Austin Peay Offensive Players To Watch vs. Ole Miss
No. 20 Ole Miss gets its first and only game against an FCS opponent this week at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as the Rebels will welcome Austin Peay from Clarksville, Tennessee.
The Governors sit at 1-0 after knocking off Chattanooga last Saturday by a score of 30-20, and they threw the ball around the yard a lot en route to the victory. The Ole Miss defense, for the most part, corralled the offense of the Louisville Cardinals during its Labor Day opener, especially comparative to a season ago.
Although the Rebels surrendered 355 yards of total offense on Monday night, that is a far cry from the 519 yards per game given up a season ago. Even with an FCS team coming to town, the Ole Miss defense will have to prepare for some playmakers on the other side of the football.
Let's take a look at some of the key offensive pieces Austin Peay will bring to Oxford on Saturday night.
READ MORE: Ole Miss Week 2 Game Preview: What To Expect From Austin Peay
QB Draylen Ellis
The Governors' sophomore signal-caller threw for 325 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions last week against the Mocs. He was Austin Peay's leading passer a season ago with 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions during the season. Ellis is an Olive Branch, Mississippi, native, but he attended high school at Kirby High School in Memphis before enrolling at Austin Peay.
RB Ahmaad Tanner
A graduate student out of Dalton, Georgia, Tanner led the Governors with 103 rushing yards last week and accounted for one touchdown reception. He was the third-leading rusher for Austin Peay a season ago with 283 yards and three touchdowns, so he is already almost halfway to his 2020 total in rushing yardage. Austin Peay ran the ball about on about 55 percent of its offensive snaps last week, so expect Tanner and the backs behind him to see a decent load of carries on Saturday.
WR Baniko Harley
Harley hauled in six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown last weekend, good for a clip of 22.83 yards per catch. He had 387 receiving yards a season ago (good for second-most on the team), but he was Draylen Ellis' favorite target against the Mocs, and he'll surely be looked for in Oxford this Saturday.
WR Drae McCray
The Austin Peay freshman was the second-leading receiver for the Governors in their win over Chattanooga last week, hauling in five receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. McCray is listed at 5-8 with a weight of 176 pounds, so he's not a particularly large target, but he made the Mocs' defense pay a week ago.
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