Former Black Bears take on Alabama

David Elwell, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·3 min read

Nov. 18—Saturday morning when the Austin Peay football team steps onto the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, the players may be a little in awe of what they see.

First, there are the 101,21 seats in Bryant-Denny. The total attendance for Austin Peay's 10 games this season is 87,934. The largest single attendance for one Austin Peay (7-3) game this season has been 10,125 at Central Arkansas on Oct. 1.

That's just an example of the difference between programs in NCAA Division I college football.

The Austin Peay Governors play the No. 8-ranked Crimson Tide at 11 a.m.

Three of the Austin Peay players call Decatur home. All three are former Austin Black Bears. They are running back Jevon Jackson and receiver Tre Shackelford, who are both redshirt-freshmen, and freshman defensive back Tra Stover.

All three will have family and friends from Decatur in attendance. Stover's father, Decatur Heritage head coach Nikita Stover, played receiver for the Crimson Tide from 2006-2008.

Jackson has rushed 90 times for 564 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games for the Governors from Clarksville, Tennessee. He scored two touchdowns in Austin Peay's last game, a 31-14 win over Kennesaw State out of Georgia on Nov. 12.

Shackelford has played in nine games with eight catches for 76 yards and no touchdowns. Stover has played in one game.

From outside of Bryant-Denny catching a look at the Governors vs. Crimson Tide won't be easy. The game is available only via subscription streaming on ESPN+.

Here's an update on some more area football players who are playing on the Division I level:

—Memphis running back Asa Martin (R-Sr.) from Austin has played in nine games for the Tigers, rushed for 62 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns. He's also caught 27 passes for 22 yards and one touchdown. Memphis (5-5) hosts UNA at 1 p.m. Saturday.

—Troy defensive back Reddy Steward (Jr.) from Austin has 49 tackles and one interception. Troy (8-2) hosts Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

—Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon (Fr.) from Austin has completed three of five passes for 47 yards this season as the backup for the Bulldogs. Crittendon's stats all came in second-half action vs. Georgia in a 33-0 loss. That was Samford's only loss of the season. The Bulldogs (9-1) hosts Mercer on Saturday at noon.

—UAB defensive back Keondre Swoopes (Jr.) from Hartselle has 38 tackles and one interception in nine games for the Blazers. You can watch for Swoopes on Saturday night when UAB (5-5) visits LSU at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

—Liberty University receiver CJ Yarbrough (Redshirt-Jr.) from East Limestone returned to the field this season after a year away from the game. He has 13 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Flames (8-2) host Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. Saturday.

— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.