Austin Peay defeated Tennessee Tech 41-10 Saturday afternoon during 2018 Homecoming action Saturday at Fortera Stadium. Photos by Robert Smith | APSU Athletics
Jeremiah Oatsvall put on a show Saturday night for all of the fans and alumni who made their way back to Clarksville for Homecoming.
This year’s theme for homecoming at Austin Peay State University was “Undefeatable Superheroes,” and the sophomore signal caller certainly fit the bill against Tennessee Tech, as the offense racked up 566 yards en route to a 41-10 victory.
Oatsvall had himself a career day, completing 15-of-19 passes for 279 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs. The five touchdown passes tied the APSU single-game record and is tied for the most by an Ohio Valley Conference quarterback this season.
“I thought he probably played his best game (Saturday) night,” head coach Will Healy said. “I thought he made great decisions with the football. He was extremely accurate. We threw the ball downfield, and he seemed to be on point. He was much better in the pocket, and he didn’t put the ball in jeopardy. I think he’s made tremendous strides.”
Oatsvall entered his sophomore campaign with quite a bit of fanfare, as he was selected as the OVC Freshman of the Year after starting the final five games of 2017 and finished the year with 1,601 yards of offense and 13 total touchdowns. The media voted him as its OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
But the Governors found their offensive groove in the early part of the season by employing a two-quarterback system where Oatsvall and junior JaVaughn Craig rotated every two series or so. When Craig went down with an injury, Oatsvall stepped up his game and has begun to prove the preseason hype is merited.
In three of the past four games, Oatsvall has eclipsed 229 yards through the air, setting the three highest passing totals of his career. He passed for four touchdowns at Jacksonville State, which set his career high at the time. On Saturday, he became the first Governor to throw for four or more touchdowns in two games in the same season since Dennis Dyer in 1968.
Oatsvall is climbing the Austin Peay record books. His 14 touchdown passes already rank fourth in a season for the Govs: with five more he will sit alone in second place. His 21 career touchdown passes rank fifth all-time at APSU, and he ranks ninth in career passing yards with 2,327.
His pass efficiency rating of 160.5 this season would blow away the previous APSU record of 139.2 set by Brian Baker in 2001. His efficiency rating currently ranks first in the OVC and eighth in the FCS.
He’s also been a master of the big play, as his 17.09 yards per completion ranks second nationally and first in the OVC. A recipient of many of those game-changing plays, senior DJ Montgomery also had himself a career day against TTU, hauling in four passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 55-yard bomb to open the scoring.
“I’ve noticed a huge difference in our chemistry since last year,” Montgomery said. “This year in the spring, we came in on off days and got extra passes with one another. In the summer, we also got passes with one another to connect and get our timing down on certain routes.”
Sophomore Baniko Harley also put up the best numbers of his career on Saturday, with three catches for 86 yards and the first two receiving touchdowns of his career.
It’s not just his play on the field that’s caught his teammates’ attention, though, it’s how Oatsvall has emerged as a team leader.
“He seems to talk more, be more vocal in practice, try to get us going early,” Montgomery said. “He’s just taking a bigger role because he’s got to be a leader on the team.”
His head coach has noticed the same thing.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth, and he’s becoming more and more comfortable in his role,” Healy said. “He’s stepping up, he’s becoming a leader and he’s taking charge of that offense. I’m extremely proud of him and his progression.”
Despite the big-time statistics and the praise from teammates and coaches, Oatsvall is quick to deflect the recognition and instead shine a light on the other 10 guys in the offensive huddle.
“It all starts with the guys up front, being able to buy us some time,” Oatsvall said. “The running backs do a great job in protection, as well as running the ball, which opens it up for the receivers. We’ve got a group of guys that are so tight-knit together and work hard in practice, and I can trust them with any ball that I put out there.
“It just makes it that much easier for me. Without the guys around me, there’s no way I can do what I do.”
Courtesy of APSU Athletics
