APSU FOOTBALL

Southeast Missouri 31, Austin Peay 27: 5 things we learned from Govs' close loss

Michael Curtis
Leaf Chronicle
Austin Peay running back Kentel Williams rushes past a Southeast Missouri defender on Saturday at Houck Field.

Austin Peay (3-4, 1-3 OVC) led for the first three quarters, but was unable to finish the job against Southeast Missouri (4-2, 2-1), losing 31-27 in the final seconds on Saturday at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

With the loss, the Govs move further away from a chance to make the FCS playoffs.

"I'm probably as frustrated as I've been since I've been here," Austin Peay coach Will Healy said. "Give a lot of credit to them (Southeast Missouri). I thought they played really hard. They made some plays when they needed to, especially on some of the fourth-down plays at the end of the game." 

Here are five things we learned:

Fourth-quarter madness

On fourth down with four minutes remaining, Austin Peay was down 24-20. Jeremiah Oatsvall threw a 17-yard pass into the end zone to DeAngelo Wilson, who caught his second touchdown of the day. Oatsvall finished 15-of-29 passing, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

On fourth down late in the fourth quarter, Southeast Missouri quarterback Daniel Santacaterina threw a 22-yard pass to Jerrick Orr, who caught the ball and gave the Redhawks terrific field position, which set up Marquis Terry's game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining.

Marquis Terry's game-winning touchdown

Terry came into Saturday's game with 650 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Austin Peay was able to hold him to just 40 rushing yards on 20 carries. Terry had 186 all-purpose yards last week against Tennessee Tech, which tied for first in the FCS with Tennessee State's Chris Rowland.

However, with the game on the line, Terry rushed 1 yard for a touchdown, giving the Redhawks the win.

One-minute drive before halftime

Seven plays. 80 yards. Seven points. This is the result of the Govs' last drive before halftime that gave them a 10-point lead, and the momentum, going into the break. Oatsvall rushed for 23 yards, followed by a 14-yard pass to Gorel Soumare. Oatsvall found DeAngelo Williams for a 22-yard reception, and threw a 23-yard pass to Williams again, for the score.

Austin Peay wide receiver DJ Montgomery avoids a Southeast Missouri defender on Saturday at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Lockdown defense continues

Southeast Missouri was unable to run the football effectively, as the Governors limited the Redhawks to 153 rushing yards. They were also limited to 344 passing yards. Juantarius Bryant, who got engaged after last week's win over Tennessee State, led the Govs in tackles with 12. Gunnar Scholato added 10.

"Both of those guys did some really good things for us," Healy said. "They're consistent and they're always going to show up in that statistic. I'm proud of Juantarius and Gunnar and how hard they play, and how they consistently bring it."

Jeremiah Oatsvall, the punter?

Oatsvall took two sacks that cost Austin Peay a lot of yardage in the first half. However, the Govs quarterback showed a different side of his game as he took on the role of punter. Oatsvall punted twice in the first half totaling 66 yards, and both punts landed within Southeast Missouri's 1.

Reach Michael Curtis at mcurtis@gannett.com and on Twitter @MikeACurtis2.