The Score – Austin Peay (11-3) beat No. 4 seed Sacramento State (9-4) 42-28 in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Story Line – Quarterback JaVaughn Craig dominated in the first three quarters as Ohio Valley Conference co-champion Austin Peay earned its second all-time FCS playoff win in as many weeks and denied Sacramento State in its first appearance.
Game Ball – Craig had 368 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns. He threw first-quarter touchdowns to DeAngelo Wilson and Baniko Harley (three total scores) and his 164 rushing yards on 12 carries were a career high.
Key Stats – Ahead 21-0 at halftime, the Governors’ offensive numbers told the story: They had a 295-60 advantage in yards (171-29 rushing and 124-31 passing) and 13 first downs to Sac State’s two, were 5 of 12 on third downs compared to the Hornets’ 0-for-7 and basically held the ball for three-quarters of the half (21 minutes, 29 seconds to 7:31).
The Takeaway – With better physicality up front, the Governors appeared to be moving downhill in averaging nearly six yards per carry (50 for 293) against the Big Sky co-champ. The only program to have two offensive linemen on the All-OVC first team (Kyle Anderton and Blake Mitchell) scored the most points off Sac State this season. While Harvey backed Craig with work out of the Wildcat, the Hornets basically became one-dimensional and QB Kevin Thomson had to work for his 306 passing yards, going 21 of 53.
Up Next – Austin Peay, under first-year coach Mark Hudspeth, will be back in the Big Sky Conference for its first-ever quarterfinal at No. 5 seed Montana State (10-3) next Saturday. It will be a first-time meeting.
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