Govs open college football season in national spotlight |
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The eyes of the nation were on Austin Peay State University's football team on Aug. 29 as they opened the 2020 season at the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff in a nationally-broadcast game against Central Arkansas at the Cramton Bowl. |
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Saturday's game, the lone game on the college football slate, was broadcast nationally on ESPN – the Governors second-ever appearance on the worldwide leader in sports. In a game that simmered along for 56 minutes, the Govs brought the contest to a rolling boil by trading touchdowns in the final four minutes, with the Governors falling by a 24-17 margin. Austin Peay kicked off the college football season in style – a highlight featured on national broadcasts the next morning – when freshman running back C.J. Evans dashed for a 75-yard score on the game's opening play from scrimmage. A couple of broken arm tackles, a burst of acceleration, one cutback and 75 yards later, Evans had found the end zone and Austin Peay found itself with a sideline in a state of full-on pandemonium. |
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After everything—the breaks, the stops and starts, the uncertainty and fear and worry that the Govs simply may never get this chance again—all those emotions unfurled themselves in one great, big sigh of relief at the 14:44 mark of the first quarter. It was Evans’ first college football game, taking place 170 miles from his native Mobile, Alabama home. When he crossed the goal line, social media exploded. The Austin Peay sideline exploded. The fans in red who made the journey to Montgomery exploded. If it couldn't be normal, because nothing can be right now, it was the next-closest thing: pure, unbridled fun. "It was awesome," Evans said. "It's great exposure. I knew I had to ball out. We were just ready to show the world what we had. I know we fell short, but I thought we played great tonight." |
The FCS kickoff game was a thrilling bout which included a 75-yard rushing touchdown on the first play by the Governors.