The Opponent: Austin Peay State University was established in 1927, named after then-current governor Austin Peay. Admittingly, I was prepared to take some cheap shots at Austin Peay the politician, but research has certainly changed my mind. My man must have had Bachman Turner Overdrive blasting on the phonograph, because he was taking care of business during the 1920’s. Peay modernized Tennessee’s state government and helped drag it from fiscal debt to surplus. More importantly, he established Tennessee’s first state park and was integral in establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in East Tennessee. Tip of the cap to the ole Governor, but now we can be critical. Austin Peay, the college, has been playing football since 1930. The Governors have a winning percentage of just 35% historically. They have won only four conference titles in nearly 100 years, two of which have been shared. Austin Peay is currently coached by former Southern Miss assistant Scotty Walden.
Are they any Good?: This is a relative question when we are talking about FCS programs. Austin Peay was pretty solid last season, their only season in the Atlantic Sun. The Govs went 7-4 overall, including a respectable 34-0 loss in Tuscaloosa. This season Austin Peay will be competing in the newly formed United Athletic Conference, a smattering of former FCS teams spread across America. While Austin Peay had a nice 2022 season, the transfer portal was not kind to the Governor’s program. They lost their season opener to Southern Illinois 49-23. To circle back to the opening question, no Austin Peay is not good at all. This is easily the weakest opponent on Tennessee’s schedule.
What does Vegas Say?: Per usual, most major sportsbooks do not publish lines for games between FBS and FCS teams. I have to imagine it would be above 50 points though. With the NFL back this weekend, surely even the sickest of gamblers reading this can find something else to bet on though.
What will this tell us about Tennessee?: I would not expect to learn much about Tennessee’s starters in this contest. They will make some dazzling plays against an inferior team, but it will mean very little relative to upcoming SEC opponents. We should learn a lot about Tennessee’s underclassmen though. Younger Vols should play the majority of the second half for Tennessee. It very well could be the longest outing of the season for freshman QB Nico Iamalevea.
Matchup to Watch on Defense: The maturation of Tennessee’s young linebackers. The Vols’ season got dealt its first significant injury blow with the news that Keenan Pili will miss multiple weeks with an upper-body injury. Tennessee now has to prepare multiple young linebackers to play the majority of SEC snaps this fall. Elijah Herring likely slides into Pili’s starting position. Herring appeared in all 13 games for Tennessee last season as a true freshman, mostly on special teams and mop-up duty. Herring appears to have had a really nice off-season in the weight room, looking noticeably bigger this fall. He had five tackles, including a TFL, against Virginia last week. This weekend is Herring’s opportunity to mentally prepare in that starter’s role, and get ready to play 50+ snaps each game. Pili’s injury also means true freshmen Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander will both have to play more snaps going forward. Tennessee’s defense does routinely rotate linebackers regardless of the score or situation. Saturday’s game is a big opportunity for these guys to get valuable reps before going on the road to Gainesville. As exciting of a prospect as Carter looks like, it is important to remember he did not even play defense his junior year of high school. All of these young guys may struggle with the mental speed of the game early on. They will all likely be targeted by opposing playcallers. Saturday is a good opportunity for them to gain some valuable reps, and hopefully some needed confidence. Herring, Carter, and Telander were always Tennessee’s linebackers of the future. That future just arrived sooner than anyone expected.
More from RTI: Tennessee Linebacker Out For Multiple Weeks Due To Injury
Matchup to Watch on Offense: Tennessee’s offense on third down. After a somewhat sluggish start, the Vols’ offense was clinically precise in the second half against Virginia. Joe Milton was not perfect, but had a nice game overall. It is hard to imagine him struggling this Saturday. If you want to knit pick though, Tennessee can be better on third down offensively. The Vols converted on 38% of third downs last week. That is not a terrible number, but not very impressive either considering the opponent. Third-down efficiency is something to monitor with Joe Milton. In his two starts to end last season (Vanderbilt & Clemson), Tennessee was 3-20 on third down. Obviously, the Vols looked good overall in both games, but that is a trend to keep an eye on moving forward. Again, Tennessee should be able to do whatever it wants against Austin Peay. Crisp and efficient execution on third downs would be nice to see though.
Fun Fact: If we are talking Austin Peay athletics, then it is hard not to mention its most famous player ever. Very few folks would have guessed Brooklyn streetball legend, James “Fly” Williams, would end up playing college basketball in Clarksville, TN. However, a very young Leonard Hamilton, then an assistant coach at Austin Peay, lured Fly southward from NYC. The rest is mostly history. The Rucker Park legend electrified Clarksville, averaging nearly 30 ppg as a true freshman. Fly almost upset Joe B. Hall and the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA tournament that season, falling 106-100 in overtime. Life after Austin Peay was pretty tough on Fly though. His professional career never really took off, and was cut short after he was shot by an off-duty police officer in his late 20’s. Now 70 years old, Fly currently resides in prison after being busted as the alleged head of a NYC-based heroin distribution ring. His younger days were best memorialized by Rick Telander’s outstanding book on Brooklyn street culture of the 1970’s, Heaven is a Playground.
So What Happens?: In short, Tennessee gets to name the score against an overmatched Austin Peay team. Heupel’s team beat Tennessee Tech 56-0 in 2021 and UT-Martin 65-24 last season. The Vols are deeper overall on defense this season, so I will be curious how much Austin Peay can move the ball against mostly reserves in the second half. This is a big game for Tennessee’s special teams, a unit that was pretty abysmal in the opener. I am not sure how much action punter Jackson Ross will see, but the Aussie could use a few more kicks before the trip to Gainesville. We saw both good and bad from Dee Williams returning punts. This could be a game where he takes one to the house, but I am more concerned with ball security. It is all about tightening up everything on Saturday, and getting reps for young players. We are very likely to see the first touchdown throw from Nico Iamaleava, who should get to play most of the second half. I am guessing he ends up with two passing touchdowns. Those will count towards a final score of Tennessee 65, Austin Peay 10.
