Austin Peay opens spring practice under Cannon

Mar 26, 2013 - 5:29 PM Clarksville, TN (Sports Network) - Kirby Cannon will kick off Austin Peay spring football practice Tuesday afternoon, one week after being named the team's new head coach.

The former Central Michigan defensive backs coach has taken over a team that is coming off a 2-9 record and a last-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference alongside Tennessee Tech.

"Initially, I want this team to practice with the pace and the intensity that I know leads to wins," Cannon said. "We want to teach them how to practice. We are not bogging them down with a lot of thinking - real base packages, base calls, just try to make them move and make them practice like champions.

"One of the goals we talked about in our team meeting was practicing like a champion before you can be a champion."

On offense, the Governors return four starting linemen along with running backs Terrence Oliver and Reco Williams. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Sexton is expected to take over as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, the Governors return much of the lineup intact.