Catawba College and Austin Peay State University aren’t exactly two peas from the same football pod.
Catawba (1-0) is ranked sixth in Division II and is on a 53-15 seven-year roll under head coach David Bennett heading into Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Shuford Stadium.
Austin Peay (0-1), a Division 1-AA school that competes in the brand new Pioneer League and doesn’t hand out football scholarships, has won six of its last 33.
Austin Peay (it’s pronounced “pea” not “pay”) doesn’t exactly come to Salisbury with momentum. It dug a quick 21-0 hole last Saturday at home against Campbellsville and thanks to six turnovers, never climbed out. The ugly end result was a 45-27 thumping in which the Governors (not a bad nickname) were shredded for 254 rushing yards.
If Catawba’s awesome defense gives up 45 points and 254 ground yards in a month you’ll have to keep sharp objects away from new coordinator Curtis Walker.
Catawba and Austin Peay played last year on the Governors’ home turf and it wasn’t a complete blowout — mostly because the Indians were suffering bus-lag from the nine-hour trip to Clarksville, Tenn. The Tribe eventually settled for a 33-7 win, with Kevin McKenzie churning out 188 rushing yards.
“It was such a long way to Austin Peay,” grimaced Catawba inside linebacker Todd McComb. “We stopped somewhere in Tennessee. But just as I got to sleep, someone woke me up and said we were rolling again.
“This time,” smiled McComb, “I’m gonna wake up, gonna go to chapel, gonna get something to eat and then I’m gonna go play.”
McComb’s play was scary in Catawba’s 55-0 rout of Livingstone. If Austin Peay watched the film, it had to be more terrifying than Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” McComb, all-region last season, was in on a play every two snaps he was on the field.
If Catawba has anything to fear from the Governors, it’s that the Indian defensive backfield is going to get a workout worthy of Jane Fonda. Austin Peay went to the air 53 times last week, completing 32 for — no kidding — 426 yards.
Bennett calls king-size Governor QB Brian Baker “a pro prospect” and wideout Mike Farrell was en fuego, catching 11 balls for 210 yards. But Catawba’s pass rush figures to be somewhat better than Campbellsville’s. That means DBs Ryan Norman, Jamel Jackson and Grant Cain could have more picks than a gold miner’s convention.
“When someone throws as much as they do,” said McComb, “it brings a smile to my face. We’ll bring heat off the edge. We’ll try to mess up that quarterback’s timing.”
In fact, expect McComb and his pals to pretty much make a mess of the Governors’ whole day.
“Austin Peay is gonna try harder because we beat them last time,” said Bennett. “We know we’ll get their best shot.”
Maybe. But it should be an Austin pea-shooter against a Catawba cannon.
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
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