# 2023 Austin Peay Governors football team

The 2023 Austin Peay Governors football team represented Austin Peay State University as a member of the United Athletic Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Scotty Walden, the Governors played at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.
After the 2022 season, the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which had been partners in a football-only alliance in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, jointly announced that they would merge their football leagues.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southern Illinois* | | Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL | ESPN+ | L 23–49 | 8,327 |
| September 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 9 (FBS) Tennessee* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | SECN+ | L 13–30 | 101,915 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | East Tennessee State* | | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN | ESPN+ | W 63–3 | 8,296 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at Stephen F. Austin | | Homer Bryce StadiumNacogdoches, TX | ESPN+ | W 22–20 | 9,832 |
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at Lindenwood* | | Harlen C. Hunter StadiumSt. Charles, MO | ESPN+ | W 52–10 | 2,816 |
| October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | Gardner–Webb* | | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN | ESPN+ | W 41–14 | 7,503 |
| October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | at Southern Utah | No. 24 | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | W 48–45 $^{2OT}$ | 3,547 |
| October 28 | 3:00 p.m. | North Alabama | No. 20 | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN | ESPN+ | W 49–39 | 8,698 |
| November 4 | 4:00 p.m. | at Eastern Kentucky | No. 19 | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | W 33–30 $^{OT}$ | 10,067 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Utah Tech | No. 20 | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN | ESPN+ | W 30–17 | 7,116 |
| November 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | No. 15 | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN | ESPN+ | W 14–12 | 9,931 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 18 Chattanooga* | No. 13 | Fortera StadiumClarksville, TN (NCAA Division I First Round) | ESPN+ | L 21–24 | 7,249 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 12 Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Austin Peay | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 12 Tennessee (FBS) | 3 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 30 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 78 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 101,915
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Dave Steckel (analyst)
| Statistics | PEAY | TENN |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 75–339 | 65–456 |
| Rushing yards | 34–79 | 32–228 |
| Passing yards | 260 | 228 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–41–1 | 21–33–0 |
| Time of possession | 39:01 | 20:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Austin Peay | Passing | Mike DiLiello | 29/39, 260 yards, TD, INT |
| Austin Peay | Rushing | Mike DiLiello | 21 carries, 36 yards |
| Austin Peay | Receiving | Trey Goodman | 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD |
| Tennessee | Passing | Joe Milton III | 21/33, 228 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Jaylen Wright | 13 carries, 118 yards |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Ramel Keyton | 5 receptions, 52 yards, TD |

### Chattanooga–NCAA Division I First Round

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Mocs | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| No. 13 Governors | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
The Governors, won the UAC Conference Title outright receiving the automatic bid for the postseason tournament, with a first-round pairing against Chattanooga.