That era had ended a while ago for those in the know. The past must be acknowledged their struggle helped lead to this incredible moment we all got to witness Saturday night. In modern FCS football history, joining up with Austin Peay football had never been a cause celebre it was likely to lead to more questions than answers. The players and coaches deserve all the credit, here. This program had come too far to relinquish that kind of lead. Just because we hadn't gotten to mention him yet, Craig Rivers hit DeAngelo Wilson for a 40-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but by that point, it was over. They were going to be Ohio Valley Conference Champions and go to the FCS playoffs. When the Govs stopped the ensuing Eastern Illinois drive on downs at midfield, taking over with 2:30 to play in the third and holding a three-score lead, that was the moment reality set in. When another Craig Rivers-to-Harley toss, this from nine yards out, made the score 28-7, that was the build to crescendo. Late in the first half, after Austin Peay forced a punt with 2:30 to play, the signal-caller engineered a four-play scoring drive that saw him Prince Momodu for 14 yards and Gorel Soumare for 12 before running the final 19 on his own to send the Govs into the break with a 21-7 lead. It's a microcosm of the season, really way back in Week 2, when Jeremiah Oatsvall went down and things looked dire, it was Craig Rivers emerging from the proverbial phone booth, ready to be Superman, that helped save the Govs season. When the offense stalled or the defense simply needed to catch its breath, Craig Rivers-formerly doing business as JaVaughn Craig before adding Rivers to his last name this week in honor of his stepfather-was the man the Govs turned to. Craig Rivers hit Harley for gains of 30 and 39 yards to get the Govs inside the EIU 10, then took it the last five himself for the score, his season's seventh on the ground. The Govs needed less than two minutes to answer. ![]() The Panthers would march 75 yards, with Darshon McCullough going the last 47 himself on the second quarter's first snap to tie the game. After leading Austin Peay into the Eastern Illinois red zone, Craig Rivers lofted a pass toward DeAngelo Wilson but led him too far and wound up in the hands of J.J. Just when it looked as though the Govs were going to have the game in hand, disaster struck. Finally, Craig Rivers hit Harley from 13 yards out to get the Govs on the board for the first time. The first scoring drive featured a healthy dose of JaVaughn Craig Rivers and Baniko Harley first was a 16-yard hookup to move the Govs into Panther territory, then a clutch 13-yard scramble by the senior quarterback on fourth down. The Govs are OVC champions.Īustin Peay got on the board first after pinning Eastern Illinois deep and forcing a punt, the Govs took over and marched 61 yards in less than four minutes. And despite the coolness and the precipitation in Clarksville tonight, it is glorious. Entire classes of players came and went without winning nine games, which these Govs just did for the first time in program history. It's not just that Austin Peay State University's football team was the doormat of the league for years-they were cellar-dwellers for decades at a time, the perennial last-place choice at league media day year-in and year-out. ![]() The word 'incredible' gets thrown around a lot, but this is nothing short of incredible. ![]() CLARKSVILLE-For the first time since 1977, the Govs are the class of the Ohio Valley Conference.
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