I have gone over 1000 yards, it is a big accomplishment, but I could not ever do it without my O-line, they are the heart and soul of this team.”

With TSU opening the first quarter scoring on two passes from Calvin McNairl, the first going nine-yards to Travis James, while the second one covered 22 yards to Marquez Wilkens.

With the Govs facing a 14-0 deficient, but the Govs would used a 10 play 54 yard drive that covered 4:20 off the clock to cut the lead to 14-7.

As the second half started, the Govs miscue on the kick return, gave TSU the ball inside the APSU 30-yard line. The Tigers used three plays covering 29 yards capped of on McNairl’s seven-yard strike to Ronald Wright to extend the lead to 21-7.

From there the Govs offense went to work scoring 17 straight points, while the defense flexed there muscles holding TSU to only 102 yards of total offense in the second half.

“We talked about a lot of adjustments, but I think we made some good ones at halftime,” said Christophel. “The kids played resilient, and they did not panic.”

The Govs first score of the second half when, Holt raced 22-yards for his one of two scores, in a drive that covered six plays, 52 yards and 2:21 off the clock.

On the ensuing kickoff, TSU’s Julian Sample fumbles the kickoff, and was recovered by Antwaun Majors at the TSU 25-yardline. From there Stephen Stansell hit a 43-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-17.

Then, holding TSU to four plays, forcing a punt, Holt did his thing and scored from 71-yards out.

The fourth quarter the Govs held TSU on a fourth and five with 1:42 left in the game to an incomplete pass to secure the drive to win it.

From there White pounded the ball for the first down where Jake Ryan lead the Govs in the victory formation to take a knee for the win.

Holt finished with 222 yards of total offense, which tallies him with 2,061 yards for the season, and is currently sitting in second place on the All-time list for APSU behind Jay Bailey who had 2,153 yards in 2002. For the second straight week Holt was selected as Conference Specialist Player of the Week.

Jake Ryan finished 8-of-22 for 101 yards, no sacks, and no interceptions.

Defensively, the Govs were lead by Amius Smith, 12 tackles, and one quarterback hurry.

Senior Daniel Becker finished with eight tackles, which put him in the top 10 all-time lists for APSU with total tackles.

“It’s been a great four years and I am so glad I made the chose to come to Austin Peay,” said Becker.  “I would not take back anything that has happened the last four years.”

The Govs will finish the season on the road against the Skyhawks of Tennessee of Martin; kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. The Govs currently sit in fourth place in the conference standings, and a win Saturday would secure a fourth place finish in the OVC conference.

Opposing teams aim to stop the rushing attack by APSU offensive stars Ryan White and Terrence Holt. On Saturday night, Oct. 31, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks did just that in holding the Govs to 106 yards on the ground in the 28-10 loss on Homecoming.

With the loss, APSU falls into a tie with UT-Martin for fifth place with a 3-5 overall record and 2-3 OVC. Jacksonville State improves to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference. But due to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) penalties, Jacksonville State is ineligible for post-season.

“They are going to try to stop the run, and we need to do a better job of getting guys open down field and taking advantage of that,” said APSU head coach Rick Christophel.

Jacksonville State sealed the win when Jake Ryan threw his second interception to A.J. Davis who returned it 55 yards for the three-score lead.

Former Louisiana State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux opened the third quarter using his dual threat by scoring from 15 yards out after he connected with Greg Smith on a 47-yard pass to set up what would be the game winning score.

“I thought we did a good job against him,” Christophel said. “He [Perrilloux] is an NFL quarterback; he can make all the throws and he can run. He is mobile and sees the field really well.”

Overall, Jacksonville State led the game with 398 yards of total offense while the Govs had only 129 yards.

After Jacksonville State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a Jamal Young nine-yard run in the first quarter, the offense was no where to be seen on three straight three-and-outs possessions.

The second quarter was a different story. The Govs offense came alive by going on a 13-play drive covering 55 yards capped off by Stephen Stansell’s 32-yard field goal to cut the lead 7-3. The Govs used a personal foul penalty to get the drive started.

On the very next Gamecock possession, the Govs forced a punt, and Rickey Thomas blocked Patrick Tatum’s kick at the JSU 34-yard line, was picked up by Jeremy Ross and took it to the house for a touchdown to give the Govs a 10-7 lead.

The block was Thomas’ sixth career block, but the lead did not last long. On the ensuing kickoff, the Govs were called for a personal foul, allowing JSU to start on at the Govs’s 46. Four plays later, Perrilloux found Calvin Middleton, who trotted 34-yards to push the lead to 14-10, going into the half.

From there the Govs could not score again. The Govs’ Ryan finished 3-of-22, 23 yards and two interceptions. Holt finished with 103 all-purpose yards. He had a 70-yard punt return that would have gone for a score but was called back for defensive holding. White finished with 24 carries and 72 yards.

Defensively, the Govs were led by Daniel Becker’s 11 tackles and two pass break ups. Tremayne Townsend chipped in 10 tackles in the effort. The teams combined with 19 penalties for 201 yards. Eight infractions for 75 yards came from the Govs, and JSU was penalized 11 times for 126 yards.

The game was APSU’s 65th Homecoming contest; the Govs are now 28-36-1 in Homecoming games. This loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Govs in Homecoming and extends their losing streak to Jacksonville State to three games. The Govs will go on the road Saturday, Nov. 7, to take on Murray State (2-6, 1-4 OVC) with a 1 p.m. kickoff.

Afterwards, the Govs then travel back for the last home game against rival, Tennessee State, Saturday, Nov. 14.

Entering the game Saturday, Oct. 24, the APSU Govs football team was a bad footnote in history. They held the nation’s third longest losing streak with 22 straight losses to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

Behind a potent ground attack from junior running back Terrence Holt, the Govs snapped the 22-game skid. They came from behind to defeat the Colonels 24-20.

The win is APSU’s (3-4, 2-2 OVC) first against the Colonels since Oct. 1, 1977.

“It’s pretty special for me because the last time Austin Peay beat them, my brother was the quarterback,” said APSU head coach Rick Christophel.

The Govs have had a lot of success running the ball this season. They came into the game leading the OVC in rushing. Holt rushed for 176 yards on 16 carries and scored twice, a distinctive career performance.

Holt entered the game ranked second in the nation averaging just over 207.33 all-purpose yards a game. He finished the game with 251 total yards.

The Govs’ defense flexed their muscles for the home crowd. They forced three second-half turnovers, two fumbles and one interception. Redshirt freshman linebacker Zac Burkhart got the interception which proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Colonels with 1:19 left in the game.

“Our defense played so well tonight,” said senior linebacker Daniel Becker. “Our defense stepped up, even when we were down we always were looking to strip the ball and make plays.”

The Govs jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. They scored touchdowns on consecutive drives.

The first score came courtesy of redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Ryan. He threw his first collegiate touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Adrian Mines.

On the second offensive drive of the game, Holt scored the first of his two touchdowns by scampering 80 yards through Colonel defenders to the end zone.

The Colonels played hard during the second quarter. Redshirt freshmen quarterback for the Colonels, T.J. Pryor, scored two of the three Colonel touchdowns in the second quarter.

“He is good and he is a heck of a player, and we knew that when we came into it,” said Becker. “We knew he was a dual threat and we had to keep him inside the pocket and try to make things tough for him.”

Pryor opened up with a 43-yard completion to Shannon Davis on a third down. The pass set up his 15-yard run to cut the lead to 14-7.The momentum stayed with the Colonels. Andrew Soucy blocked a 45-yard field goal attempt by Govs freshman kicker Stephen Stansell, and the Colonels took over at their own 32-yard line.

The Colonels drove 68 yards in seven plays to tie the game 14-14. After a failed fourth down conversion by the Govs, the Colonels’s next drive went 62 yards on 10 plays and ended with Pryor’s second touchdown.

The Govs suddenly found themselves behind 20-14 and perhaps victims of controversy. It appeared as if the Colonels were granted an extra down in their last scoring drive of the quarter.

However, the Govs’s second half proved to hold the defining moments of the game. They held the potent Colonel offense to one first down in the third quarter.

“I thought the whole defensive staff did a great job at halftime making adjustments, getting the right people in the right places and that’s what it boils down to. Make him do things he is not comfortable at doing.”

While the defense shut down the Colonel’s offense in the third quarter, Holt helped the cause with a 41-yard punt return to put the Govs at the Colonel’s 22-yard line. Later, Holt took advantage of the field position by ending the three-play drive with a 12-yard run that put the Govs back on top 21-20.Govs sophomore safety Amius Smith ended the Colonels first drive in the red zone in the fourth quarter by forcing a fumble. Govs redshirt freshman cornerback Antwaun Majors recovered the fumble for a touchback.

After exchanging possessions, the Colonels had another miscue. Pryor fumbled, and Govs senior linebacker Rick Woods recovered the fumble. Three plays later, Stansell connected on a 27-field goal to push the lead to 24-20.

The Colonels final possession ended with the interception by Burkhart.

“It is a great feeling. Besides the point we have lost to them 22 straight times, and for all the 25 seniors we have, that was for them,” said Burkhart. “Besides the pick, our offense played great.”

The Govs finished with 348-yards of total offense, 263 on the ground and 85 through the air.

Ryan completed three of seven passes for 85 yards and one score. Sophomore running back Ryan White chipped in 99 yards on 32 carries. Mines had two catches for 81 yards and one score.

Defensively, Becker lead the charge with 11 tackles. Smith added eight tackles, one forced fumble, two pass break ups and one quarterback hurry.

Terrence Holt was named OVC offensive Player of the Week for his 176-yard, two-touchdown performance against EKU. Defensive tackle Antonio Faulkner, who pass-rushing performance forced a fumble on one drive and helped cause an interception, was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week. This is the second time in as many weeks APSU has had players earn conference honors.