OVC surprise Austin Peay seeks next step
(STATS) - Austin Peay skipped over a step - maybe two - with its development last year, but the incredible turnaround hasn't changed the reality of this season.
The Governors had a great season. The next step is trying to build a program through consistency.
There are many believers in third-year coach Will Healy and the once-downtrodden Govs. On Monday, they were picked second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, even garnering four of the 18 first-place votes behind four-time defending champ Jacksonville State, which has won 32 straight conference games since 2013.
The OVC's 30-player preseason team was particularly widespread as all nine teams had at least two selections. Jacksonville State led the way with six followed by Austin Peay with five.
"I think it's awesome to go into the year with expectations," Healy said. "That's what I hoped would happen at our place for a long time. There's obviously a bull's-eye on your back, people want to come after you, but I think that's awesome. We're going to be playing in meaningful games instead of people circling us as their homecoming date."
Austin Peay fans could have gotten whiplash by the stunning way last season passed by. With an 0-2 start, the Govs were mired in a 29-game losing streak - as well as 46 losses in a 47-game span - but they won eight of their final 10 games to finish 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the OVC and in second place. Three of their losses were to FBS programs and the other one came against Jacksonville State.
Inconceivable before the season, the Govs fell just shy of earning an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs - joining Delaware as one of the last two teams left out, according to the selection committee.
"For me," said Healy, who won the 2017 STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Award as the national coach of the year, "one of the best things that happened to us - the group coming back - was not making the playoffs because that's been the carrot that you dangle in front of them and say, 'Listen, what we did last year was not good enough and I don't want to feel the same way I had to feel that November day.'"
Austin Peay's depth entering 2018 is starkly different than recent seasons. Two years ago, quarterback JaVaughn Craig and running back Kentel Williams starred as freshmen and represented the future of the program. Last year, OVC freshman of the year Jeremiah Oatsvall surpassed Craig and rookie Ahmaad Tanner shared rushing duties with Williams.
Oatsvall, offensive linemen Ryan Rockensuess and Kyle Anderton, defensive end Jaison Williams and linebacker Gunnar Scholato made the conference's preseason team.
While Austin Peay has only one FBS opponent (Georgia in the season opener) on its schedule, the road portion of it is particularly rugged. That includes going to Jacksonville State.
"Nobody thinks we've accomplished anything close to what we want to, so it hasn't been resting on your laurels and feeling like you've arrived," Healy said. "They've been hungry; they want to do more."
---=
KEY CONFERENCE GAMES=
Spotlight Game: Austin Peay at Jacksonville State (Sept. 29)
There's been talk of upstart Austin Peay taking the next step and Jacksonville State going backward, but ending the Gamecocks' 32-game conference streak on the road is easier said than done.
Four More: Austin Peay at UT Martin (Sept. 22), Eastern Kentucky at UT Martin (Oct. 13), Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State (Oct. 13) and Jacksonville State at Tennessee State (Nov. 10).
---=
OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL=
Voted on by Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors
1. Jacksonville State (14 first-place votes), 126 points
2. Austin Peay (4), 112
3. UT Martin, 95
4. Eastern Illinois, 73
5. Eastern Kentucky, 69
6. Tennessee State, 64
7. Southeast Missouri, 62
8. Murray State, 24
9. Tennessee Tech, 23
---=
OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON TEAM=
Offensive Player of the Year - Marquis Terry, RB, Southeast Missouri
Defensive Player of the Year - Marlon Bridges, S, Jacksonville State
Offense
QB - Jeremiah Oatsvall, Austin Peay
RB - Marquis Terry, Southeast Missouri
RB - Ladarius Galloway, UT Martin
RB - Isaiah Johnson, Eastern Illinois
WR - Alexander Hollins, Eastern Illinois
WR - Steven Newbold, Tennessee State
TE - Dan Paul, Eastern Kentucky
C - Tyler Scozzaro, Jacksonville State
OG - B.J. Autry, Jacksonville State
OG - Ryan Rockensuess, Austin Peay
OG - Darius Anderson, Jacksonville State
OT - Drew Forbes, Southeast Missouri
OT - Kyle Anderton, Austin Peay
Defense
DL - Randy Robinson, Jacksonville State
DL - Jaison Williams, Austin Peay
DL - Aaron Patrick, Eastern Kentucky
DL - Kenney Wooten, Murray State
DL - Tim Collins, Tennessee Tech
LB - Zach Hall, Southeast Missouri
LB - James Gilleylen, UT Martin
LB - Gunnar Scholato, Austin Peay
DB - Vincent Sellers, Tennessee State
DB - Marlon Bridges, Jacksonville State
DB - Mark Williams, Eastern Illinois
DB - Dajour Nesbeth, Tennessee State
Special Teams
PK - Cade Stinnett, Jacksonville State
PK - Gabriel Vicente, Murray State
P - Nick Madonia, Tennessee Tech
RS - L.J. Scott, Eastern Kentucky
RS - Peyton Logan, UT Martin