By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sunday was certainly worth the wait for the Tennessee Tech football team. It had been nearly 15 months since the last time the Golden Eagles took to the field, and while it took a little time to get the offense going in the 2020-21 season opener against Austin Peay, Tech certainly finished with a flourish.
Trailing 14-3 midway through the third quarter, the Golden Eagles rifled off 24 straight points, then held on in a wild finish, knocking off defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Austin Peay 27-21 at Tucker Stadium on Sunday.
"It was an exciting win and a big win for the Tennessee Tech team," said Golden Eagle head coach Dewayne Alexander. "That is a very good Austin Peay team, defending conference champ and went three rounds deep into the FCS playoffs last season. They have very good players and just kept fighting tough. Coach (Scotty) Walden is an outstanding young coach and he goes at it the right way.
"Our team – what can you say? It wasn't pretty, but any time you win an OVC game, it's always big. We knew this was going to be an important game. We probably should have been ahead more than we were as we squandered some opportunities, especially in the first quarter. But we kept responding. Halftime, I told the guys that we just had to win the second half – and we had contributions from all three phases of the game. The defense caused turnovers, special teams caused turnovers and the offense taking advantage of a short field and score touchdowns when we needed to."
Tech (1-0) hits the road next week as the Golden Eagles take on Jacksonville State (0-0 OVC, 3-1 overall.) Austin Peay falls to 0-1 in conference play, 0-4 in the 2020-21 campaign.
The Golden Eagle defense came through at the right time as Seth Carlisle and Marcus McMeans picked up fumble recoveries and Josh Reliford and Jack Warwick came away with interceptions, winning the turnover battle 4-1, while also forcing Austin Peay to go 2-for-5 on fourth-down attempts. Carlisle also led the Golden Eagles with 11 tackles, while Chris Tucker had seven.
On the other side of the coin, Austin Peay harassed Tech quarterback Bailey Fisher, sacking him seven times for 41 yards. The Governors has 16 tackles-for-loss.
While Fisher ended the day with negative rushing yardage, he still ended the day with 106 passing yards on 11-for-18 passing, collecting a touchdown strike to Metrius Fleming for 13 yards to make it a 14-10 game with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter.
As the junior started rolling and moving the chains in the second half, the Golden Eagles started putting more points on the board.
But a wild series of events started as Reliford intercepted Draylen Ellis at the Peay 29 and returned it seven yards. Fisher appeared to be intercepted by Jonathan Edwards at the Govs' 5, but a roughing the passer penalty negated the turnover. As the fourth quarter opened, the Golden Eagles were within 10 yards of the end zone.
David Gist and Fisher traded carries, then Gist took a direct snap and worked his way forward for the two-yard touchdown. True freshman Hayden Olsen, who had a great first career game, knocked the PAT through to put the Golden Eagles up 17-14 with 11:51 remaining in the contest.
"Hayden helped lead Buford High School to a Georgia state championship last year," Alexander said. "He kicked the game-winning field goal on the last play of the game in three of the four postseason games. I could tell he was a little nervous early, but settled down and was just outstanding today."
On the kickoff, Olsen kicked to C.J. Evans Jr, but the Peay returner was smashed by Jordan Brown, knocking the ball loose. Carlisle scooped up the loose ball and the Golden Eagles were in business again at the APSU 21.
Just three plays later, the Golden Eagles were in again as Gist took another direct snap and pushed forward and in for another score. Olsen's PAT put Tech up by 10 with 10:15 left in the game.
"(The direct snap to Gist) was just something we thought might be a good fit," Alexander said. "They were a hard team to prepare for because they had a whole new staff come in. They played three games in the fall, but with a new staff, you may as well get rid of it. Their defensive coordinator came from Division III Mount Union and we're trying to round up their film. Even with that, how are they going to use the personnel they have utilizing that style of defense. Their defensive front has a lot of really good football players. Their line is tough and physical and were bringing pressure every down."
The Governors' next drive resulted in a turnover on downs at the APSU 37 as Ellis was sacked by Devin Squires. Needing to run down the clock, the Golden Eagles were able to put together a seven-play, 22-yard drive lasting 4:47, as Olsen made his second field goal. Olsen was 2-for-3 on the day, missing a 24-yarder in the first quarter before making the second two attempts. The freshman was also 3-for-3 on PATs.
Austin Peay put together a scoring drive that used all but 12 seconds of the remaining time as backup quarterback Bryce Robinson completed a touchdown pass to DeAngelo Wilson for 14 yards. Cole Deeds hit the PAT and it was suddenly a 27-21 game.
The Governors went for the onside kick as Ashton Dodd made the kick 13 yards and it glanced off the hands of Jamaal Thompson. Kordel Jackson recovered the ball and the play was down at the Tech 47. An illegal formation penalty pushed Peay back to its own 48, but Robinson flipped the ball to Wilson, who then pitched it to Evans, then once more to Baniko Harley, who scored Austin Peay's first touchdown of the day on a 22-yard reception from Ellis, for a 19-yard pickup to the Tech 33.
Just three seconds remained in the contest. Robinson stepped back looking to pass. He evaded some pressure as the rest of the receivers and defenders bolted to the end zone on the Hail Mary attempt. Robinson's pass sailed over the herd of players in the end zone, ending the contest.
The Golden Eagles were held to 156 yards of total offense, but also had several short field situations on the day. Tech also won the possession time battle, holding onto the ball for 35:25 to Peay's 24:35. Gist had 56 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries to lead the Golden Eagles, while Fleming had three catches for 52 yards.
Brian Snead had a team-high 69 yards on 16 carries for the Governors, while Wilson caught eight passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Ellis ended the day with 165 yards on 11-for-23 passing, while Robinson was 5-for-8 for 55 yards. APSU ended the game with 373 yards of offense.
Photo | Eric Elliot, APSU Athletic Communications
